The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1920-09-08
WILL DECIDE
ABOUT PAVING
Commissioners to Discuss
Practicability of
Macadam Base.
CHANGE OF CONTRACTS
Present Form of Agreement
Is Claimed to be too
Indefinite.

Whether rock.bouud macldam
base is practlca. fgr paving VIII
probably bo decided by tho mayor
and city commissioners ~ q apooial
meeting to be held 40 the city hall
at o O'Clock tomorrow mOruIug. Tho
meeting Wau called yesterday after
n lengthy discussion OF DO, paving
problem iu Tulsa bv mayor, city com
misaiuutrs. CITY Attorney Iruuk E.
Duncan. ana Cuy Engineer g. h.
Griggs
GriFgs has been husv for several
days gathering information from %
number OF cities in which mncadam
base has been used. and th" iufur
nation obtained through this CORE.
EpoudouCC viii hr presented 10 th"
commission tomorrow morning, to-
Eothor with "a written opinion hY ln'
city engineer dH 10 the pTtDtiyahili'y
Of using ma,addm
This departure iq being seriously
considered because OF the extreme
shortage ~ cement, which is usually
used Tor paving base, ana the add
onal reason that small rock suitable
for maCadamNiug can hc found
within short distance from Tulsa,
thus greatly reducing paving costs to
property owners.
As there appear TO be no pros
poets OF an IMMEDIATE increase In
tho supply Of avnlhblc cement, city
officials have turned to macadam aa
n last resort At the present time,
based on costs OF building micud dam
base paving, thcre are petitions In
the office OF city Auditor Mrs.
Frank Seaman for more than S2,oOO,-
600 worth OF paving. Property
owners are anxious for paving, and
NVtN f.s.N 90. Ttf f,ff ia
~ the mhCadam N practical they
will be only too glad To submit TO a
change In specifications to permit
its use instead OF cement
The i process Of maCadamlzing
found host successful ~ that OF
building IA curbing In the usual man
ner, then rolling one layer OF small
stones after another with five-ton
roller. This crushos the stones into
very small fragments. ana fills all
cracks through which water might
eeop from the bottom. on top Of
this solid base " then laid u two
inch layer Of asphalt, as Is done on
a cement base
A change, would be made In thick
ness, in that the macadam base
would be eight To- ten inches. Ce-
ment base Is usually five or six In
ches thick,
We want to be positive that this
macadam base will be successful be
fore we try IT," City Engineer Grigga
I said yesterday. III we can profit
by the experience of other cities that
have tried II, we win he that much
ahead and will not have TO pay for
our own experience. with one "a
five-ton trucks using the streets con
stantly, there Is "a terrific strain on
the base. ann the city must be sure
macadam Will stand this strain be-
fore II Is used"
Commissioner j. NJ. Adkison said
last night that macadam Will be
much cheaper than cement II IL car
be used here. and that It's use vii
at least partially FREQ the city't
paving from domination by the paw
iny companies
Until cemost became 30 chear
several years ago, machdam was
used freely as base throughout the
east. But when cement sold for 70
cents a sack, Addison said. IL was
cheaper than macadam. Tho City
engineers report at Thursdays meet
ing will probably show whether east
crn cities are returning to macadam
Part OF yesterdays meeting wa'
occupied with "a discussion OF the
form OF present contracts with paw.
ing companies. Whlle IL was agreed
that no further contracts Will bo lei
until at least part OF tho present
contracts ara completed, Il was de-
cided that the city attorney and cttN
engineer should prepare IL contract
containing teeth" one that viii
bind paving companies to the ful
fillment OF their work. The present
form OF contract, providing for com
pletion OF work in $50 "workinl
days" IL suceptible OF several differ
cnt constructions, and II is probable
that the new contract VIII specify
the exact date OF completion rathe
than the number of so-called work
ing days