Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-27
PAVING, OLD AND NEW.
Recollections of the Veteran Street
Mender.

From the New York Evening Post
Workmen tearing up Clinton street.
brooklyn for repaving have uncovered four
generations of pavement. which furnish an
object lesson in the history of street-mak-
ing Of the last seventy years.
As they stripped off the asphalt pave
ment which was laid in 1883. they brought
with it a layer of the coal-tar pavement.
laid about 1873 or 1874. according to Chief
Engineer Tillotson of the department OF
highways in Brooklyn borough.
This coal tar was. in turn. laid on top
of Nicholson wooden block pavement in the
greater part of Clinton street between
Pierrepont street and Atlantic avenue. But
in other sections Of the street the coal-tar
covering was laid over the old round cobble-
stones which were down early at 1873.
To the majority OF the present dweliers
on Clinton street the square blocks OF the
Nicholson pavement were a novelty. They
had no recollection of the days when that
street and few others on the heights were
paved with this material, at great expense.
TO relieve that exclusive home section of the
noise of wagons rattling over the od-time
CobblestoneS.
Among the timekeepers in the force of
workmen who are engaged on the present
job Is a veteran who helped lay the first
of these Nicholson pavements.
Everybody thought it was a grand pave
utent when ii was first put down.. he said
today. Henry street was the first on
which the Nicholson was laid. First A floor
ing of plank was put down. and on top OF
this square pine blocks We're set up on end.
Then the space between the blocks was
filled in with gravel. mixed with tar Over
all was spread top dressing of gravel
at made fine, smooth road for the car
riages for the first year or two, and if we d
had McAdoo with his traffic squad to keep
the heavy wagons off of the residence
streets. 1t might have lasted longer. But
the milk wagons, trucks and other heavy
began blocks
in spots and every time water or gas men
opened UP a hole to get at the pipes run
ming along the curb. they made It worse
than ever by the slipshOd way in which
they repaired the surface. In three or four
years the streets were worse than in the
days Of the cobblcstones.
Then along came some man with a pat
eut coal tar pavement that he said he could
lay right over the Nicholson. filling in the
holes. and making surface as smooth as
a barn floor. but soft and springy India
rubber for the horses and wagons. He got
the contract to lay his coal-tar pavement on
most of the streets in this section. 1t was
soft and springy. all right. especially in
hot weather, when the sun would melt It, 50
that the horses feet stuck fast, and the
blacksmith trade more than doubled be-
cause of the shoes the coal-tar pavement
pulled off.
well finally the asphalt people came
into the field, about ten or twelve years
later. and they laid their pavement right
over the coal tar and Nicholson. So there
you are. If you'll look at any strip from
Pierrepont street TO Atlantic avenue. you'll
see all three layers, and "a some of the
cross-streets the old cobblestones of 80 are
still In evidence"
The street is now being repaved with as
phait. with concrete foundation. The old
Nicholson blocks. many of which are still
sound and well preserved, are being carted
away by woodward men. who will split and
bundle them up TO sell for kindling wood