No. 216.] 235 



pavement, the solidity of the whole mass would be much increased, 

 but to use the road, immediately after a heavy rain when just finish- 

 ed, is very injurious, as the whole mass will then sustain much 

 injury if ever so well rammed. 



There are two modes of placing the stone, one is to commence at 

 the gutter at one end, then returning on the other side of the street 

 and paving the opposite side back to the place of beginning, but I 

 have found by experience a better method was to commence at the 

 opposite gutters at the same time keeping the sides in advance, and 

 finishing up both to the centre at the same time. For in the first 

 instance the stones are spread apart, or separated, while in the other 

 they are driven closer together by ramming. In all cases the largest 

 stonie should be placed at the gutters, while they should be diminish- 

 ed in size as they approach the centre; the pavers are apt to set the 

 stone up in an oblique position to cover the greatest space with the 

 smallest amount of stone, and then to force them up by ramming in 

 the sand; this is one of the causes of the pebble pavement giving out 

 so soon, as many of them are found to do. If a pavement of good 

 materials te properly laid, it may be made to last many years for 

 all ordinary purposes, but nothing of that description can be made 

 to stand the wear and tear of our city omnibusses, with a tire of 

 but two and a half inches, and a weight of some two or more tons, 

 and driven with a speed of from five to six miles an hour. No 

 pebble alone can be confined in a bed of sand sufficient to resist their 

 force for any length of time, while I believe they would run for 

 years with a four inch tire, without doing much injury to the pave- 

 ment. 



But a much more durable pavement may be made with square 

 blocks of stone laid similarly to the pebbles, except that they must 

 be laid in a diagonal line across the road. After the carriage way 

 has been excavated, and filled with sand and gravel to the depth of 

 eight or ten inches, the surface should be covered with stone chips, 

 (such as are found in a stone cutters yard) to the depth of the three 

 or four inches, well rammed into the sand, then covered with a coat 

 of sand from one to two inches deep, upon which square blocks of 

 stone may be placed in the rough state, as taken from the quarry, 

 being merely hammer dressed. They may be from five to ten inches 

 wide, and from ten to twenty inches long, but of a uniform depth, 

 and each course should be of a uniform thickness, for -the purpose of 

 keeping the courses straight, which is essential to its durability, but 

 in every other particular the stone should be sanded, rammed and 



