Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1912-03-09
and water at certain seasons Of the


| year. %@.'
Another problem that confronted
us at that time was the poor quality
OF sidewalks being constructed in the
city. i refer especially to the side.
walk known az the tile walk. This
class of walk has long since gone
out of use in the better kept cities,
and as you all know now, is not near
~ as durable nor as attractive as the
walks that we are laying at the pres
ent time, known as the solid walk.
The cost of either walk Is practically
the same. II anything the contractor
can construct the solid walk cheaper
than he can the tile walk. There
seems to be q deep set notion that
the solid walk was not worth putting
down. and which may be true it 1t Is
not properly constructed. The same
rule holds true of all cement work,
as it does of carpenter. work or any
other trade. Cement construction is
trade by itself, and while there are
many who seem to think that anyone
who can mix up sand, cement and
water can make concrete, It is not
true. There are certain rules that
must be followed in order to insure
good work, and it takes considerable
experience before man is really COM
petent to build concrete walks of anX
kind.
Another proposition that has been
before the people considerable has
been the grading down the streets,
bringing them to the grade line adop-
ted. This aroused great deal OF
criticism, but I believe that the ma
jority of right minded citizens can
now see that it is the only system by
which the work can be properly done.
One OF the rules that the city engin-
eer has laid down and in which he
has been supported by the city COM
missioners, is that all work done shall
be done looking to the future of the
city, that is, when We start to grade
street we endeavor to bring it down
to the true grade line established in
order that it may be maintained in
much better shape and at much less
expense than under the old system.
Another problem that we undertook
to solve and which believe is work
ing out all right was the matter of
narrowing tle driveways of our resi-
dence streets to thirty feet and the
driveways in the business district to
forty-eight feet, or in other words,
on the residence streets We are using
four and one-half and six feet side
walks, which leave a space for grass
nineteen feet in width from the side
walk to the curb line in the residence
district, and sidewalk sixteen feet in
width in the business district The
same as with other problems which
We have attempted to work out for
the city, We have met with great
deal of opposition from the PROPOSE
ton of narrowing our driveways in
the residence district and widening
our sidewalks in the business district,
but I believe that We have gotten SO
far along with the proposition now
that everyone can see that it ia the
proper way to do this work. find
that most of the opposition comes
from people who are not acquainted
with the work that they are doing in
other cities, and the width of side
walks and driveways that are being
used. Many of the principal cities
in the east are making their drive
ways in the residence district from
twenty to thirty feet in width. There
are more streets in the residence dis
tricts of our eastern cities that are
twenty-six feet in width or less than
there are over twenty-six feet in
width. It might be well to call your
attention to the fact that on Broad
way in New York from the Battery
up to the post office the width of the
driveway from curb line to curb line
is only forty feet, and for great
many years this street had two sur
face car lines upon it, and it has only
been q few years since the surface
CONTINUED on Poge -