The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-04-29
GRADE OF FAIRFIELD
 OAVENUE MADE TOO FLAT
Water Lies in Road Bed and uTes This is What PepOnder anCe of Testimony Shows in Investigation Commissioner MDOnaId Leaves Hearing as Soon as His Tesii-
 nlOny is G0nchIded.

deal of useful information. The report of Stenographer George ". Sears should make good copy for a treatise on road building. The hear ing lasted nearly four hours with MT. Mcdonald on the stand just two hours.
 The street commit tee sat with all the dignity of the Supreme Court of Errors with President John H. Me- Murray of the Common Council pre- siding.
 The other members of the committee are Aldermen Conlin. CIampett. Meyer
 Attorney Henry P. Lyons. the e1er- getie secretary Of the Taxpayers League, was on hand taking notes for Frank 9T. Staples of the Lsocomobile Co. of&America also made notes of the testimony. Among the spectators Automobile Club. prominent contrac- tors and road builders, and many city officials.
 Commissioner Macdonald at the open- ipg Of the hearing made exhibit of crushed stone in glass jars. He show ed the voids between two inch stones to be large and those between mixed stone to be smaller in size. When he left the stand he had said that the specifications, and that the present stcuppy', condition Of the road was url- doubtedly due to three causes. viz. the contractor had failed to roll it properly or the small stones placed on the top failed to i'll the voids. His main objection was that the road was not properly filled or bonded.
 Attorney Cullinan asked if the conn missioner would change his mind if the condition of the road to some other causes
 "I would take my own judgment againsf anyone eise's. replied the com
 He said that the fault was in the work rather than in the principle
 MT. Cul1inan wanted to know if the passage of heavy pneumatic tired cars over the road did not form a suction that caused the road to raveI out. MT. Macdonald said that the road might be properly built and ravel out. He would not refuse to accept the road for that cause.
 'The road might throw out a round stone in the same manner that a mans stomach would throw off something that should not be there"
 He declared that it was the ttcuppys' condition of the road, the formation of many little undulations for which he condemned it.
 Attorney Pullman wanted to know if 1t was not the tendency of modern road builders to abandon Inacadam on roads of this kind.
 MT. Macdonald replied: 'sNJo expert in the United States or in the world who will say to you that he has found out anything that will meet the condi- t1ons of today. On our system of in ter-town roads in this State it might be better to go back to dirt roads and use some kind of preseryative. The guess what might be good.''
 He had not found anything that ex- ceHed as binder of properly laid ma came from the heavens with the show CTS sent by God. When he was pay ing compliment to Director Biltz he said that in the use of an abundance of the two inch stone there was no reason for skimping. for the stone of all sizes cost the same.
 He said that he called the directors attention in 1908 to the fact that the right kind of stone was not being used.
 Didn't MT. Biltz tell you that he was getting the stone from the city auarries and ask you where to get the stone that you. would recommend?' ?''
 He never said any such thing" re- piled the commissioner
 Judge Pullman continued: TT am in formed that Biltz discontinued and got stone for the job from the qalarries which furnish the stone for other State road construction that he could find any fault with the part of the work done in 1909.
 He was of the opinion that there were miles of other roads in the state that had as much automobile traffic as Fairfield avenue. He said he had no statistics however. He admitted tffat all of the automobile travel from New York to about points in New England passed over the road.
 He said the greatest harm done to road by an automobile is by the process of shutting down power while the car is travelling at great speed
 Judge Pullman wanted to know if they were not putting down bitur1i- nous macadam in other states instead of the water bound brand.
 ''Yes they are trying it out and spending money. The policy of the state of Connecticut is to wait until something is found,'' replied the com missioner.
 Judge Pullman wanted to know if the witness did. not think Connecticut was over conservative in letting all of the other states do the experiment.
 Mcdonald said that was the policy, but that he had been experimenting somewhat with an asphalt binder. In the meantime he was going to keep on building the water bound roads and using a slight oil trea tnnent. AThe commissioner went on to say that when portable plants for the mix ing of bithulit1lic pavements could be built he would favor it on state roads But the present small portable plants were not capable of turning out good material. The plants that turn out the pavement right at the present cost in the heighborhood of S30.0e0 and he would not favor spending so much 1 money. There were many who were