The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1907-02-05


blocks, is, without an exception, the
best pavement known to engineers.
1t is no Xperiment-proyen a sue
cess in Paris, London, Berlin, Brus-
sells, Lyons, San Francisco. Oakland,
Cal, Chicago, Minneapolis, Indianapo-
lis, Toledo, Boston, New York. Brook
Ign, Springfield, Mass, and Baltimore.
all under heavy traffic.
Now, again, let us name the essen
tial qualities of a pavement:
/. Reasonable first cost.
3. Cost of maintenance.
g. Facility of repairs.
4. Durability under traffic.
5. Freedom from noise.
6. Freedom from dust.
Z. Freedom from decay.
: s. Freedom from absorption.
O. Foothold for horses.
10. Ease of traction.
How nearly does the Modern Wood
Block pavement fulfill these different
requirements of an ideal pavement?
1. No first-class pavement can be
put down cheaper than wood block
pavement
.. No pavement can be as cheaply
maintained.
3. No pavement is so easily re
paired
(NO plant required-a laborer. a
hammer, a chisel, a bucket of pitch
mixture. and a treated block are all
that are needed)
4. The Rush street bridge in Chi
cago; the Water Front, San Francisco;
Holiday street, Baltimore; the
streets already named in London and
Paris all stand as proof of the fact
that the Wood Block pavement is the
most durable of all pavements
5. Properly put down. directly on
the foundation. without sand
cushion, the modern wood block pave
ment is as nOiseless as a pavement
can be.
6. There is nothing about a wood
block pavement to grind into dust,
and it is therefore the freest from
dust of all payements, and the easiest
to keep clean, and therefore the
cleanest
| Z. Properly selected and treated
with Creo-resinate mixture, KreodOne
Creoline, or some specially prepared
heavy creosote oil. the modern wood
block pavement will not decay in fifty
Years, if ever.
CNo one has ever seen block. prop.
erly treated, which had decayed even
in party
s. A modern wood block, selected
and treated as above described can not
absorb any moisture or impurity; the
pores being filled with the best of
personalities, and at the same time
the best disinfeetant known, can take
in anything else 1.-TWO bodies can not
occupy the same space at the same
time" This being true, and no dust
arising therefrom, the modern wood
block pavement must be the most
sanitary pavement known to engi
neers.
9. Except on "sweaty days" oil
which we have precious few hours (no
days., the wood block pavement Is
mot slippery: and should horse fall
it is easier for him to regain his foot
ing than on any other smooth pave
lment.
|. TO- 1t may offer very slightly more
friction TO traction than asphalt, but
Iif this is true, il offers very much
better foothold for horses than as
phalt
1t is one of the two smooth pave
ments which possess e1asticity-the
other being bitulithic pavement; it il
the coolest of all smooth pavements
as certified to by the cabmen of Bal
timore. They informed the writer il
August. 1904, that they would on no
! days drive several squares to stanC
their horses on wood block pavement
!. Properly put down it is the smooth
est of all pavements-no wavy sur
face, or saucer holes so prevalent IL
!, asphalt pavements-
!. Being of a dark color. Ii is just a:
agreeable to the eye as either as
phalt or bitulithic pavements.
The wood block pavement on Cali
fOrnia street, San Francisco. in from
of the paIatial homes of the multi
millionaires of said city in 1898, wheI
! last saw it, after twenty-one year!
of service, looked so very smooth
; not the slightest irTegularity percep
. tible on its surface. no sign of wear o.
decay that it impresses every one al
the best of asphalt payements. So de
ceptive In appearance. after using thu
. street almost daily for two years
, when asked by the secretary of th'
= interior, in Washington, to write ;
report on the wood block pavement
; of San Francisco, / remarked, Il haC
seen none out there" He then asked
. if / had been on California street
| and when answered in the affirmative
; he remarked, The senators from
: there assure me that street is lait
with a wood block pavement" Or
) nv return to San Francisco | found
, on examination. such was the case
= / had one of the blocks cut out an
! found it perfectly sound. although
had been down twenty-one years.
Z
7 must not be COMPOUNDED with the oil
, Nicholson pavement, made of block
| eight inches long, sawed from liv
, trees from six to ten inches In diane
ter, set ends up in mud and the space.
filled with sand and gravel. OF course
such pavement decayed rapidly, ant