The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1907-02-02

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which car tracks are laid. whether
the pavement has been down two
years or five years.
For these reasons failures so ap-
parent to every one), Trinidad as
phalt, or any other asphalt affected
by water, should be outlaWed, for it
is money thrown away to have street
Ipavements made of them.
Atlanta has been fearfully swindled
in almost every pavement up to the
present, not only in her large belgian
blocks (granite chunks), but in her
asphalt pavements as well.
With such traffic as Atlanta has any
good pavement should last from ten
to fifteen years, and yet We have to
begin patching our asphalt pavements
within three or four years. All as
lphalt pavements have been pat down
in Atlanta under ten years guaranty,
and there is an ordinance in the city
Icode which directs the Commissioner
of Public. Works, after ordering re-
pairs made by contractor, if not
promptly done, to do them and collect
the cost of such repairs from the
bond company.
This means personal damage suits,
if we do not compel these repairs
made, and endless lawsuits with con-
tractors if We do; they will contend
that only large, dangerous holes
should be repaired. and the city in
sisting on all breaks being promptly
REPAIRED, thereby not only avoiding
damage suits, but protecting the life
of the pavement, If possible, beyond
the guaranty limit.
Another bone of contention between
the contractors and the municipal au-
thoritieS will be. the rents adjacent
to street car tracks; they contending
that the street car company should
be responsible for said rents, and the
city contending that they guaranteed
the pavement against all wear-the
contractors knowing the condition of
the tracks at time of signing said con-
tract. Any controversy between the
street car company and said contrac-
tors, We think, should be settled be-
tween themselves.
I judge all asphalt repair bills on
guaranteed streets will be paid, but
at the end of long litigation.
The construction uncertainties and
lrepair troubles will be paid, But
charged up against asphalt pave
ments
Quoting again from H. Percy
Boulois, the City Engineer of Liver
pool, an English author of engineering
works on this subject-"The great OBJ
lection to asphalt as a material for
street paving arises from the fact that
it is extremely slippery when damp,
irrespective of temperature
The result of this slipperiness is,
bot IL II
upon it, but 1t is also difficult to stop
horse when drawing load, thus
causing more risk to pedestrians of
being run over, and straining the
horse in IFS efforts
Again, in crowded streets stoppages
are frequently necessary and it is
painful to see the struggles of the
horses to keep their foothold and over
come the inertia of their load. When
horse falls he has great difficulty in
rising"
The same author, in narrating the
good points of asphalt pavements, ex-
presses himself thus:
ut is comparatively noiseless I'M
der traffic, though in this respect
wood pavements are better, as the
CHATTER of iron shod horses feet upon
asphalt is very apparent Ease of
traction: but here steps in the one
great objection to asphalt paving.
namely: danger to horses by slipping
and falling.
Easily cleaned Cno more so than
wood; is very pleasing to the eye.
being uniformly regular, when proper
! Iy constructed, and of good color $50
. is wool block raving)."
! The Dirtiest of Payer,enfs
, At least ninety per cent of asphalt
pavement is composed of sand and
carbonate of lime. which will grind
under the tread of horses and the
abrasion of passing wheels into dust.
making it the dirtiest of the better
class of pavements.
Cost.
| Asphalt pavement. under usual
guarantee, on such foundation as al
ready described, costs in Atlanta 80 IS
per square yard
/ Altitude Affects asphalt Pavement.
/ Altitude has more to do with as
phalt pavement than the uniformed
would imagine Atlanta being one
thousand and one hundred feet above
the sea. evaporation will take place
more rapidly hare than in coast cities,
as Savannah. Washington and New
York; and DO not believe any pave
ment containing volatile oils will last
! long in Atlanta, traffic and quality of
pavement being equal, as in low alti-
tude cities
Denver, about five thousand feet
elevation. has been impressed with
this condition in way not TO be for
gotten. In 1898, while there. 7 thought
Denver had the best constructed and
prettiest asphalt pavements had
ever seen-surface almost DeTfect-no
saucer holes or Wavy appearance
Many times afterwards I referred to
them In 1904 Councilman John A
HyEds visited Denver and found the
pavements had gone all &c pieces" las
he expressed IL on his return). land
the officials blue over the prospects"
All the pavements had been put
down in two or three years. and all