Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-05-22

With crew Of some two score men
and with every motor truck and team
employed in the task Of preparing the
streets and applying the surface coat
Ing Of Oil, Commissioner Albert Hall of
thes Augusta street department is a
busy man these days keeping in touch
with the work in the secerai sections Of
the city. Commissioner Halls force
Is taking fun advantage Of the clear
days and are fast getting the city
streets into shape for the heavy traf-
fic of the summer months.
A new surfacing preparation is be-
ing applied to several OF the streets
this year, which it is indicated will
serve to be more permanent and en-
during than would be the use Of the
usual composition Of Oil. This new ma
terial is a composition Of asphaltum,
tar and Oil and has body consistency
which. with the proper application of
gravel, has been found to hold up with
a real surface which becomes harder
as 1t Is used and "sets."
The heavy bodied surface treatment,
which Is called "A" binder. has been
applied to State street from the State
House to Bridge street. Bangor street
Grove street from the junction to
Chandler street, and Green street from
State to Grove on the traffic side. Cit
liens who observe the process Of ap-
plication of the binder and the cover
ing with q thick coating Of gravel,
yesterday were Of the opinion that 1t
was the best and most practical treat
rnent for hard surface roadway which
had ever been used. With use the sur.
face gravel pulverizes and is absorbed
into the asphalt composition. making a
top surface from one-quarter to half
inch thick.
The Hork of oiling the street APP
proved by the city government Is about
so per cent. completed. On Western
| avenue, which was the first to be oiled
this year, so yards of gravel were used
to cover the wet oil last Saturday.
Wednesday this street had worked out
into particularly fine condition. By
properly sweeping and cleaning the
| street surface before applying the oil
with the big 8. o. sprinkler truck, the
oil stays spread and serves to make
| the preservation permanent.
On Grove street that section of the
highway. occupied by the A. & K. car
tracks will be treated with No. oil
! This oil is not road binder but will
serve to prevent dust on the little-trav-
! eled part Of the roadway.
| Work of installing the fine new
| granolithic sidewalk on the east side
Of Rines Hill is progressing rapidly
with good weather. and the completion
of this work will be a splendid civit
Improvement. The city street depart
ment will lay tar sidewalk from thu
end of the walk at the top Of the hill or
the east side to connect with the side
walk on the east side of Grove street
This new walk will be next to and fol
low the curve of the car tracks.
Washington street on Sand Hill is be
ing resurfaced and rounded up will
gravel, and an effort will be made tt
have this new work" on that stree
| ready for the oiling crew at the sam,
time the big tank truck is put ontS
Northern avenue.
The city will do about $4,000 worth
of improvement on the Belfast road
and already city teams and trucks arr
putting gravel onto that much dis
cussed piece Of highway.
At the city stone crushing plant or
South Belfast avenue the regular crew
is producing crushed rock to the full
capacity of the big crusher. The hun
! CRY maws of the breaking machine are
| being fed the big pieces of grant,
from the quarry as fast as the quarry.
men can break the stone hose witt
dynamite and drills. There are on hand
I