The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1906-10-26
EXPERIMENT IN WOOD PAVING
Investigations Being Carried on By
The Government.
SEVERAL SAMPLES HAVE BEN LAID
PREVIOUS FAILURES DUE TO I'M.
PROPER PREPARATION OF
WOOD BLOCKS.

years, however, has it been satisfactor-
lily adopted in the cities of the United
States. Previous failures can be
traced almost entirely to improper
construction or methods of preparation.
In most cases round blocks of cedar
or other woods were used, without
precautions against decay and without
adequate foundation for the pavement
The consequence was that, as a paw
ing material, wood fell into disfavor
Recent use of rectangular wooden
blocks for street pavements has given
excellent results. Many engineers
believe that these blocks, when prop
erly creosoted and laid on a concrete
foundation, make a pavement which
possesses high excellence in a greater
number of essential qualities than any
other now in use.
Among these qualities are great
smoothness, low traction resistance.
minimum noise and considering its
smoothness, comparatively little slip
periness. Slipperiness has sometimes
proved Objectionable, but is not great
err for wood than for sheet asphalt, all
temperature conditions considered;
and wood is much less variable in this
particular than is asphalt.
1t is probable that no other pave
ment with equally slight traction re-
sistance will be found less slippery.
Wood pavement is also easy to clean
and to maintain, and when we'll laid
gives promise Of proving more dur
able than any other except one con-
structed of the hardest granite.
Comes High.
The cost Of creosoted wood pavement
is at present comparatively high, aver
aging about SO per square yard, in
Guiding concrete foundation. In sew
eral cities, however, the cost Of the
pavement has been reduced materially
below this figure, and good results
have been secured. In Minneapolis,
Mimi, where the city itself lays the
pavement, the total cost per yard Is
approximately $3.50. To attempt to
cheaper the price, however, at the ex-
rense of thoroughness of treatment
or careful construction is, with creo-
soted wood pavement, particularly
dangerous economy. Even at the pre-
vailing price, the excellence of this
pavement causes many engineers to
regard it as the best general purpose
one now in use.
The five cities in which the largest
amounts Of wood pavement are found
are, in order, Indianapolis, New York,
Minneapolis, Toledo and Boston. To-
gether, these cities have more creo-
soted wood pavement than all other
cities in the United States combined.
The total amount of this pavement in
use in this country at the end Of the
year 1905 was about 100000 square
yards, equivalent to nearly 80 miles
Of pavement on a street 80 feet wide.
Two Chief Objections.
Two main causes have initiated
against a wider adoption of the Gre
osoted block pavement One has been
the prejudice which was engendered
by the former experience with wood,
the other is the rise in the price of
longleaf or Georgia pine, which is tho
wood now principally used The For
est Service is making Investigations to
find out what woods are most suitable
for use in paving, and whether less
expensive woods could not be used to
supplement the Georgia pine. The in
vestigations have been upon three
lines-to learn the present situation,
to make tests Of the suitability of var
ious woods, and to lay experimental
pavements and note their wear under
actual traffic conditions
An experimental pavement has now
been laid in the city of Minneapolis,
as a cooperative undertaking between
the city government and the Forest
Service. Different woods were donat- |
ed, in lots of $4,000 board feet, by a |
number of lumber companies or lum-
Der associations interested in extend
ing the market for their respective |
woods. Creosote and treatment were |
contributed by two manufacturers of |
wood pavement
Method Of Laying.
The woods used were longleaf pine, |
Norway pine, tamarack, white birch, |
western larch and Washington fir. All |
blocks were laid with the grain verti- |