The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1909-08-14
DULUTH STREETS PAVED WITH THAT
MATERIAL UNINJIlREo BY STORM
LOCAL COUNCIL TAKE NOTICE
Experience at Marquette Also Points to
That Being the Best Material for
Crystal Falls Streets

The council or this city has been dis
cussing the best kind of material with
which TO pave the streets OF Crystal
Falls AT meeting. held over month
ago. when the matter WAS discussed
with Engineer Burley of the county
road system tar macadam was spoken
II lightly ..and IL has been spoken OF
lightly by those In authority since that
time the intimation being that It is
not the best material for our streets
Another statement made Is that no
practical test of tar macadam has yet
been made from which any adequate
idea Of the resisting power of tnat ma
terial could be CLEANED This state
ment cannot be made with any truth
fulness in the future for Duluth. a city
whose streets are harder TO keep in
condition. than are those of this city
furnishes ample testimony to the worth
Of tar macadam TO Withstand bad
floods
The cloud burst OF month ago did
nearly a million dollars worth Of dam
age to Duluth and Of all the different
pavements used, tar macadam wac the
only one that came through unscathed.
The Mining Journal dwelt at length
upon the reports made upon this storm
and upon the result of experiments
with this material on Marquette streets
in a recent article from which we take
the following
Tar macadam came through the
recent big storm at Duluth in better |
condition than any other Of the paving
materials used in that city Telford
macadam failed utterly under the
stress OF the storm. and much damage
was done to streets paved with asphalt
aad sandstone. The ability OF tar
macadam TO stand up under the deluge
that poured through the streets OF Du-
luth is Of interest 10 local taxpayers,
as the park, cemetery and street com
mission is using tar macadam exclus.
lively for street improvements this
season.
The paCt years experience with
the few blocks that have already been
laid. together with the word that
now comes from Duluth. makes IL APP
parent that Marquette is making no
mistake in using tar macadam for It's
streets Regarding the condition of
Duluths streets after the big storm,
the Evening Herald said editorially
F" 'It was interesting aud not little
surprising TO note from City Engineer
Mctiilvray's report of the condition of
the city -pavements after the storm,
that the ability OF the various paving
materials 10 Withstand the severe test
Of the food was 10 large degree in
inverse ratio TO their costliness. At
any tate. tar macadam, which is about |
the cheapest pavement used In the
city, came ont OF the test better than
any other material Tar macadam is
no great shakes for beauty, neither is
II pavement TO be ashamed Of, for |
tnat matter. but for service and dur
ability IL ~ rather hard TO beat. Prac- |
tically only two places in the many |
miles OF tar macadam streets showed |
any damage az all. and in these eases.
according to the engineers report,
damage came through undermining
from oyerburdened sewers, cause
which hardly any kind Of pavement
could Withstand Telford macadam, II
Ninth avenue east is to be taken as a
sample of its works will not do ut
all
"Prior TO last year no tar or other
binding material was used in building
crushed rock streets in this city. The
result was not entirely satisfactory, es-
pecially on the hills. on which the fine
rock has washed off badly, necessitat.
ing frequent application OF top dres-
sing. The North Third street bill Is
an example OF the lack Of durability OF
crushed rock streets. built withot using
any binding material.
Last spring experiments were made
with tarvia. commercial prepai alton
which was applied on Ridge street, be-.
tween Front and High, and on side OF
Front street between Michigan and
Hewitt The results were not satisfac-
tory as the tarvia lacked body. and be-
cause Of its thinness. IL soaked down
through the finer rock. leaving II loose
rs before, although the coarser rock
underneath has been found 10 be firmly
bound together
After the use Of travia had been
abandoned, one side OF Front street.
between Ohio and Hewitt was coated
with tar obtained from the gas works