Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-08-17

months owing TO the failure of the supply
OF brick from Illinois. the contractors say
their work will be completed by the end
Of the year. Other great contracts are ex-
pected for the ensuing years 1t Is com
monty known that all the districts Of the
metropolis are seeing an agitation among
property owners for paved streets, which
is likely. to be followed in due time by
many petitions for the work.
The big contract which Is now under way
was brought about directly by recent act
of the legislature which gave the council
power to let lump paving contracts for
work within a radius of 400 feet of the
city hall without submitting the question to
the property owners. Before that much
delay was caused and considerable ragged
ness in the letting of contracts experienced
through the necessity Of getting up petit
ton with a majority of property owners
signed upon them before the contracts
could be letc When the general downtown
contract came up before the council several
other districts took the opportunity of put
ting their petitions into action and the
result was single order upon the paving
men for ten miles of new surfaced streets.
Under normal conditions the paving con-
Germs keep their men at work nine months
~
only during those months in midwinter
when the paving work would be impossible.
More Next Year.
1t is generally expected in paving circles
that the contracts for city paving next year
will reach nearly 100000 square yards in
! extent. The allowing OF next years inter
section fund of 100000 will give a great
stimulus to the work. This appropriation
was entirely drawn from the present year s
work.
Besides the main streets and thorough.
fares TO be paved, a~number OF alleys are
to receive paving operations next year. The
alleys will be paved with stone block
There will be about 1000 square yards OF
the stone block paving in alleys accom-
plished this year.
From the property owners standpoint
popular favor has been given by wide
margin to brick blocks as material for city
streets. According to the apportionment OF
the work under way now, asphalt is vastly
behind its competitor to an extent that
makes it insignificant as a street material
The paving. was apportioned for the two
kinds of material with the following fig
.ures:' 2o2Ss9 square yards of brick. block
$3.50 square feet of asphalt. .rt
Wood blocks do not figure at all in the
present operations, though a movement was
on foot for awhile to have Sixteenth street
paved with that material
The cost of paving with the popular brick
blocks averages about s21O per square yard
The other materials do not vary In cost
far from that figure
Experienced Contractors.
The present contractors have been in busl
ness here for the most part dating from
twenty years ago, though several changes
and trades between them have marked thu
history OF the industry. The principal con
tractor entered the field on a strong bash
twenty years ago and after a few years
sold out to the National Construction com
pany. Later he re7entered the field on {
vastly increased financial basis and hal
remained in the industry while the OUTSIDE
corporation has almost entirely dtoppe,
out Of It, q" Es.
1t has been found that present day paving
methods with the use of any of the variou
materials by reason Of the great improve
ment., nsures absolutely level streets ant
as durable ones as possibly can be devised