The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1909-02-09
POrus Nature of Blocks Gives
Germs an Easy Breed
ing Place.
THOMAS ROCK BOOSTS
SMOOTH GRANITE STONES
In Statement to the STAR He
Tells of Best Way to Get
Good Streets.
To the Editor of the Evening star:

10 the EDITOR OF the Evening Star:
In view of the fact that street paw
ing has become a public question in
the city of Newark, l feel it my duty
as a practical paver to give my opin-
ion as TO the best method of street
building and the character of material
to be used. The public want a dura-
BILE and noiseless pavement and is en-
titled to ii.
Granite block pavement is the best
and cheapest pavement. when the
blocks are made more uniform than the
old crude blocks now in use In your
city streets, with punches of waste
granite on the sides and top of the
block. These max a rough surface
and wide Joints, thereby giving an OPP
portunity to horses and vehicles to
wear off the edges of the block and
giving a greater jolt to the wheels of
wagon and trucks, which thus make a
great noise jumping from one stone to
the next.
A smooth surface pavement is a
noiseless pavement, no matter what
character OF material is used therein.
The prope and best characer of pave
ment to which the public is entitled is
a granite block seven inches long, three
inches wide and five inches deep, laid
on a sand cushion one inch deep over
a six-inch concrete base.
~ pAOPOiI iOIo IOI COnCIeIe are
about one part Portland cement. three
parts clean sharp sand and five parts
broken stone, which should be two or
two and a half inches in size: natural
cement one part, two parts sand and
-FOUR parts broken stone. Proper tests
should be always imposed for the pur-
pose of getting good cement.
How to Build Roadbed.
In forming a roadbed upon which to
place a pavement the earth should be
1 hrOlIOhf AT G1Ih- rra rio IN t1n form. -
the finished road surface and should
be thoroughly compacted by heavy roll
ing before placing the concrete there
on. The places around water-gate
boxes, subway and gas boxes and man
hole heads which cannot be reached by
the steam roller should be thoroughly
great secret of good streets. The abovc-
mentioned granite block should be
paved close and well ahmed. One
zimmerman after two PAYERS finishes
the paving. Cement grout or tar and
gravel should be put between the
joints. The grout joints will leave a
prevent exudation of noxious odors.
The difference in cost between the
present granite block pavement. with
block pavement. with its smooth and
noiseless surface. will be very. little.
The old block is eight inches deep; the
ent sand cushion is two inches; the
new cushion is one inch. You save
one inch of sand, and the cost of re-
moving four inches less of sub-grade
and the cost of filing the joints will
likewise be less.
There is three inches difference in
the depth of h block. and there will
also be "A saving of labor in loading
and unloading the boat that will haul
the new blocks; the cargo will cover
a greater numbe of square yards of
paving than the present block. The
new block. after a wear Of eighteen or
twenty years, can be turned over and
reset on the same base, and the only
cost will be the labor and the material
for the joints, which will be a great
saving to the taxpayers: it viii also
be a noiseless. smooth and not a slip
perry pavement.
4 Durable Pavement.
For curbs the North River bluestone
has proved a good material, which
should be set on a concrete base. The
has been quite extensively used for
street paving in Brooklyn; it is a dura-
BILE pavement, smooth and noiseless,
and not slippery. The base is the same
as. for granite, with cement grout
Joints.
Wood block pavement is unhealth-
full and likely to give rise to disease.
This is due to the fact that the mate
sorptive of moisture. and therefore is
block pavement is slippery in hot
weather, as well as in wet and frosty
weather. and is dangerous to the life
and limb of man and horse. and it costs
more a square yard to Law than granite
and does not last half as long.
THOMAS ROCK.
525 Lexington avenue.
Manhattan. Now York city.
Business Agent International Union Of
PAYERS.
New York, February s.