There was a relatively brief fad for paving with wood blocks in North America; perhaps if it had not coincided with the end of the reign of the horse in transportation, the fad might have lasted longer. Today, as far as we know, there are only a few wood-block pavements left, and only one street in the United States paved from end to end with wood blocks: Roslyn Place in the Shadyside neighborhood of Pittsburgh. But in 1910, it looked as though wood blocks were the future.
THE ULTIMATE PAVEMENT.
The claims of the creosoted wood block as a material for paving purposes are becoming stronger and better known every day. To the many other good reasons advanced by those advocating its adoption, the experience of time has shown that the wood pavements laid with blocks of suitable wood—those answering the purpose best being yellow pine and gum, treated with the proper quantity and quality of creosote oil, and properly laid—are the most durable and, withal, the most perfect that have yet been devised.
In Birmingham, England, blocks that have been laid for 11 years are still in such condition as to be good for active service for several more years to come.
In Liverpool, the greatest shipping part in the world, and over whose streets the heaviest kinds of traffic are operated blocks laid 15 years ago are still in use; while in Manchester and Newcastle the wood paving installed over 12 years ago is still giving the most satisfactory results. Tremont street, Boston, over which passes some of the heaviest traffic in this country, was laid with creosoted wood blocks, which were allowed to remain down for two years, and were then carefully examined by the city engineer. The wear was found to be exceedingly uniform, averaging one-sixteenth of an inch per year, giving a life of 16 years to each inch of block. In Springfield, Mass., a similar test was made and the results obtained were even better.
The creosoted wood block pavement differs from any other known, in that it does not crumble, pulverize or wear away under traffic, but simply compresses, becoming more and more solid the heavier the weight it is called upon to bear.
As a silent pavement the wooden block stands pre-eminent. During the heat of the summer months, when it is imperative that all windows and doors shall be open as m u c h as possible, the roar and rumble of the traffic over the granite or other non-wooden paved down-town streets in the business districts of the larger cities is not only an annoyance, but a positive hinderance to the carrying on of business in the nearby offices. The wood block pavement, however, does away with this aggravation to an enormous extent, even to deadening the pounding of the horses feet, as contrasted with the sharp metallic ring given out by a horse running or walking on a macadam or asphalt pavement.
From a sanitary viewpoint, the creosoted wood block pavement is a decided success. The blocks themselves cannot absorb filth, and the joints being tight, prevent their being filled up with unsanitary matter; while the blocks are themselves treated with a highly antiseptic material that, in itself, destroys any germ life that might exist on the surface.
That creosoted wood block paving has come to stay is an undeniable fact. It has passed out of the purely experimental stage of its history, and while it is, of course, to be expected that improvements will be made from time to time, both in the method of treating and laying the blocks, yet the fact is now clear that as a commercial proposition the wood block paving industry stands on its own feet.
All over the country city engineers and street improvement committees are investigating the merits of the creosoted wood block as a paving material. Its use is also becoming more general every day on bridges, crossings, courts, foundry floors and, in fact, in all places where a hard, smooth surface is necessary. There is no question in the minds of those who are best informed on this subject but within the next few years vast quantities of wood block pavements will be laid in this country. The owners of yellow-pine and gum stumpage have at their hand an opportunity which, if properly grasped, will result in the consumption of billions of feet of lumber over and above that which they now have a market for.
—The Construction Record, August 20, 1910.