The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-12-02
Will Be First Come First Serv-
ed, With Contractors.
Brick Pavements Do Not Stand
the Test Like Asphalt.
Very Little Water Should Be
Used on Either.
From Mondays Daily.

C. M. Carpenter of Chicago, represen-
tative of the Barber Asphalt Paving
company, was in the city few hours
Saturday afternoon, to ascertain what
the prospects are for the city advertis-
ing again for bids for paving some of
the streets of the city.
Mr.. Carpenter stated to Free Press
reporter that there will be a large
amount of paving done by the smaller
cities of the northwest the coming year.
Every city with population of over
$500, in Iowa, will do some paving, and
Owatonna, Faribault, Austin and other
smaller cities of Minnesota intend to do
some. Albert Lea is also talking about
it, but will probably do nothing for
another year but talk.
Mr.. Carpenter advised that contracts
be let during the winter, and said that
the cities that let the contracts first will
be the first to have their paving put
down in the spring.
When told that there was some senti-
ment on the part of the council to have
Front street paved with brick, Mr.. Car
penter said that it would be mistake.
He referred to Duluth, Oshkosh and
Fond du Lac, Wis, where he said that
brick pavements were laid two years
ago and already there are numerous
holes in the pavement, caused by brick
going to pieces and the adjoining bricks
giving way. This has caused rough and
bad looking streets. burlington paving
brick from Galesburg, Ill, were used ON
these streets. If city was to pay 81
a yard, or enough to warrant the throw
ing out of all poor brick, good brick
pavement might be secured.
Mr. Carpenter said that the brick paw
ing companies are all in combination
and the one whose turn it is to have a
contract is the lowest bidder. The bids
are placed high enough so that the
large number of representatives of the
other companies that are present have
their expenses paid out of the lowest
bid.
Mr.. Carpenter was asked about his
company bidding on California asphalt,
if the specifications were thrown open
again. He replied that while his COM
pany could buy the California asphalt
on the market, it preferred not to lay
that kind of asphalt, as the company
had a reputation to sustain, which
would be endangered by laying pave
ments with inferior asphalts. While
Bermudez is Venezuela asphalt, the
company had had its greatest success
with Pitch lake asphalt, which is the
kind that is laid on Broad street. Pitch
lake had given very general satisfaction
everywhere.
Mr. Carpenter was asked what meth
DDS are the best for keeping the dust
down on asphalt streets, and replied that
the best method is to sweep it by hand,
much the same as is done on Broad
street. Light sprinkling in summer is
done in some places, and in other places
the streets are flushed at night and
cleaned thoroughly. Water has deter
ioriating effect upon asphalt or brick
pavement, and the less either one is
sprinkled the better it is for it. Wat
er softens the pavement and causes it
to wear out more rapidly. When stone
is sawed, water is used to soften it, and
the same principle applies to pavement.
If they are wet, the travel on them tells
more rapidly than if they are dry. A
brick that is wet is much softer than one
that is not. AS soon as the vitrifed sur
face chips off, the brick absorbs mois-
ture, and in some cities the frost has
played havoc with moisture soaked
brick pavements.