The Cairo bulletin., 1904-12-13
IN REGARD TO STREET PAVING

In making plans for aie improve,
nont Of Cairo's streets there are
hrae points which. in the opinion of
The Bulletin, should be considered
by the Committee Of Twenty One
s the material with which The paw
ing is cons rueted. another. how it
hall be obtained and. the third is
lae manner in which it nall be la.I
There has been an immense amount
il speculation and discus ion on the
former subject during the last few
days and the consensus Of opinion
seems to be that the greater number
of The streets that may be Improve
should receive brick paving similar
10 that which aas stood sneh a sue
cessful test on Ohio street between
Fourth and Eighth streets.
A number believe, and there is
much reason in the thought, hat Cal.
20 should have at least one boulevard
constructed Of asphalt or some SINH.
lar substance presenting a perfectly
.mooth Surface Washington avenue
rom Eighth street to ThiT.y-sixth OF
rhirty.eighth street is suggested as
the proper stretch of thoroug flare
and II has further been sugges. ed that
he expense could be considerably re-
i4lccd and the beauty Of the street
much enhanced by planting grass
plots in the center Of the street in
zach block beginning with a point
opposite Che custom house or beyond
fourteenth street, where traffic is not
As heavy as il Is nearer the center Of
he city.
A new material has been discovered
Or developed which Is nov being
placed CT used in number of cities
including Evanston, tails state, and
Paducah. KY. which appears 20 be
combination Of granitoid and asphalt
and whica is warranted as a perma-
lent smooth surface that viii not
,uffer from severe cold or intense
leat.
II is a certainty that few things
would do more to attract a high class
II desirable citizens than such
street and there is no doubt that the
advance in the value of property on
this stree. and the amount thar
might be derived from Increased rent
ais would very much more than pay
for the extra expense over a brick
paving, which is reported as incon-
siderable.
Public opinion favors one avenue
paved abouT as above described but
It is no less of the opinion that the
balance Of the paving should be Of
yitrlhed brick. AS successful as this
laying has proved in Cairo il has
1een laid at a very heavy cost In.
aecess arily so, it would seem, if the
same IS compared with the prices
)aia by cities which are situated in
territory where vitrified brick can
be made. There is more than one
practical man who believes that with.
in Alexander county or in the adjoin-
ng county OF Ballard, KY. the proper
clay may be found for making a high
grade Of vitrifed brick. If thjssis
the case! and it should be most care
fully investigated. the expense of the
material would be greatly lessenea
and a more important matter cannot
De determined than the possibility Of
/ the home manufacture of this pro
duct That is the second suggestion
that The Bulletin has to make: tina.
it he fully demonstrated whether or
aot the proper clay for vtrihed brick
paving blocks can be found in this
part of the country, the brick made
/ 1. home and the enormous freight
rates necessary to bring the bricks
from Ohio or Indiana or elsewhere.
saved.
The third point is in the con luIe
lion Of the street itself The Bulletin
asks iI5 readers TO notice gust nov
! he streets Of the city are used by
teams and wagons How much Of
the street IS actually used and now
much of il is devoted TO drainage.
Take Sixth street leading from Ohio
street. or Eighth street and notice
practically cne-third of the street,
On each side. is not ueed more as a
gutter than as a street Notice the
tracks Of the wagons and you will
see that the city is getting. on the
narrow streets. the benefit of less
than one-half of the street. The bal
ance is a gutter, an open sewer.
The reason for this is apparent in
the fact that the street contains a
crown which washes of all deposit