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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY. 7, 1948 THE DAILY TIMES GC Following the small undertaking in 1909 already described, no street paving was done during 1910. The laying of/sewers, watermains and sidewalks 'proceeded at a faster rate, but roads throughout. the town eontinued to be irregularly graded switchbacks, stony, dusty and dirty in dry weather, with pitch-holes, pools and mud in plenty during Spring and Fall. Throughout 1910 however, not a Council meeting was held with- out scathing reference to these conditions and proposals or pro- gress reports submitted as to fu- ture plans. i Actually, a great deal of pre- By COL. FRAN K CHAPPELL, V.D. a OSHAWA... THROUGH MATURITY TO CIVIC DIGNITY AZETTE rae 1HIRTEEN v I Concrete laying in oe track allowance north % of the Four Corners. It is well to note, Laying First Pavement On Simcoe Street North in this and some of the other ers were always welcome in the store, whether looking over gear or chatting with the boss. It was after wet days that: grief arose. It was then that teams hitched to a tie-post, stood waiting with drooping heads and steaming backs. Pensively perhaps, or with impatient snort such waiting time would be punctuated at intervals by the 1aising of a hoof of some 16" circumference which then fell with ponderous smash into the mud. It was then, that the store- keeper swallowed hard as he saw his mud be-spattered window front. But now, with the prospect of such days becoming a memory, he cheerfully endured that Summer's inconvenience as the paving gang worked on. Cost of Work Well Done Excavation and grading were done by breaking up ground with teams and ploughs, loose material being moved at a cost of 50 cents per cubic yard. Gravel for con- crete at a dollar a yard was hauled on to the job by teams with the old-time teamster's gravel box. Where does one ever see one now ? paratory work was done during 1910. Early in the year dgéision was unanimously reached pave what was then the businéss section ad kA § pictures in this issue, the great amount of work which depended upon sheer manual labour. On the right is the LS Le. . location of Miller's Arcade and jn the background may be seen the tower of the Queen's Hotel which is now wh : ; the McLeese Apartments, Davidson's Shoe Store and other popular businesses, Curb and gutter were laid at 56 cents per lineal foot. The average cost of catch-basins came at $24.00 4 >> 2 r a i) on Simcoe Street from the Public Library to the Armouries, and on King Street from Mary to Church Street. The great difficulty lay in securing helpful and favorable eo- operation from the Oshawa Rail- way Company. Street Railway Franchise To fully appreciate the signifi- private company with external af- filiations and not as now, the sub- sidiary of a great national system. Phe crux of the whole railway problem, appeared in the fact that when some *twenty or so years earlier tracks were first laid, the company received from the Town what virtually amounted to a perpetual franchise, To com- pany officials the terms of this franchise were a priceless asset and unalterable as any laws of Medes and Persians. Amongst other terse provisions it stipulated for rails to be laid on certain streets of the said Town of Oshawa, the "tops of rails to be maintained at grade, within four |W inches of existing street level. The rails laid in those days were of the 60-pound type, measuring four inches from top to base of flange. It can readily be seen that this = steel could legally remain fully exposed both within and out- side the track. The fact that through the years gravel was lib- erally spread around them so that the head of the rail only was ex- posed in some places, was merely incidental. Attitude of Indifference Actually, in early Spring as the snows of Winter vanished, iv was not unusual to see the ends of ties projecting above the ground. The rotary brush of the Railway sweep. er when clearing 'snow from the .track, also made a pretty clean sweep of any material between the Writer Will Be Glad to Hear From Interested Readers The publishers are indeed grateful for the many tributes received as a result of the publication of this feature by Col. Chappell. The many of- fers of assistance ans hen. il suggestions are all of estima- ble help to the writer, who also welcomes the interest on the part of the readers of the Times-Gazette. Phone calls are welcomed by Col. Chap- pell at his home, 45 Con. naught Street. Phone 2109. rails. In the early hours of win- try mornings as the sweeper made its way, adjacent stores seemed under a machine gun fusilade as not merely snow, but sand and sundry pebbles rebounded from walls and windows. While these various conditions may have been objectionable to the citizenry, no real concern was shown by the Railway Company as long as no material or property damage eeccurred. Within legal right,' their chief concern was to wse these tracks to the limit of practicability for freight and pas- senger traffic. They knew full well "that street improvement or maintenance was not mentioned in their franchise. Now in order to pave the above area, it was necessary to establish track level at a suitable and per- manent grade. Furthermore, spe- cifications provided for an 8" con- crete foundation below the ties, rising up to the top of the ties and extending 'some 18" beyond the ends. A better type, heavier rail was required, with more modern method of jointing amd bonding. A Flat Refusal This of course was somewhat costly, Preliminary overtures made to the/' company by corres- pondence with a view to securing co-operation, were met by a flat refusal. No such contingendy was mentioned in the franchise. With good reason. at such times, one's mind reverted to phrases from "Merchant of Venice," "Is it so cance of this difficulty, it must be remembered that in those days the | 3 Oshawa Railway Company was a A rather dramatic presentation showing excavation, rolling of ance on Simcoe Street north of the Four Corners. Note the low buil the Engel block and the Bank of Montreal building. In the left background station, This district has undergone many changes during recent years. the final tohi sub-grade and concrete laying in track allow- dings on the left where now is located may be seen the tower of the fire - phalt block laying at the Four Corner intersection in 1911. Amongst the above groun may be ncticed on the left the late T. W. G. McKay, M.O.H.; Councillor Fred E. Hare; fourth from the left, the late W. E. N. Sinclair; late P. H. Punshon, R G Baird, Manager of the Royal Bank, and Town Engineer Frank Chapp¢il nominated in the bond? . . . I cannot find it . . . It is not in the bond." Various authorities, governrient and legal were consulted. Pro' gress and rebuffs cancelled each other until at times one almost despaired of a solution. Finally, as the result of special 10gislation, matters seemed left to any "saw off" compromise that could be ar- ranged between the Railway ad- ministration and the Town Council. The town was fortunate that year in having Mr. W. E. N. Sin- clair as Mayor. With sound legal knowledge and a background of canny Scottish ancestry, he was a constant defender of the town's interest. With all pertinent facts at his fingertips, he headed the Town delegation. Almost like old time wards-in-chancery, the Osh- awa group became familiar fig- ures before the Railway and Municipal Board, the Dominion Railway Board, Board of Transporl Commissioners at innumerable hearings in Oshawa, Toronto and Ottawa. Concessions and Compromise The Railway group was headed by the president, Mr. E. Walter Rathbun of Deseronto, a tall, middle-aged, monocle - wearing, languid-appearing, shrewd busi- ness man. Casual, he may have seemed, but his mind and decisions were as alert and incisive as a steel trap. His counsel and constant advisor was the suave and skillful C. F. Masten, K.C,, one of On- tario's cleverest exponents of com- pany law. Full play was given in the meet- ings that followed, to views on legal rights as against public need. Eventually a point was reached where it was recognized that legal stubbornness was no longer politic. Conclusions were reached whereby the Town would establish the new grade and place concrete foundation for the track. The Company would provide and lay new ties and better rails. In addition moreover, the Company would pay 60 per cent of the extra foundation cost involved by reason of track being on the street. In due course a formal agree- ment followed, which if memory correctly serves, resulted in the Railway paying to the Town $750 annually for twenty years on a basis similar to that called for by the Local Improvement Act. Thus was cut or disentangled a Gordian knot which hitherto had hindered paving progress in our small, but busy town, Choice of Surface While all this was going on, great consideration had been given by the Board of Works to various types of pavement surface. Either brick or scoria block was in general use for track allowance in most cities of those days. While there was little question. as to durabil- ity, brick seemed rather costly for a community just getting out of the short-pant stage of growth. Similarly, asphalt, while desirable Was Popular Citizen JOHN GIBSON The late John Gibson, who served the city as Councillor, Reeve and Mayor. He presided at the opening ceremonies of this first piece of as. phalt pavement, A Grand Citizen The late Thomas Morris, Town Clerk for many years. Guide, Coun- sellor and Friend to many Civic Bodies and Officials, was too experiive for a small town with. practically no maintenance equipment. Finally, decision was reached to use 2%" asphalt block in and 'around the track allowance, with similar asphalt block for the main street surface. What was not clearly understood at the time however, was that there were asphalt blocks made under certain conditions with a hard granite ag- gregate fairly durable under even Above is shown the Oshawa Hotels taken many years & go. In the Li ; re may be seen the ¢ has been completely demolished. The Queen's Hotel was.located at the north east corner Fos aa on Su. The Amerionn Hots See landmark in Osha w2, now houses the Marke Thee' ¢ one Commercia. ower left) of this group are today used for hotel purposes. The Osh:wa louse, locate the north west corner of Church and King Streets, is still standing but is used for other purposes. CL Popular Hotels Of An Earlier Day In Oshawa a ak EHH ra ONly the Qsnipa? Inspector. On the left is the LL Laying concrete west side of Simcoe Street south of Four Corners, In the noticed the late William Holland who was, on the occasion of this pavement underiakiug, centre, in his shirt sleeves, may be appointed Chief Burns' Shoe Store and in the background is the Dominion Bank. heavy traffic. But there were also other asphalt blocks made under less drastic conditions and carrying a limestone base. These, while goodly to look upon and not diffi- cult to lay, had not so long a life Subsequent events indicated that Oshawa's first venture in street paving was with the latter type. But that story belongs elsewhere and must come later. Below-Ground Services With as much foresight as pos- sible, the underground work of sewer and water and even gas mains had been completed. Catch basins at the curb and those cen- trally located in the track allow- ance, were to be made as grading proceeded and work of paving progressed. By summer of 1911 the contract was let to a Windsor firm. About the only machinery brought to the job was a large steam operated cement mixer with improvised swinging boom which by reason of novelty and skillful operation proved a constant source of interest to sidewalk superin- tendents of all ages. Grading was commenced at the outer limits of the work and pro- gress made towards the main intersection, or "Foh Corners," to use the village title which still seems to stick. By this means, detouring and hindrance to busi- ness was reduced to a minimum. Actually, business as usual seemed to be an unusually pleas- ant policy for most storekeepers as they looked forward with some confidence to clean and orderly premises in future, " No longer need they fear the not uncommon sight of 'a team of Clydesdales hitched outside the store. Farm- The Next Installment of This Series Will Appear in Next Saturday's Issue '| yard. each. Asphalt blocks, smeasuring 12" x b" x 2%" were brought from Windsor by rail and deposited on the roadside for $1.57 per square General labor was 17% cents per hour, while more skilled ranged from 20 to 30 cents. These are a few. of 'the costs associated with our first real pave- ment laid down in 1911. No doubt some folks thought them plenty high enough at the time. On the other hand, the work was hard, the means primitive and the day long, but an honest day's work was the rule. With the progress of mechan. ization, methods have since changed. Much tough and toilsome work has been eliminated. This should be so much the better for all concerned, taxpayers, workers, contractors, and Council members, providing similar interest continues in all phases of the work as a service to the community. After the last blocks were laid at the intersection of Simcoe and King during the closing weeks of 1911 and the streets declared open for traffic by His Worship, the Mayor, the late John Gibson, a gentleman with a record of long and faithful public service, there still remained plenty of subject matter for discussion as to what should, or should not have been done 'in this first paving venture. One substantial fact remained un- challenged, however. 'The Town had paved over 14,000 square yards for an overall cost of $47,750.00, which in all modesty might be con. ° sidered something worthwhile, prospered. In and beautifier tradition of skill and artistry ext through long years even across the Atlantic to London, making important the history of this organization. Those of us entrusted with its operation today revere the the founder and steadfastly policy laid down so long ago." Since 1871 W. H. A. PATTE, In connection with the anniversary of "Patte's" on May 18, 1946, "On this occasion . . . the anniversar of service to Oshawa ! happy to have this opportunity to express, of 75 years, Patte"', | am on behalf of those associated with me, 75th said: of the completion y "The House of feelings of sin- cere thanks for the many years of constant patronage given us by generation after generation of citizens of Oshawa district... history can record such respect and loyalty ... wish that the future of this business be so conducted that this splendid feeling may sincere hope and will long exist." In brin to light the drama slow . valuable service to the generations of today Ohappell is rendering a and tomorrow. We are glad to endorse this We are truly proud that our family It is my - adhere to of earlier days in Oshawa, Col. study of a city which this year will pass the century milestone, PATTE'S PAINT and WALLPAPER 85 SIMCOE ST. NORTH IR se principles of OSHAWA Serving OSHAWA EE For three quarters of a century and more, service, square dealing and efficient workmanship have been the pillars upon which this organization has grown and: its chosen field as decorators s of homes and buildings, the ends back the