Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-05-31

paving have been given publicity in
your newspaper, you, no doubt, as
fair.minded man, will open your news
paper TO discussion of the subject
for the benefit of your readers and
print some points in favor of concrete
paving.
The following are some Of the rea-
sons that induce some of our best on
gineers in our oldest communities to
lay concrete paving in preference to
other kinds.
First; Durability.
Second: Low maintenance cost.
Third: Cheapness and availability
of material.
Fourth; Simplicity of construction
Fifth: Low initial cost.
In support of the first reason l wish
to quote the following telegram from
Detroit, Michigan, the city which you
state is abandoning concrete as paw
ing:
"we have a light Travelled street in
Detroit built of concrete about six
teen years ago that is still in good
condition. Concrete streets in Belle
fontaine, Ohio, eighteen years old.
Woodward Avenue Road, Wayne coun'
ty, four years old, with a very heavy
mixed traffic, in first-class condition.
Wayne county has bonded for $2,OOO,-
900 for building roads; 100000 has
already been spent in concrete roads
and the balance of 81, 100000 will prac'
tically all be used for the same pur'
pose. Recommend a richer mix thar
l, @ A.; use l, I, l 2-3
"EDWARD N. HINES, "
In Salem you have several poor con
crete streets, not because concrete II
unsatisfactory as paving, but becaus'
the jobs were improperly done. Th'
fault was in your weak mix and il
your poor workmanship. The work OF
South Commercial street, so Otter
quoted as an example of concrete, wa
done by the same gentleman yo,
prai sed so highly for having done sucl
good work on Fourteenth street,
understand, however, that this job wa
done during very wet weather an'
that the street was opened to traffi
Ebefore the concrete had properly set
the fault may not all be the contraC
tors. It's up to the contractor |
defense of his work, to repair the fe'
bad chuck holes on which you lay s
much stress.
Granting, however, that South Con
mercial and East State streets are ba
Jobs, improperly mixed, lacking in c'
ment (the most costly ingredient
concrete), bad workmanship, done !
bad weather, opened up to traffic to
soon and all that, I will yet ventur
to predict that these streets will sti
he giving service years and years aftC
every other class of pavement in 81
lem is torn up and replaced Cor
crete grows harder and harder as tim
passes and becomes more and moI
permanent. Sixinch concrete has
six.inch wearing surface, not a on,
or two-inch as yop stated, for the ret
son that the mix is uniform throughor
the six inches; that is, the two inchC
on top are no different than the tw
inches on the bottom.
The maintenance cost Of concret
pavement is practically nothing on
well.laid street, for the reason rs aboy
stated, that the entire thickness Of tn
concrete is the thickness of the weoi
ing surface, and the time when thi
entire thickness is worn through is
long time in the future. Pavement
made with an asphaltc binder disiI
tegrate long before good concrete b'
gins to show any perceptible wear.
with the exception of cement, th
! materials used in making concrete ar
naturally cheaply available here. ]
first.class quality Of sand and grave
is easily obtained from the river. TIL
cement, thanks TO your western CO
ment manufacturers combination,
much more costly here than in th
East. When good materials are =
easily obtainable locally as along th
Willamette river, cities situated as So
lem is should use no other.
In the matter Of simplicity Of cou
struction, ! may state that there is II
simpler paving laid. Any propert.
owner who viii give the matter a YER
little study can easily tell when con
crete is placed, whether or not he !
getting the proper mix and The prope
.f...,,u.L., Vnuv otty An nginaoyt ,