The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-04-24
History of Its Beginning Recit-
ed by Norris j.. Gage.
Street Car Company Started 1t
With CObbleStOnes.
CITY FOLLOWED WITH ASPHALT
Cedar Blocks and Brick Were
Next i'm Order.
Now Everything Is Laid on a
Concrete Base.

GOAC1CtC DaSCs
The evolution of street paving in To-
peka is a subject in which interest
was aroused by the death this week OF
James Ramsey Ramsey did not build
the first street paving in Topeka He
did, however, lay the first pavement
here made of brick.
From Colorado sandstone blocks,
more commonly but enormously
styled "cobble stones" to asphaltic
concrete is a long way, but there are
many Topeka people who have. seen
each step of the evolution. The honor
of building the first street paving IN
Topeka does not belong to any of To-
peka's early property owners. The
first paving was done by the company
which operated the horse drawn
streetcars. Sandstone blocks or
"cobble stones were laid between the
rails of the old horse cars to afford
firm footing for the motive power of
those vehicles.
Norris l.. Gage donor of the en-
trance to Gage park, and brother of
G. C. Gage, who presented to the
city the park which bears his name,
tells an interesting story of the first
municipal paving in Topeka. Mr..
Gage is visiting in Topeka. He took
occasion to correct a newspaper state
ment that James Ramsey had the con-
tract for the first paving in the city.
THE first paving in Topeka was the
result of meeting of Kansas avenue
property owners, held in the old city
hall, which is now the Knights and
Ladies of Security building" said MIR.
Gage. Il have forgotten the date, but
I remember that Judge N. c. McFar-
land, father of James M. Mcfarland,
now living here, was chosen to preside
at the meeting. A motion was carried
that Kansas avenue should be paved
from Fourth to Eighth street, and
that the paving should be 'noiseless.'
Committee Was Named.
Judge Mcfarland was given until
the next day to select a committee to
investigate different pavements. For
this committee he named Albert
Knowles, Howell Jones, ex-Gov. Tom
Osborn, &C. w. Jewell and Norris L.
Gage. This committee visited Omaha,
St Joseph, and Kansas City at their
own expense, and after consulting
with engineers in these cities, made
report recommending sheet asphalt
for level streets and Colorado sand
stone blocks. or Belgian blocks, as
they were sometimes called, for
streets having grades.
when the contractors came from
the east where they were used TO see
ing narrow streets. they were of the
opinion that to pave Kansas avenue
its full width would bankrupt the city
that the property-owners could
never afford to pay the expense. Incl
dentally they were right. Many own
ers of Kansas avenue property which
was not income-producing were bank
rupted by the expense of the paving.
IF I remember correctly the first
Eighth street, all of which has now
been relaid. The Barber Asphalt COM
pany, which did the work, did not live
up to our expectations. When cracks
appeared in the paving, instead of
making repairs immediately, the conf
pany saw more money in it to let the
small holes get as large as possible,
so there would be more work and
mr. in a II r1O i1S
1T is different now. I notice that
the city has an asphalt repair plant
and hole gets no more than started
until the city is there making repairs
Good pavementS in Topeka date from
the time the city adopted the COM
mission Sorm of city government. I'm
der the old ward councilman system,
it was impossible for the city to
make repairs promptly. One ward
was always pulling against the other,
or the councilmen of some wards
would combine to work for their
wards at the expense of the others.
Had a Big Fight.
when the committee of which I
was a member made it's report recon-
mending sheet asphalt we had a big
fight to get it adopted. There was
some city officials, which favored a
tar combination pavement material
which would readily have fallen to
pieces when exposed to the elements.
paving because then ovens for baking
brick had not been invented. All brick
were baked in the old arch system and
a homogeneous burn was impossible.
Before the invention of ovens for bak-
ing, bricks could not be successfully
vitrified.
There is an interesting story in
connection with the cedar block paw
ing which was laid on West Sixth
street. These blocks were genuine red
cedar. There is very little red cedar
anywhere in the world, but a railroad
had Just recently been constructed
known as the Kansas City, Springfield
& Birmin CHAM. 1t ran through
scrub red cedar forest in Tennessee. A
contractor was able to get these blocks
cheaply and secured a contract from
the city. They proved to be lasting,
but there was trouble on account Of
the sap and also because they would
warp and lift from the concrete base"
The earliest records of street paw
ing which can be found in the office of