Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1912-12-31
HONOLULU STREETS
ARE GIVEN INTELLIGENT
ATTENTION BY CAL DWELL

ARE GIVEN INTELLIGENT
ATTENTION BY CAL DWELL
ia Prior 10 January, 1912, the road
department and the city and county
engineers office of Honolulu hat
been separate departments, As cal
be we'll understood, there was great
deal OF friction and contention be
tween different departments having
partial control over the same kind OF
work. Th latter part of January
1912, the supervisors realizing that
great deal better work and more eff,
ficient methods could be obtained by
the consolidation of these depart.
ments passed an ordinance giving the
city and county engineer the appoint
ing power and full administrative arl.
thority over all of the road depart
ments OF the city and county of Ho-
nolulu. q. Fl. Gere, at that time city
and county engineer, appointed ]. w.
Caldwell, G. E., Member American
Society of Engineering Contractors
and Associate member Society OF
Civil Engineers, TO the position of
road overseer, district of Honolulu.
The road oyerseers of the outlying
districts were retained.
Mr.. Caldwell, under the direction
IF Mr.. Gere, proceeded at once to
put the road department on an eff
Gent basis, reducing the running ex-
penses and inaugurating an accurate
cost-keeping system.
April 10, Mr.. Gere resigned as City
and county engineer and l.. M. White
house, C. E., Member American Soei-
ETY. of Engineering Contractors, was
appointed to the position vacated by
Mr.. Gere, Mr.. Whitehouse, from the
beginning has had the confidence OF
the business community as he has
been a well known contractor in the
Islands for number of years.
Install Cost System
Mr.. Whitehouse with the assistance
of Mr.. Caldwell has striven to give the
city and county first class admin
istration of the road building depart
ment The present road department
for the first time in the history of
the city and county knows accurately
at the end of each day the unit cost
of all the work that they are doing,
thereby being able to keep strict tabs
on the foremen. The rollers and other
which was unable Iormerly
to work over two or three days with
out breaking down is now in first
class working condition and is only
subject to the usual wear and tear.
that was purchased and for
some time past had been allowed to
rust and dirt has all been
put into service and the maximum
of output from these machines
has been received. In the past, If a
road showed unusual wearing quail
ties, it was absolutely impossible to-
find out what methods were pursued
in constructing these roads so as to-
duplicate the good roads and discon-
tinue those roads which had shown a
lack of wearing qualities. The
records under the old order give abso-
Iutely none of the desired information.
Under the present methods used, it is
possible to tell exactly how one road
differs from another and to eliminate
the bad points of construction in
roads that do not wear well under
the .city's traffic The cost-keeping
records show to a fraction of cent
The unit cost of the different opera
lions that go to the making of a
road All of these records have been
filed in the office of the city and
county engineer and will be of vast
help to future road builders of this
city
After a series of experiments by
he present road department, it has
been found that what is known as al
Dituminous macadam road will givei
The maximum amount of wear at al
minimum cost. The process of build
ng this road has been changed and
zach new block built has had the de-
'ects eliminated that showed in the
previous work done, so that at the
present time the process is as near
perfect as can be built by the pene-
ration or pouring method as used in
applying the binder. The only i'm |
)rovement that it is possible to make
would be to take the same materials
hat are now used for the top and
nix them as YOU would concrete in a |
hot mixer and then apply !
his mixture to the road and roll it. |
rhe present method used is to build
4 3 1-2 inch base of water-bound ma
cadam on top of which is evenly
spread 2-1-2 inches of 1-2 inch rock |
This rock is slightly compressed by |
he use of a lotion roller, after which |
IN asphalt known as standard grade !
C" is applied at a temperature OIL
300 degrees F. About three gallons of
his is poured into each square yard |
If surface. This hot asphalt pene
rates to the bottom of the top course
and furnishes a good binder which