The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-05-14
OF Richmond Is the best pavement you
na oct rrlaa Norm ahnllld hn -Ill.iuQry

can get. The horse should BIO q primary
considerations, and 1t scenis to me that
the bilullthc pavement Is the thing. The
Mayor Of Nashville Tenn, claims that
bitulithic solves the paving question and
is destined for universal use. The pay
ing on Eroad Street in that city leading
3 to the Louisville and Nashville freight
depot Is where the traffic Is very heavy
1t has been on this street for two years.
and where the great truck wagons, go
Ing and coming almost constant, swing
into the street, around the corner, sub
jecting the pavement to n grinding pro-
cess, the most careful inspection failed
to show any signs Of wear. About the
market. where the pavement has been IN
use for over two years and where the
horses stand almost constantly. they
cannot find the slightest Indications of
a break or any deterioration. These two
places would test any form Of pave 4
:lent.
1t seems to me that what Is good
enough for other Southern cities, such as
Shreveport, La, Birmingham. Ala, At
lanta, Ca, Asheville. N. c., Nashville,
Tenn, ST. Louis, Mo-, is certainly good
enough for Richmond. All these cities
have had from one to three years eS-
ocrience and they like It better the third
year than Mt any time in the past
Now as to asphalt: "The word as
tphalt,'n said we'll known engineer,
writing on this subject, '.shonld be used
with apologies to the material. which
has given the pavemcnts properly known
as asphalt its reputation" He referred
to the genuine rock asphalt, which IS put
upon streets in foreign cities rms as
phalt was as nature made It. Without
udmixture with other materials. With
few startling exceptions, asphalt pave
n,ents, as they are SO termed abroad, are
not known In America, Tho European
pavenents are best known through the
use Of pure ground rock asphalt from
Syssel, Valde Travers and other mines
TRINIDAD PITCH.
Trinidad pitch from Lake Trinidad and
the Antilles, has been used merely as a
celnenting material in a mixture OF SAND,
ground stone and sometimes shale, III
which the pitch bore about the same re-
latlon to the subsidiary substances that
cement does to an ordinary article or
concrete, General Francis V. Greene.
who was formerly connected with the
Barber Asphalt Company, never claimed
anything else for It. Flo said that the
Trinidad pitch pavement grew out of a
desire to make an imitation of the
European street covering. This was
done through the medium OF small
quantity of Trinidad pitch and larger
quantities OF sand, crushed stone and oth-
or materials. The counterfeit came IN,
| taking name already Justly famous and
| applying 1t to a vastly inferior material
| There is only one thing which keeps the
| name asphalt before the American peo-
| ple and that Is the brains of the pro-
| moter The Trinidad asphalt, Is mere
ly a Mitch concrete, and disguised as as
| malt 1t has been accepted as the real ar
! ticle by unsuspecting Municipalities.
METHODS KNOWN.
Tho methods OF the asphalt trust are
too we'll known to every reading cltizeh
of the United States to require explana-
ton here and, further, 1t Is not inc
purpose of this article to criticise meth
DDS. but to confne 1t to the intrinsic
merits Of Trinidad and kindred pitches
as paving materials, 1t will be neces-
snry to cite only few instances to prove
tho contention that the so-called asphalt
as laid by tho trust Is q failure, a ue-
lusion and n snare. That IT isa deluslon
is not apparent until the gllb-tongued
promoter has landed his prey. departed
Nor pastures new and the construction
gang has plastered It's poultlce OF pltcH'
saId and stone over the concrete pase'
Scarcely Is the street open TO tratfic
before repairs become necessary. Ihese
are tardiiy made by the trust, and rare
ly until repeatedly importuned by me
city officials whose duties are to guaru
Tho city's interest In this particular
Hardness In repairing Is not without us
object. The contractor proposes to hlaho
| only such repairs as are Imperative ~
his policy Is to barely live within me
| terms of his contract. so that at .ie
| expiration Of the term OF guaranty eA-
tensiye repairs Will at once become neces.
sury in order to save the pavement, ~
this roint tho ''snare' that the trust mas
set for tho unsuspectlng ls made mani
fest Repairs must be made and repairs
are expensive to the municipality anu
profitable to the pitch trust. As
Vel Known writer has said "Irlniuau
asphalt makes beautiful counterlel',
and, like q counterfeit note. 1t does not
improve With age"
The experiences with asphalt or new
York, Boston, Buffalo Indianapolis anu
cleveland would make a volume OF rail-
uros. mishaps, experiments and losses
10 thesc municipalities that would as
hearten any corporation with less rug
ged conscience than the Trinidad pi1ch
trust.
COLONEL CUTsHAW's VIEW,
CITY Engineer Cutshaw. being called on
"a explain about the bids for smooth
street paving before the committee last
week stated that he had not the Plea