Volume 20 (1870) (454 pages)

HO Da CTT cats, Mili ic “4 BY DEWEY «& CoO.,, Patent Solicitors, San Francisco, Saturday, March 12, 1870. VOLUME XX. Number 11. The Stow Foundation Pavement. Thoso who have once used the wooden pavement are never willing to go hack to the cohble stones, The great advantages of the former in tho aveidance of the disagreoable noise aud rattle of the passing teams, in the economy of wear and tsar of teams, in the snperior ease of traction, and the less injury to horses, are everywhere granted. The only objections made are with regard to tho snpposed expense and necessity of freqnent repairs. Bnt the Stow Foundation pavement, as laid in Front and Battery streets, fonr years ago, where it has heen subjected unceasingly to the heaviest hanling in the city, yet remains at the present time as even aud unhroken ag itwas in the heginning. And a most important item is, that dnring all this time it has not cost the city one dollar for repairs. Tho arguments against wooden pavements are almost all a priori. There is a general ground taken against wood, that it is extremely snhject to decay; yet instances of wooden edifices having ontlasted stone strnctures are hy no means nnknown. Stone is harder than wood; therefore stone shonld he the less suhjeot to wear; yet experience shows that the nnyielding granite ismneh sooner gronnd and abraded into sand thau the elastic wood, which yields to the pressnre and permits the weight to pass over it without sensible injury to ejther. Fig. 3 (p. 169) shows the difference in wear between the Stow and the cohhle pavement, the view heing taken on Battery street, between Broadway and the water front, fonr years after the pavement was laid, which gives conclusive evidence on this point. In this city, two wooden pavements have beeu tried—the Nicolson and the Stow. The Nicolson was first tried, and hecame quite celebrated for a time, hut several defects were discovered; the wood was apt to decay, or to swell in wet weather, and either to press ont the cnrhstones, or to rise in humps and hillocks. The firstsamples of the Stow pavement were laid in 1866, and ita success was s0 signal, that the City Paving Company, which has the rights of hoth kinds, lay nothing now bnt the Stew. The Stow Foundation pavement, which derives its title in part from the name of the inventor, Dr. H. M. Stow, of San Francisco, and in part from the distinguishing featnre of its constrnction, is so constructed that the wood is kept continnally moist, and thus is protected from decay, for it is not the heing wet, but the alternation‘of wetting and drying, which favors the decomposition. In laying this pavement, first, a fonndation of sand is made. This is s#turated with water so that {t shall set compactly, and also that it shall he, so to speak, a reservoir for moisture for the hlooka ahoye. This having een properly leveled and smoothed, the blocks, A, are laid {see fig. 1), and between these the wedges, B, are driven into the sand. The whole is then gone over with a smoothing iron, to reuder the surface even and the whole pavemeut more solid. Then good clean gravel is poured in over the wedges, and these last driven home, as shown in the figure. More gravel, sand and tar are pnt in the creyices, and ponnded to compress them, and a layer of tar and yand is spread over the whole surface. This result, then, is, that CAH Tye or PRS 5 “B—Wedge. C—Sand Foundation. the whole Board of Supervisors, Superintendent of Streets, engineers and merchants, attest the excellenceand durability of the pavement. It can he taken up in part, to lay gas or water pipes, etc., aud relaid with great facility and without injury or brenk in the surface, The Filling: Coal Tar, Asphaltum and Grayel, FIG. 1—SECTIONAL VEIW OF STOW PAVEMENT. FIG. 2—MANNER OF LAYING THE STOW PAVEMENT. there isa firm foundation of moist sand, rendered still more compact by the wedges; that the hlocks are held firmly in place and kept moist; and that the top covering of saud and tax protects the blocks from the action of the atmosphere and insures their durability. Fig. 2 shows the details of the manner in which the work is performed. questions with regard to the unevenness and decay of wooden pavements in this city are shown hy certificates to have arisen from other kinds, where wrong principles with regard to the preservation of wood have been used. The Stow can he laid at a low price; the saving in the wear of horse-shoes is ahont one-half of that occaStrong certifleates frem the Mayors,. sioned hy stone, and the saving in the life of horses, according to Dr. Ure, is in the proportion of 5 to 2. Asan evidence of the practical faith in this pavement, we may uote the fact that Mr. Philip Cadnc, under whose direction it has heen laid in this city, has pnrchased the right for the State of Hlinois for the ronnd snm of $25,000, U. 8. gold coin,and is now making arrangements for starting soon for Chicago, with a view to its introduction into that city. The City Paving Company of San Fran cisco was formed hy the consolidation of the Nicolson and the Stow companies, and nnmhers among its officers some of the leading men of the city. The Presidentis Mr. H. F. Williams, who is well known here. Its operations are condncted with energy and ability, as might be expected from its management. Mr. Philip Caduo is the Superintendent. Our interior towns are thriving and increasing at a most healthy rate, and in their cases the pavement qnestion will he soon a very important one. We call their attention, as well as that of this city, to the considerations of cleanliness, noiselessness, durability, coonomy and hnmanity inyolved in this subject. Tar New WarTernovuse Gran. — Mr. Waterhouse showed ns a model of his new. movement this week, which differs from the old device in several important respects. We have not the space to speak of it as fully as we would like, It ohviates several of the ohjectionable features of thy older apparatus, and seems to us to hea very important step in the right direction. While not new in its separate parts, it is original in its comhinations, which form its valuable features. It is claimed that, hy actual and careful experiments, the friction has proved to be much less than in other deyices, and it certainly seems to work remarkably well. Arrangements haye been made for its extensive introduction, and it is now used in a hoist at the fast freight office of Wells, Fargo & Co. We hespeak for it favorable attention. TELEGRAPHIO Exrmnsion.—A telegram announces that the sub-marine cahle from Bombay to Aden, at the mouth of the Red Sea, has been successfully laid by the Great Eastern, bringing the British colonies of Asia into close communication with the mother country. Reports from London state that the company is fully organized for laying the cable from England or Wales to New York, and that the necessary capital has been promised. Contracts will be made immediately for manufacturing the cahle. Saxe or Crusuep anp SAMPLED Orzs.— In our article under this heading, we omitted the nama of Mr. Henry Hughes, No, 302 Battery street, among the list of commiasion merchants. Mr. Hnghes buys, sells and ships ores on commission only, giving the miner an advance on the valne of the ore ss soon as determined by assay, and making a final return for the working result ohtained, at the earliest possihle moment, —

HO Da CTT cats, Mili ic “4 BY DEWEY «& CoO.,, Patent Solicitors, San Francisco, Saturday, March 12, 1870. VOLUME XX. Number 11. The Stow Foundation Pavement. Thoso who have once used the wooden pavement are never willing to go hack to the cohble stones, The great advantages of the former in tho aveidance of the disagreoable noise aud rattle of the passing teams, in the economy of wear and tsar of teams, in the snperior ease of traction, and the less injury to horses, are everywhere granted. The only objections made are with regard to tho snpposed expense and necessity of freqnent repairs. Bnt the Stow Foundation pavement, as laid in Front and Battery streets, fonr years ago, where it has heen subjected unceasingly to the heaviest hanling in the city, yet remains at the present time as even aud unhroken ag itwas in the heginning. And a most important item is, that dnring all this time it has not cost the city one dollar for repairs. Tho arguments against wooden pavements are almost all a priori. There is a general ground taken against wood, that it is extremely snhject to decay; yet instances of wooden edifices having ontlasted stone strnctures are hy no means nnknown. Stone is harder than wood; therefore stone shonld he the less suhjeot to wear; yet experience shows that the nnyielding granite ismneh sooner gronnd and abraded into sand thau the elastic wood, which yields to the pressnre and permits the weight to pass over it without sensible injury to ejther. Fig. 3 (p. 169) shows the difference in wear between the Stow and the cohhle pavement, the view heing taken on Battery street, between Broadway and the water front, fonr years after the pavement was laid, which gives conclusive evidence on this point. In this city, two wooden pavements have beeu tried—the Nicolson and the Stow. The Nicolson was first tried, and hecame quite celebrated for a time, hut several defects were discovered; the wood was apt to decay, or to swell in wet weather, and either to press ont the cnrhstones, or to rise in humps and hillocks. The firstsamples of the Stow pavement were laid in 1866, and ita success was s0 signal, that the City Paving Company, which has the rights of hoth kinds, lay nothing now bnt the Stew. The Stow Foundation pavement, which derives its title in part from the name of the inventor, Dr. H. M. Stow, of San Francisco, and in part from the distinguishing featnre of its constrnction, is so constructed that the wood is kept continnally moist, and thus is protected from decay, for it is not the heing wet, but the alternation‘of wetting and drying, which favors the decomposition. In laying this pavement, first, a fonndation of sand is made. This is s#turated with water so that {t shall set compactly, and also that it shall he, so to speak, a reservoir for moisture for the hlooka ahoye. This having een properly leveled and smoothed, the blocks, A, are laid {see fig. 1), and between these the wedges, B, are driven into the sand. The whole is then gone over with a smoothing iron, to reuder the surface even and the whole pavemeut more solid. Then good clean gravel is poured in over the wedges, and these last driven home, as shown in the figure. More gravel, sand and tar are pnt in the creyices, and ponnded to compress them, and a layer of tar and yand is spread over the whole surface. This result, then, is, that CAH Tye or PRS 5 “B—Wedge. C—Sand Foundation. the whole Board of Supervisors, Superintendent of Streets, engineers and merchants, attest the excellenceand durability

of the pavement. It can he taken up in part, to lay gas or water pipes, etc., aud relaid with great facility and without injury or brenk in the surface, The Filling: Coal Tar, Asphaltum and Grayel, FIG. 1—SECTIONAL VEIW OF STOW PAVEMENT. FIG. 2—MANNER OF LAYING THE STOW PAVEMENT. there isa firm foundation of moist sand, rendered still more compact by the wedges; that the hlocks are held firmly in place and kept moist; and that the top covering of saud and tax protects the blocks from the action of the atmosphere and insures their durability. Fig. 2 shows the details of the manner in which the work is performed. questions with regard to the unevenness and decay of wooden pavements in this city are shown hy certificates to have arisen from other kinds, where wrong principles with regard to the preservation of wood have been used. The Stow can he laid at a low price; the saving in the wear of horse-shoes is ahont one-half of that occaStrong certifleates frem the Mayors,. sioned hy stone, and the saving in the life of horses, according to Dr. Ure, is in the proportion of 5 to 2. Asan evidence of the practical faith in this pavement, we may uote the fact that Mr. Philip Cadnc, under whose direction it has heen laid in this city, has pnrchased the right for the State of Hlinois for the ronnd snm of $25,000, U. 8. gold coin,and is now making arrangements for starting soon for Chicago, with a view to its introduction into that city. The City Paving Company of San Fran cisco was formed hy the consolidation of the Nicolson and the Stow companies, and nnmhers among its officers some of the leading men of the city. The Presidentis Mr. H. F. Williams, who is well known here. Its operations are condncted with energy and ability, as might be expected from its management. Mr. Philip Caduo is the Superintendent. Our interior towns are thriving and increasing at a most healthy rate, and in their cases the pavement qnestion will he soon a very important one. We call their attention, as well as that of this city, to the considerations of cleanliness, noiselessness, durability, coonomy and hnmanity inyolved in this subject. Tar New WarTernovuse Gran. — Mr. Waterhouse showed ns a model of his new. movement this week, which differs from the old device in several important respects. We have not the space to speak of it as fully as we would like, It ohviates several of the ohjectionable features of thy older apparatus, and seems to us to hea very important step in the right direction. While not new in its separate parts, it is original in its comhinations, which form its valuable features. It is claimed that, hy actual and careful experiments, the friction has proved to be much less than in other deyices, and it certainly seems to work remarkably well. Arrangements haye been made for its extensive introduction, and it is now used in a hoist at the fast freight office of Wells, Fargo & Co. We hespeak for it favorable attention. TELEGRAPHIO Exrmnsion.—A telegram announces that the sub-marine cahle from Bombay to Aden, at the mouth of the Red Sea, has been successfully laid by the Great Eastern, bringing the British colonies of Asia into close communication with the mother country. Reports from London state that the company is fully organized for laying the cable from England or Wales to New York, and that the necessary capital has been promised. Contracts will be made immediately for manufacturing the cahle. Saxe or Crusuep anp SAMPLED Orzs.— In our article under this heading, we omitted the nama of Mr. Henry Hughes, No, 302 Battery street, among the list of commiasion merchants. Mr. Hnghes buys, sells and ships ores on commission only, giving the miner an advance on the valne of the ore ss soon as determined by assay, and making a final return for the working result ohtained, at the earliest possihle moment, —