The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1867-12-06
County Roads,


important subject, and in referring to it again,
we hope our readers will not think that we do
nothing but travel The truth is, we do very
little travelling Blu! that, we think, is no reason
why we should not give the public our opinion
of roads, SO long at least as they refuse to give
US theirs. Some weeks since we opened our coll
umns to those who were interested in this mat
ter, and who were disposed to exchange views on
this subject, but up to this time no one has seen
proper to embrace the opportunity. Now we
cannot believe that this silence is because no far
mer or other person in this county is interested
in our road system, for scarcely day passes
that we do not hear more or less complaint
Nor can we suppose that it is the dread Of the
additional cost which change in our present
system might render necessary, that keeps our
people generally from taking an interest in
the matter. If II is letus ask them how much
oar present road system costs them annually, in
the wear and tear Of their carriages, wagons, and
other vehicles and whether they would not be
willing to contribute in taxes for the proper re-
pairs of the roads, the amount spent annual
ly in repairing broken carriages and Wa
CONS, caused by our present defective sys-
termed heavy, if levied in the shape of taxes,
~but would the man who pays it not be better off
in the end? We think he would because he
would at least save the delay necessary to the
repair, and the trouble and vexation of break
down. But We have no idea that the tax necessa-
ry to proper repair of the roads would he any
thing like equal to the amount which every man
in the county now pays for the repair Of his
teams, on account of their present condition.
We do not propose any particular system, be-
cause we think that there are those much better
qualified for this duty than ourselves, but we
nevertheless urge change, it for no other reason
than that our present system cannot be worsted,
and therefore any change will be for the better.
This subject is exciting more or less interest
in many places, as well as in this county. Many
of our exchanges bring us evidence of this. Out
side of this State the matter is being thoroughly
canvassed, auu we commenced this attioio noio
for the purpose of introducing an ably written
article, from correspondent of the Sandusky
Register, than for the purpose of giving our
own views. The argument of the correspondent
of the Register has oil the application to Hartford
county that it can have to Sandusky or its vicin-
ity, and therefore we give it place. The cores
pondent says:
Perhaps the best roads and drives are in and
around Paris, In their construction they first
drain them and lay down heavy superstructure
of large fiat stones and cover with small stones
then, with heavy coat of fine flint and large
gravel, which they moisten and roll down with
heavy iron roller, until it becomes perfectly
solid and smooth so that a carriage tire
will not even make mark on it.
The roads in England are smoothed out some
thing like our railroads, and graded so that a
span of horses will take the usual load of two tons
on them with ease. The culverts are all arched
with stone and made durable. They lay large
bed of heavy fiat stones Tapped on one another,
like 10 Tapped furrow slice, then cover with SINH
lar Stones then with gravel coat or broken
stones of small size. These roads never cut
through.
Very firm roads are made in Central Park by
laying down heavy body of all kinds of stone,
and putting on a thick coat of fine gravel and
rolling down smooth when it cuts up, they har-
row it over and wet it, and again roll down
smooth. My opinion is that the best and cheap
est way of making our country roads, is to lay
down q heavy bed of our large fiat limestone
similar to the English mode, about twelve feet
in width on the right hand side of the road going
to town, and then put heavy coating of fiinty
stone, broken fine, aud cover with good coat Of
common sand Then on the left side throw up
with scraper dirt road some fifteen or sixteen
feet in width. The dirt will be best in dry time
ana the stone best in wet time, besides it will
save the wear of the stone road, which wears
most in dry weather as it is cut into dust and
blown away.
We ought to construct small piece of this
road every year, and it need not be very expen-
sive it can be made after harvest when we are
not very busy know that in our own district,
If the township will furnish the stone, we will
turn out and haul them free, and suppose other
districts will do the same. 1t is only about one
third the roads in our township require stone
at all, the other part is sound and needs only to
be thrown up well and the water drained off, the
draining of our land will pay. for that Our
roads will then be growing better instead of
worse, and it will be a good investment, and
think we shall be satisfied with it. | have long
claimed that the plan of filling the holes with
stone was bad, it may do well for the present,
but in the end it will make two holes instead Of
one, and then you can never use the long road
scraper to advantage.
The long road scraper will do more work than
ten men and make splendid road in dry wealth
ca anu sHOulu De OItener USED.
About the worst feature in the construction of
our roads, is the practice Of working them only
once year, and then never thinking of them
again, no matter how bad they get. We ought
to have more or less work on them throughout
the entire season, for it is much less work to ll
a small mud hole than to fill large one. In
Europe they put men on the road when it is ne
cessary. As soon rs the rut is seen it is filed
Immediately by broken stone, large heaps Of
which are kept lying along the road ready for
use. Our dirt roads should have broad base,
and the ditch should not be too close to the road
will drained and then the road will dry Off
When the ditch is close to the road the capillary
attraction will always keep the road moist.
RORPHANs' CoURT.-On Monday last the Judges
of the Orphans Court elected OF the late election
took the oath of Office and entered upon their du-
ties. And at the same time Joseph R. Ely,
Register of Wills, elected at the fall election,
bonded and entered upon his duties as Register.
Two of the present Judges of the Orphans Court
have acted in the same capacity on former occa-