The Detroit times., 1911-08-30
EXPERT MAKES HOT ATTACK
ON BRICK PAVEMENT



70 four and Ons-haif Inches from rail-
.st Fcri-st. from Brush to St Antoine.
shows range from grade OF four ineh-
NJ The same condition obtains on Fort
sEet.. from 81. Antoine TO Rivard.
W On Franklin-st. from Beaubien 10
9tiastinBs the brick are simply laid on
ESo concrete, without sand cushion.
Highest, from Riopelle to 0ratiot. -
~ apparently without any hller.
st Antoine, from Adams TO High
q broken.
wayne-st, from Jefferson TO Con-
ress. has evidence of cement filler,
a IL IL all shattered.
'Gndation. IL sunken very irre8uiarly.
kiorelle, Monroe TO Catherine. - In
similar condition. Also Fort from
rumbull TO Twelfth.
Not Properly Constructed.
The condition OF all these streets ~
early due 20 a failure TO properly
Tao brick. In kind and quality. can
. shown you In Cleveland and Cuya-
I sDga county that do not show as much
condition, the Nv, whole re
az OF a square yard on the streets
med. Other streets OF more recent
obstruction were examined one
II lrect. Chene. from Jefferson 10 CATH
zine. upon which Townsend block Is
\ yed, l particularly noticed, as but a
days ago / travelled over road
~ ~ OF many miles In length, made OF
same kind and quality of brick.
In road has been In use several years;
Ia admired and praised by all who
- ,ss over it-smooth. without single
lave or depressionT--nothing In com
IN with Chene-st., except the brick
Chene-st are one and the same
u as those used on the road OF
0 passinr over Chene-st., without
|, a-ss ncy 1 made the following nota-
IN Brick badly pinched, due 10 sus-
Z br a or on solid concrete The next
dug into the street 10 ascertain
y. leg / found az inches OF rubbish
C-concrete. and on top OF The rub
inches OF sand. inches OF
, Pa'aaterial over which suspended a
4 brick. This street Is not now
bot use, and / suppose the manufac-
tn, will be called upon TO supply new
- TO take the place OF those used
theh way IL Will be an outrage II
~, q demand Is made upon aim
lnklin-st from Beaubien 20 Hast
Inc was examined and the brick
I, troll to be lying on rigid foundation
streets Won't Endure.
waller streets of recent construction
:, Mr. examined and. while they pre-
y brg a fairly good appearance at this
9 they are not going TO endure
J. dut OF the work In progress was WIS.,
VIZ On one street where IL seemed
ii necessary
sioing. the concrete. the new mixture
n sS Nv heeled from the mixing machine
c. Urlirrows and dumped In patches here
q GER there ahead OF the spreading. IL
mi. but dry out and partially set be-
, s ( was spread in place. Ii Is un-
ylln sary to explain to you that that
e disc etc foundation would be worth
lnoit Another job I approached the IN
60 taF. calling his attention ID the
J., int that the sand cushion was over
di zee hnches In thickness at certain
& mt in the middle of the street. His
.Iy WAS that that would be curoI In
ex rolling. In neither case was there
, ftiO' effort to compress the sand cush-
!. y,e On one street under eonstruc-
:. g. did find good. smooth concrete
W tont ,ation. but all the rest of the work
II rom being ignorantly done. Any one
Il hat q several steps taken In the con-
;, - lion OF the pavement was 50 far
Urn being right that each was fatal
-ea the value of the pavement itself. L
.Cf not find a specification upon any
re sla IF the Jobs visited ! did not ind
~, AZ on a single street examined. Even
~ rom II was applied properly In spots,
man uality OF the cement was ques-
Inc sxiy. This action might have been
fco,e to unseen causes which ! was un-
~ ole to observe.
6 E-Confronted- with the vast expenditure
n 81 money for streets in Detroit, the
. condition OF street and work was and
3 = certainly appalling. ! carefully ex-
trpned a number of brick deliveries
q 4 lth one exception found them un-
' " iostionably high-class. / have noted
L'ery carefully the quality OF the brick
4 the streets, which l examined and
ea TO them, with one exception htound
-r5iC Specifications Are Had.
IN Thy such streets from such brick?
:, was and Is but one OF two ans
Either the specifications under
. eer "a they are built are wrong and in
: :. Tl Llete, or they are wholly disre-
- - led. In order to answer the uurs-
7 IN satisfactorily to myself. ! next
p ions and l wish to say unhesitatingly
md unqualihedly that no director OF
Z public service. engineer or CONTRACTORS
can build a street in compliance with
y the specifications, other than just such
. streets as you have. copy of these,
specifications / wish to file with this
communication Ii Is its own best cri-
u ticism The paragraph relating to the
:, TO correct any unevenness of the
y concrete, and to secure smooth
surface TO the pavement when
completed a cushion coat of clean,
SHARP bank, lake or river sand,
well screened and free from all
y other substances , shall De spread ea
! depth. OF two inches when COM
~ The two inches depth required has
' The last two years preceding, " inch
es wat required. Prior to that the spe-
he sihcauons required but one inch OF
er ushiun The specifications are badly
!. aisle ading and binding, In the fact
O. tiat II states the object of the cushion
eo'D be 10 correct any unevenness OF the
OF oncrGe This Is not It's purpose at
M Ill The purpose OF the cushion IS to
Z selieyd the brick from the effect of vi
'nratioi which follow the impact, as
well az furnishing a. support TO the
wearing surface. That support must
be Uniform and so the same must be
: thOrott hly- compressed before the
: brick Ere laid upon II, for which there
. is no provision in the specifications III
! there kere no other fatality in the spe-
eihcadons, those streets built OF but
one-inch sand cushions would lie les
senedlin value certainly more than 90
pe- cGt from the very beginning. I'm
Fortunately many of these old pave
mentt have been laid upon even less
thank one-inch cushion.
Tm requirement In the specifications
that khe brick shall be rolled with
rolld not weighing less than seven
tonsis a very serious mistake, as the
,ollig can only be properly done in
tire kse OF roller weighing but from
third TO five tons, nor can the rolling
be Properly done as required by the
spedhcations by three times rolling
= the length OF the street. IL Is utterly
impossible TO apply the cement hller to
the pavement from the box as required
Nv The specified tons In quality APP
proaching SO per cent OF It's real worth.