THE STREET PAVEMENTS OF KANSAS CITY. 493 



wear of the blocks, -end partly to settling of some of the numerous excavations 

 made and imperfectly refilled, just in advance of the pavement. The principal 

 objection to this stone is the variations in qualitj^ and consequent unequal wear. 

 Although the effort was made to secure, by inspection at the quarries and on 

 the ground, uniformity in quality, still the result shows that this has not been 

 fully attained, and is, I think, impracticable for large quantities under the exist- 

 ing conditions. A large proportion of the stones indicate good wearing qualities, 

 and will probably last for fifteen years, but the more rapid wear of the softer 

 kinds makes a rough pavement and brings undue wear upon the others. 



This material is extensively used by the street railroad companies for paving 

 between their tracks, without any special selection as to quality used or shape of 

 blocks, and without adequate foundation or care in laying. 



A very superior quality of sandstone block pavement has been laid during 

 the past season on Union Avenue. The stone is a firm, small-grained, metamor- 

 phic sandstone of pinkish color, quarried in thefoot-hills of the Rocky Mountains 

 in Boulder County, Col. It lies in well defined and fully separated ledges vary- 

 ing in thickness from one inch to several feet. The ledges selected for paving 

 stones are from three to four and a half inches thick, and the blocks are cut out 

 from eight to twelve inches long and six inches wide. The Union Avenue pave- 

 ment has a concrete base of nine inches, with two inches of sand on top, and has 

 the joints swept full of sand. The side joints are smooth, corresponding to the 

 natural top and bottom beds of the stone in place, and the ends re-cut to lay to 

 one-half inch joint. 



This pavement cost $5.38 per square yard, or about $4.25 exclusive of con- 

 crete. The stone costs on cars here, about $2.50 per square yard, measured as 

 laid. Portions of this pavement that has been under heavy and continuous traffic 

 since first put down, indicate excellent wearing qualities. A part of Mulberry 

 Street, West Kansas, has also been paved with this stone, on a nine-inch bed of 

 sand, with a well prepared sub-grade. East Ninth Street, from Main to Grand 

 Avenue, is now being paved with the same material, on six inches of concrete. 

 The grades on these two blocks are eight and thirteen per cent. 



Walnut street from Twelfth to Twentieth, about 4,600 feet, was macadam- 

 ized last year. The stone was carefully selected for hardness, and was broken 

 to size from three and one-half inches to two inches. They were spread on in 

 three layers, one of five and two of four inches each, making a thickness when 

 rolled of thirteen inches at centre of roadway, and eight inches at gutters. The 

 top layer is of very hard flinty rock and was mixed with a binding material of 

 sand and clay; the only roller available was an old one weighing about 4,000 

 pounds and was altogether too light to compact the metal. ' There was consider- 

 able travel over this street while the work was in progress, forming well-defined 

 ruts in the loose stones along the center. The street has been carrying a large 

 and heavy traffic for a year now, and is in very good condition, although it has 

 had no repairs at all. This work cost sixty-three cents per square yard. 



VIII— 32 



