Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1911-11-28
BITULITnIC PAVING
IS MAKING GOOD
Satisfactory to People Of Perry, but
is Very Expensive, Cost
ing $2.os1a.

!. The Freeman-Tribune is very de
sirious Of giving the people Of Web
lster City all the information 1t car
anent the paving problem and viii
do its best to get at the absolute
facts. It claims no superior knowl.
edge of the subject to the average
citize1 who has given the question
equaI attention, but it does claim
that 1t and the average citizen Of
Webster City who has considered the
matter knows as much about paving
as the city council or any member
thereof. It further believes that
the people owning property within
| the proposed district are more
Interested in the kind Of paving to
be used than any citizen outside OF
the district, member of the council
or otherwise. The Freeman-Tribune
is not questioning the quality of the
patented land monopolized varieties
Of pavements, but the Freeman
Tribune is opposed to paying unjust
tribute when something that Is sat.
isfactory, so proven in dozens OF
towns, can be secured at the same
price to say nothing OF good artl.
Gle than can be secured at q little
more than half the same cost.
A few days ago the Freeman-
Tribune addressed letter Of inquiry
to the mayor OF Perry and the mayor
turned It over to the city clerk. The
city clerk gives the desired informa-
ton. The completed job Of paving
in Perry cost little more than
$3.50 per square yard, which would
mean an expense to property owners
on Boone and the other streets 70
be paved Of $247.50 per sixty-six
foot lot and in addition thereto
$35.15 for each lots share of the
street intersection, making total
OF $2S2.65 for each lot. Here is.
what Perry's city clerk says:
Your letter OF recent date, ud-
dressed to the mayor Of this city,j
has been handed to me for atten-,
ton.
note the information you desire,
with reference to paving, and to this
end will endeavor to give you such
facts and figures as will best suit
your purpose.
The city council of Perry had
pretty much the same experience
you speak Of, in the matter OF In.
'vestigating various kinds Of paving
before deciding upon any certain
kind The mayor and council visit
ed a number of cities and obtained
all the information possible, and af-
ter all that they deliberated very
slowly before coming to the point
Of asking for bids. Property own
ers on some Of the residence streets
had petitioned for creosote block:
paving, others petitioned for brick,
while there were those who favored
concrete wanted most any sort
OF pavement just 50 1t would be
cheap In price. The council finally
decided to call for bids on $4,000
square yards OF Creosote block pav-
ing for the principal residence
streets, while on the downtown or
business streets they Compromised"
between brick, blocks, concrete. etc.,
and voted to put In $4,000 square
yards Of Bitulithic pavement.
might say here that perhaps the
wisest thing any city council of Perry
ever did was to put in paving on the
main travelled streets. and the next
best move was for Ritulithic pave
ment. 1t is the pride Of every citi-
zen OF Perry, and is proving to be q
most satisfactory paving; attractive
in appearance, easily kept clean,
practically noiseless. and so far has
demonstrated its superior wearing
qualities. While creosote block par
Ing Is very good. believe Perry
people will tell you that bitulithic 10
better. all things being considered.
The contract price for the creo-
sote blocks was 1926 per square
yard and for the bitulithic 1t was
$2.0Sh. The combined curb and
gutter cost 50 cents per lineal foot
and the grading and sub-grading 40
cents per cubic yard. Street inter-
sections were charged against the
property owners so that the COM
pleted job OF bitulithic pavement
cost little more than $3.50 per
square yard, as against $2.75 for
blocks. The width OF resident street
paving is 80 and 80 feet and in the
down town district the paving is ~
feet wide Excepting about three
blocks which Is so feet wide.) The
thickness Of bitulithic Is two inches,
1.t1 ,,our a Ave lvch onncrafo hasa