The Detroit times., 1911-09-22
FIRST STEP TAKEN
TO DISCARD BRICK
FOR PAVEMENTS
Public Works Department Asks Bids
On Plant For Making creosote
Block, Which Will Be Largely
Used In Future,
mot Ny Funeral Says Mayor, Dis
cussing Possibility Of Streets Going
Unpaved Over Winter.

Public Works Commissioner Haarer
started. Friday, to advertise for pro
posals for furnishing the city with a
wood creosoting plant, equipped for
handling and treating paving blocks.
Bidders must furnishltheir own plans
and specifications and submit them
with their bids. and certified check
for $4,000 must accompany each bid.
The plant must have capacity oil
ing blocks per month.
The establishment OF a municipal
creosoting plant will mean that creo-
sote block will be used for paving
material far more extensively than at
present. In view of the controversy
that has arisen over brick as paving
material. creosote block Is more pop
ular with the department and with
the public generally than ever before.
This is regarded as the first step to-
ward the discarding Of brick as a
paving material.
Before the Board of Commerce COM
mittee, a day or two ago, Commits
sioner Haarer said he would be In
favor of discarding brick except for
paving streets where the traffic Is
only moderately heavy. II Is his plan
to have the creosote block plant In
readiness to start operations early
next spring, so that paving opera
tions can be commenced without de-
lay.
Much fault has been found with
the Detroit specifications for brick
paving" said Commissioner Haarer.
Friday morning The brick manufac-
turers needn't think for one minute.
however, that their specifications are
perfect They recommend, for IN
stance, q .one-to-one gropt for q iher.
that is, one part OF cement to one
part of sand. am convinced that II
is altogether too strong. have been
using It and find that the expansion
is too great to make &c desirable
filler. Will all, due respect 70 the
brick manufacturers, am ,going 20
try a one to two mixture. one part
Of cement to two Of sand and be
of cementlto two Of sand. and i be.
tory results.
Il told Secretary Blair, Of the Ma
tional Paving Brick Manufacturers
association, of my intention and he
said | could not do a more foolish
thing, but I'm going to try 1t just the
same. I've tried lots of things the
brick association have recommended
and they didn't work out at all And
as for putting college men on the
street as inspectors, my experience
has been that 1t takes more than book
knowledge to know how to lay pave
ments. Give me men who have ham
died brick on the streets for years
and I'll put 'em up against their col
lege men and their theories any time.
The members of the Board OF Com
merce brick committee and Commits
sioner Haarer inspected the piece OF
brick paving on Cass-ave., between
Lafayette and Michigan, Friday
morning, taking up the pavement in
several spots where depressions ap-
peared and examining the fourSation
as well as the brick. The spots which
were Inspected showed that the wear
had been due to both the brick and
the foundation and II was impossible
to determine which was the first to
give way. The foundation was laid
with natural cement, and there were
some depressions In 1t which might
have caused the brick to give way.
Continued ON page 14b.