The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-02-25
de TAILS OF PAVING
BEING WORKED OUT
LOWER NICoLLET TO BE SCENE
OF EXPERIMENT..
Forest Service Of Department Of Agri-
culture, Cooperating with City En-
gineer, Decides on Woods for Greco
soted Block Tests and Conditions for
Laying and Noting Results.

Minneapolis will make a paving ex-
pertinent this year which will be
watched with interest all over the coun-
try. 1t viii be conducted under the
auspices Of the forest service of the
department of agriculture, but the lum-
bermen and paving contractors will sup
ply the material and the city will as
sumo the expense Of laying the pave.
ment. 49, H. n" z-t r. M. .s
The experiment will be limited en-
tirely to creosoted wood block of the
same general character with regard to
construction as the creosoted wood pave
ments already in use in this city. Will
liam A. Hall, the chief Of the service,
selected Minneapolis as the place for
making the test on account of the
excellent work already done here and
the superior knowledge possessed by
the local engineering department. on
wood paving, and displayed in the spec
ifications for proposals, which are
among the most severe in the country.
Nicollet Avenue Favored.
Nicollet avenue has been selected as
at the old city hall from Second street
W E1lSt StIect uc1uS Guo Ouo uooO
favored. The old granite blocks will
be taken up and replaced with wood,
no less than eight varieties being used
Heretofore only Georgia pine, or long
| leaf southern pine as it Is correctly
called, and Norway pine have been
adopted by the creosoting companies
turnout the country. < ~=
The government experts are satisfied
that there are number Of other woods
not generally used for lumber and con
sequently much lower in price, that viii
prove fullysas satisfactory for paving
material as Georgia and Norway pine
Two Plentiful Woods.
For instance, tamarack and hemlocl
are obtainable in large quantities in tn
northern states, but they have Httl
commercial value, for the tamarack will
"check'' when exposed to the weather
and hemlock is often affected by "wind
shake.'
/ These qualities might not impair thei
usefulness for paving, and should the,
be found suitable another industry vii
be opened to lumbermen. For this res
son the proposed experiment Is one 0
considerable Importance to the nortf
west in particular, where tamarack an
, hemlock abound.
The woods to be used will be Norwa
pine, Georgia pine, Washington larcl
which is similar to tamarack, Mime
(5sota tamarack, birch, hemlock, and pc!
sibly Washington fir and elm. =
= Each wood will be laid in section
,, from fifty to eighty feet long, extendin
the full width Of Nicollet avenue. TIL
creosoting will be done by one Of tn
two plants in this state free of charg
and the pavement will be laid by tn
3 city engineer under the same condition
for each kind.
Note Every Condition.
An accurate record of the traffic o
the street will be taken at certain hour
= of the day, from which the averag
= daily and yearly traffic may be dete
, mined. Government officials will il
spect the paving from time to time an
:. blocks will be taken up from time
time to show the amount of wear in
given period, and careful notes will /
kept as to the manner in which tt
. various woods are affected by traffic.
> City Engineer Rinker is prepared l
go ahead with his share Of the work
9 soon as the weather will permit, ar
L already considerable quantity Of Il
e wood to be used for the experiment h:
arrived at the CreOsOting nlant.