Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1911-04-24
DISCUSSES
WOOD BLOCK
PAVEMENT
DOUGLAS FIR ABSOLUTELY THE
BEST OF ALL WOODS, AND A
SPLENDID PAVING MATERIAL
WHEN PROPERLY TREATED.

Quite little agitation in the Port
land papers has been given to the
subject of wood block street pave
ments.
The general impression as to the
durability of wood block pavements
is based on results secured in Eng
land and the Eastern cities of this
country, such as Boston, New York
and Chicago. This impression is
highly flattering to the wood block
pavement situation in the Pacific
Northwest, owing to the mistaken
policy of the promoters of wood
blocks in permitting inferior materi-
ais to go into it in this section, in
order to quote low price.
In the East wood block pavement
is promoted at a cost of from 1915 to
$4.25 per square yard. At that price
it is possible to lay a high grade
wood block street pavement, with the
best selected long leaf yellow pine.
1t is further possible at that price,
to use a vacuum process whoch draws
from the pores all the natural sap of
the wood, and fills these pores, under
high pressure, with mixture of ere
osote and resin to the amount of at
least 20 pounds to the cubic foot.
People on the coast have not been
educated up to pay such high price
for street pavement. To meet this
condition, the lumber and creosote
interests have sacrificed to a degree
the good reputation of wood block
by cutting down the volume of creo-
sote and resin. This permitted them
to put on the market wood block
pavement to compete in price with
the other high grade pavements, such
as bitulithic. In addition to curtail-
ing the expense of the necessary mix
ture for making high grade wood
block pavement, the lumberman has
been figuring on marketing his waste,
known as mill ends, instead of using
high grade $25 stock such as is used
in stave pipe-action made necessary
to make the price sufficiently low to
meet competition. For the same rea-
son the creosote man is advocating
the dipping of blocks in creosote, or
in some cases, specifying the use of
10 pounds per cubic foot of creosote,
instead of drawin~ out the sap and
replacing it with creosote, which re-
quires the use Of 20 pounds of creo-
sote. The saving in this single item
of creOsote is about 60 cents a square
yard of pavement Another curtail-
ment in expense is represented by
their advocacy of blocks three inches
thick, instead of four inches thick
The quality of any commodity or OBJ
ject is absolutely fixed by its cost
These reductions in cost of wood
block pavement must necessarily be
accompanied by great reductions in
quality and durability, compared to
the high standard Of wood block pave
ment used in the East The masquer-
aiding of sIpoh pavements under the
successes Of the wood block pave
ment in the East is a gross misrepre-
sentation.
There appears to be no question
that the Douglas fir is good wood
The Pacific coast is fortunate in hav-
ing such high grade material avail
able for wood block pavements and
various other purposes. Some action
should be taken, however, to preserve
the reputation of this wood and pro-
hibit its abuse by Improper selection
and incomplete treatment such as is
being accorded it in laying wood
block pavements in this section. II
the work of using it is a poor substi-
tute for roadway is allowed to con.
tinue, it will eventually rob this fir
Of it's reputation as a high grade
wood.
Thus it is revealed that the real
cause of the failure of wood block
pavements on the Pacific ciast is not
the fault of Douglas fir, as claimed
by some, but merely the improper
manner Of its treatment.
For example of this form Of cheap
er wood block pavement we have
only to refer to Portland, Vancouv.
er, B. c.; Victoria, B. c.. Seattle, Ia
coma.
Wood block is a good pavement
when properly made. Why not give
1t chance by insisting that 1t be
properly laid, and at the same time
preserve for the Pacific Northwest
one of its most promising infant in
dustries.
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