Smyrna times. [volume] (Smyrna, Del.) 1854-1987, 1909-04-14
COUNCIL SPENDS ANOTHER
SESSION IN STREET TALK
SOME FAVOR BlTULITHIC AND
SOME VlTRlFIED BRICKS

Street Committee intends Making a
Trip to Salisbury Before Making a
Final Report of Their Plans.
The meeting of Smyrna Town Coun-
Gil Friday evening was given over
almost entirely to a discussion of
streets. All the members were pres
ent and lively meeting was held.
Contractor Horn of the Standard
Bitulithic Company was present to
tell of the merits of his system of
road building and he was given the
attention of Council for an hour or
more. When he had retired Chairman
Robinson of the Street Committee
made a report of what he and his
committee gathered on their trip to
Wilmington and Milford. While
they had come from Wilmington much
impressed with the bitulithic paving,
their trip to Milford even more i'm
pressed them that vitrifed brick was
the material that would best fill the
need of Smyrna. A feature of the
brick paving aside from the wear
and tear, was the ease with which
the street could be opened in cases
where it was necessary to get to the
water, sewer and gas mains. In Will
mington the heads of the Street and
Sewer Department all recommended
the bitulithic paving. In Milford
the members of the Town Council of
that city were warm in their praise
of vitrified brick and pointed with
pride to the fact that ten years of
service on Milford streets had made
no effect on the wearing of the street
and that it had not cost a cent for
repairs. Councilman Robinson, how
ever asked that he might take his
committee to Salisbury before def
nitely deciding on what he would
recommend for the Town of Smyrna.
Hudson Would Try With Cement
1 Councilman Hudson was not alto
4 gether favorable to bitulithic or
brick. In the former he said that
what he could learn Council might
4 save paying a royalty on the bitulithic
paving and instead lay bitumen ma
cadam, practically the same thing but
under different name. Mr.. Hudson
took occasion to refer with pride to
the piece of road on Commerce street
from the Four Corners to East street
and rather favored Strengthening ont
the whole of Commerce street and
experimenting on a square or two bv
covering it with cement. Then
if if it proved better street, to use
the same material on Main street anc
save the enormous cost of high priced
paving materials. The disadvantage
to this however, was the opening OF
streets to get at the water mair
which is not so convenient as brick.
Robinson also came to the front will
his pet street and said'' he saw M
road in Wilmington that bea
Smyrna's macadam (Commerce)
street. "
GrieVes Enthusiastic For Brick Paving
Secretary Grieves, whose effor t
more than any member of Council
was responsible for the present stree
agitation and whose timely and pro
gressive spirit fastened the bill
through the Legislature giving Smyrna
the right to borrow $25, 900, stucl
firmly to vitrified brick as the bes
material for building our streets. H
argued it would wear indefinitely
could be taken up easily, and woul
make a hard even street. Council
man Stockly was good listener blu
did not recommend any particular ma
terial. He did advocate the use of
scraper on East street and other dir
streets and would have them scrape
and rolled. On the stone street h
would have the dirt scraped off, tn
the low depressions picked and file
in and rolled. Councilman Robert
fell in with the plan and said i
Council would leave it to him an
bear the expense, lie would have tn
streets looked after. Discussion o
the new street was then left over fo
further discussion.
j Grow Reelected Alderman of Smyrn
y Despite the lateness of the hour
r Mr.. Grieves said it was time to cleo
r an alderman for the ensuing year an
e put in nomination Eugene Grow, tn
present encumbent. There being n
other nominations, mayor" Gro
was reelected by reclamation
S Council allowed bills to the amour
of $359.87.
7. Jester Gray Exhonerated BY Jury
t Coroner Griffith's jury found ths
It Jester Gray of Milton, charged wit
I. the murder of Walter Gcllespie,