The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-07-30
ASPHALT BLOCK Wins 0Ul
Continued from First Page)

was no better paving for Broad street
than hitulithic.
All Messrs. Powers. Ferguson n
Jones wanted was asphalt And tney
got it. City Engineer Boiling also
wanted 1t, and he got IL
Mr. Nielsen made an effort to stay
the tide, too, but his evidence that,
being a Iiveryman and used TO handling
teams, and that they went bad a num-
Der Of times or asphalt streets, mad
no avail.
Even when l. 0. Wendenburg spoke
and apparently had the house with nm
and things looked bright for the bitH-
Uthtc people, there were no giooms
lowering around either Mr.. Jones or
Mr.. Powers,
John Curley,y who will. represent the
Washington people here. wore a broad
smile.
Early in the proceedings, Chairman
Powers with his usual courtesy asked
any citizen present. II he had anything
TO say. TO get Up and say IT,
Merchants State Case.
l. o. Miller, of Miller and Rhodes,
W. II. Schwarzschild and A. 3. Cor
ley. of the Corley Piano company,
arose to state their case. Mr.
Schwarzschild was the first. He told
Of having written to various cities
for information. and he referred to a
number Of letters he a received, all
tending t0 show that bitulithtc was
not as good as asphalt blocks. He
read a letter from Portland, oregon,
signed bv Roscoe Nelson, n former.
Richmond lawyer, who said that btu
iithtc had not pleased the people Of
that city.
Mr.. Sullivan interrupted Mr..
Sehwarzsehild 10 show a telegram
- a. = 49, -A-Atrnz ht,A F.-- win
utes before from an official of the
city of Portland, in which 1t was
stated that hitulithic was the best
paving they had there.
After Mr.. SchwarzschfId had finished
l.. O Miller spoke. He told of the
trip he made To Washington in COM
pany with two other Broad street
merchants to see the asphalt men,
and he said he SAW many blocks of
that material which looked good to
him, and he saw much literature and
read many letters tending to convince
him that while bitulithic was not 80
bad asphalt was better, and he voiced
the wishes of many Of the Broad street
merchants. when he asked the COM
mittee to vote for asphalt in prefer
ence to anything else.
Wendcnburg Presents Bitulithic.
Mr.. Corley followed along the same
line, and then Mr.. Wendenburg got
in the game for the bltulithic people.
He said he was there in a ual ca
pacity. As q taxpayer and as counsel
for the bitulithic people. He spoke
first from the standpoint Of a citizen.
He said that he could not bear to see
his fellow citizens paw more for a
paving material which he was cer-
tain was not as good as bitulithic, for
he had seen It and mad seen photo
graphs of its good qualities, and while
Richmond had never used n of 1t,
and there had been mistakes made
In some places, just like there are In
any materials, he was satisfied that
the taxpayers were not willing to
pay nearly ten thousand dollars for
something, when they could some
thing else better at cheaper price.
He said that the Broad street mer-
chants. while they shouid receive some
consideration from council, were not
!, the whole city. The people who dc
q business with the merchants a al
much taxes as they do, and they shoulc
7 be considered in this matter. Inc
. money that the city pays for paving
comes from the taxes of the whole
O people, and not the merchants alone
II 1t were not for the business done
3 by the other citizens the merchants
would not have enough money to pay
taxes.
. Then from the standpoint Of coun'
sci for the company, Mr.. Wendenburt
showed where It would be better, a.
he saw 1t. to pave Broad street will
d bitulithtc. His company. he said, hat
7 It in more h q hundred importan
cities In the country, and It was re-
peattng itself everywhere. There hat
q been some bad tobs-one in Chicago
one In st, Louis, and n In New
port News or old Point. But thos'
things. he said, VIII happen with an.
business. He mentioned places wher'
y asphalt had been a failure, and IN
s. was backed up by the city engineer
re who said one of the worst pieces o
le street paving ne ever saw was an as
n phait block In Norfolk.
ar He gave some statistics. In which
e he noted that the bitulithic people ha'
g Increased their business during the pas
Y year by the sale of 100000 squar'
: Yards. while the asphalt people soil
. not more than 1000, 600.
: IF we get this contract" he said. Nv
= will build q $4,000 plant here in Rich
n' mond.' 4
~ After that the representatives of tn
"a two companies spoke. They each de
y clared that their product was best
~ although Mr.. Walk. Of the bitulithi
company, sal in his talk that he real
lied that If the Broad street peopl
came to the committee In such fore
} as they had done, they should re
r. ceive some consideration. and II tn
$, committee thought that product wa
~ better than his. he would ask Their
IL to give 1t 10 the Washington company
Both gentlemen said they had trunk
is fun Of photographs showing the de
10 fects of the others stuff, which an
a. member Of the committee or any on
else could see.
~ Mir. Haddon asked a few question
tending to show that bitulithic9 woul
be just as good, IL not better, than as
phalt, hut Messrs. Powers. Fergusso
and Jones began to get weary and the
~ began to call for the question. whic
- Mr.. Jones had got before the body
a. and after more debate between Messr'
e Sullivan. Nelson. Pollock. Moore
nd Vondelehr and Haddon. the runo
he reached Mr.. Pollock's ear that M
lie Bliley, who had just returned fror
the Eiks' grand lodge meeting in Port
land, was on his way TO the chamber
And as MI. Bliley was believed TO hav
been In favor of bitulithic, Mr.. PoI
lock began a speech on nothing specis
for the purpose of killing time. pend
TT ing the arrival OF Mr.. Bliley. Ths
4 gentleman did not reach the city hal
however, until the committee had ad
r. journed.
ns He was held up by members of tn
lie committee on Broad street belo'
of Ninth. after the adjournment. He eS