Evening star., 1921-05-15

ed respecting the possible develop.
ment OF the District
Cheap Fuel for as an .ndu 8 trial
yry.L;. center. In The Star
Washing ,oA' OF May II, 1871, ia
the following editorial on the sub
ject:
The advantages OF the District Of
Columbia as a manufacturing center
have been hitherto referred to in The
Star The immense available water
power in this vicinity and the accessi-
hllity of the District by railroad and
canal and river. affordinS cheap
transportation for materials TO this
pace, and for manufactured products
from here to northern and eastern
markets, are not the only advantages,
however. Cumberland coal, which is
very cheap here. has been ascertaincd
to be the very hest fuel for tho gem
Grafton OF steam. After series Of
experiments with the various kinds
or coal. the superintendent of tho
springfield armory reports that Of tho
l.ackawanna or hard anthracite 4.01
pounds per horsepower were used per
hour; of the Pittston. softer anthra-
cite, 4.o2 pounds were used. and of
the Cumberland or hituminous coal
of Maryland 300 pounds were used.
At the Springfield armory the Lacka-
for the Pittston s7SJ and the cum
bt rland S9.1n. From these data il is
calculated that the cost per horse
power is Is mills for Lackawanaa, u
mills for PittSton and - mills for
Cumberland and il is therefore, al
legged that bitumnous coal is the
more economical fuel as a steam gem
orator, giving more heat and creating
more power per pound and per cent
of cost than the harder Goals. AS the
q b. -l,,,
about onc-half what ii does at Spring
field the cost per horsepower hare
would be only about 6 mills"
When Pennsylvania avenue was
paved with wood blocks, a little more
than half cen
Varieties of Wood tury ago, the
work was divided
Ao'ehleh'' between four con-
tractors. who used different kinds OF
paving materials. This. il was thought.
would give opportunity to test IN"
varieties. A little later some doubt
arose as to the wisdom Of this course.
In The Star of May l3. 1871. is The
following editorial on the subject:
"Is wood pavement failure? THIS
is the question now being actively
discussed in the papers, and il is an
Swered affirmativeiy or negatively.
according to the success or failure
of the experiment in the localities
from whence the answers come. In
the western cities, where the WOOD
pavement has been used for years on
an extensive scale. the verdict is in II
favor. 1t is probable that through
large experience with various kinds
of wood pavement they have settled
upon the most useful and have at the
same time acquired the requisite eN-
Ierence to insure its being laid in
| the best manner.
I'm the eastern cities the use of
W ood pavement has been so slight
! and desultory that the data bias not
| been obtained TO institute compari-
| sons between different kinds in the
matter and the manner of laying
| them, either through haste or inexpe-
rience, has not been at all satisfac-
| tory in most instances.
I'm this city the experiment is be-
| ing tried on Pennsylvania avenue.
That street. from being the most exc
cradle of carriageways, is now, with
| its wood pavement, one of the most
! superb drives in the country, or the
world. Yet there is great inequality
/ in the different kinds of wood pave
| ment used on the Avenue. and some
of them are palpable failures. The
| mistake was in using any but
proved kind that had stood the test
of experience elsewhere; but the eX-
pertinent on the Avenue will at least
be useful in showing by comparison
which is the most Serviceable pave
ment of the four varieties used.
1T is very desirable that Washing
ton, as the metropolitan city, should
be made attractive, and no pavement
yet invented seems so well adapted
to this particular end as the wood
pavement. 1t lis not necessary that
all the streets should be paved with
this material, but enough of the lead
Ing streets TO make a circuit of drives
of several miles that may be used
through the year and in all weathers.
But the wood pavement experiment
cannot stand the load with any more
botch-work jobbery. Hereafter the
interests of the taxpayers must be
protected and some security afforded
that proper pavements shall be Sc
leci ed and properly laid"