The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1907-08-17
THE SANDSTONFS
OF THIS COUNTY
An Experts Opinion Of Them For Paw
ing Purposes
City Engineer Thompson, of Seattle,
Compares Them With the Cele-
brated Medina Stone, of Lockport,
New York-Why They Are Used
Only on Steep Grades.

New York-Why They Are Used
Only on Steep Grades.
MIR. R. H. THOMPSON, city en-
IVA gineer of Sc tile and one of
the most capable men in his profess
sion in the west, has been spending
the past week in the county
getting little well earned rest and
at the same time combining business
with pleasure in examining the
Sweeney sandstone property on Wal
dron island to ascertain what effect
the action of the elements has had
upon the face of the quarry and to
obtain samples of the rock to be test
ed to determine its value for paving
purposes on streets of comparatively
low grades.
Mr.. Thompson, who, by the way, is
quite a skillful amateur photogra-
pher, was very welcome caller at
the ISLANDER Office in company with
his friend j. A. Mccormick, the we'll
known Photographic artist. He is a
very interesting conversationalist
and seems to have no disposition to
keep the public in ignorance of his
opinions upon questions connected
with his public professional work.
He has perhaps made the most ex-
haustive study of paving problems Of
any man on the Pacific coast and is
best qualified to speak concerning
them. Two years ago he spent sew
eral months abroad studying ques-
tions bearing on gradients, paving,
sewerage, water supply, ETC., in the
principal cities of Great Britain and
continental Europe, as he had previ-
ously done in the chief cities of this
country, and the utilization of the
knowledge that he thus acquired has
already been Of incalculable value to
Seattle. When he was in Paris the
city was celebrating the completion
of the regrade system planned in
general way by engineers acting un-
der the Instructions of Napoleon
ninety-five years before. A century
ago Paris was a billy city and mil
lions upon millions of cubic yards Of
earth and rock have been moved in
the construction of the grand boule-
Yards and streets for which the mag
nifcent city is celebrated. There
have been enormous fills along the
banks of the Seine, which is spanned
py numerous beautiful bridges far
above the smokestacks of steamers.
The regrade work which is being
done in Seattle, and which excites
the wonderment of visitors and resi-
dents, is small compared with what
has been done in the great French
capital.
He is quite frank both in his critic
ism and commendation of the sand
stones of this county, his criticism
having reference solely to their value
for paving purposes. AS compared
with the famous Medina sandstone,
ouarried near Lockport, New York,
and extensively used in eastern
cities, Mr.. Thompson pronounces
them of poor quality for use as paw
ing blocks on streets Of low gradients
where what be calls ''trotting traffic"
is heavy. A light horse driven at .
rapid pace, or even an ordinary trot,
taxes the wearing qualities OF any
paving material far more than do the
heaviest dray teams pulling great
loads. Sandstone blocks from Sucia
and Stuart islands are In use on q
number of the streets OF Seattle
where the grades vary from nine TO
twenty-five per cent, and on the
sleeper grades, where the traffic i
necessarily lightest, they have given
fairly good satisfaction. When prop
erly cut they furnish good foothold
for horses, but either because they
are lacking in hardness or elasticity
they do not long stand the strain Of
use on streets where the grades are
such g to admit Of rapid driving
Under the impact Of horses shoofs in
i centiasea - Psse Five.