The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-08-11

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Why Not Pave.
To the Editor Of The Gate City:
The communication from w. F.
IsWappich Of Omaha, Nebraska. for
merly Of Keokuk, printed in The
Gate City recently and concerning the
| cost of paving materials. has been
read with a great deal Of interest
here.
But there is not price he quotes
for any kind of work that cannot be
bettered here. SO that local people
need not feel that they are in any
way being overcharged for street and
sidewalk work. Mr.. Wappich calls
attention to the fact that although in
some cases hauls are shorter to Keo-
kuk than Omaha, that the price for
materials are practically the same, so
that Keokuk people who have to
make improvements should be
pleased to know that local contrac-
tors can beat Omaha's figures on all
sides.
Mr.. Wappich first calls attention to
the fact that cement sidewalks are
being put in at Omaha for from thlr-
teen to fifteen cents per square foot.
For the past year cement sidewalks
have been laid in Keokuk for from
eight to nine cents per square foot.
With the rise in the price of cement,
walks will probably cost ten cents
per square foot here from now en-,
which figure is one-fourth to one
third under the price quoted for
Omaha Omaha gets her cement
from Kansas and South Dakota, very
short hauls.
Brick Paving Cheaper.
A price of $2.14 is the price quoted
for brick paving per square yard III
Omaha, Recent bids for brick paving
in Keokuk were seven cents cheaper
per square yard than at Omaha and
the price of brick is practically the
same in both cities, Mr.. Wappich adj
mits in his article.
Keokuk has Omaha beaten on con-
crete paving also. Mr.. Wappich
states: "For concrete streets and al
leys. six inches of good concrete, &C
cording to specifications, should run
$1.3O to $1.34 per square yard"
These are exactly the figures in re-
cent bids made by local contractors
for the street improvements ordered
by the city, but instead of six inches
of concrete, the local work calls for
seven inches, which means that prop
erty holders will get their work one
seventh cheaper or receive one-sev-
enth more work for their money than
at Omaha. And another item. In
Omaha. the contractor does not have
to include the grading in his cost.
All he has to do, according to Mr..
wappich's article, is excavate where
the cement is to be laid. Here, the
contractor has to excavate between
the grade and the sub grade, which
ia worth from to 10 cents per square
yard and which is clear saving to the
Omaha contractor.
Sand can be obtained here for two
thirds what it sells for in Omaha.
Mr.. Wappich recommends that Keo-
kuk put in the combination asphaltum-
concrete street at cost of $1.73 to
$1.S3 per square yard. No one IN
Keokuk favors this sort of street, be-
cause of its high, almost exorb1tant
cost and its short life. Costing little
less than brick, its life is estimated
at fifteen years, while brick will last
a hundred. A cement street. which
will last twelpe years, and which Is
easily repaired, costs only $1.3O to
S1.34 per square yard.
The city does not consider the
asphalt street . good proposition. In
the first place the material Is
patented and Il Il figured that one
third Of the cost goes for the patent.
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