The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1868-02-17
Road, mud Road Making.

DC. Richmond, the noted fruit man
near Sandusky, who has travelled a
great deal in both hemispheres, writes
to the Register concerning roads:
We are getting walked mp in our town
about road matters, and il is high time,
Tor one is likely TO break his neck, wag-
or, or something else, if he travels on
them.
PERHAPS the best roads and drives
are ia and around Paris. In their con-
structiou, they first dram them, and
then lay down a heavy superstructure
of large fiat stones, and cover them
with small stones; then, with 4 heavy
coat of fine flint and large gravel, which
they mOisten and roll down with a
heavy lion roller, until it becomes per-
fectly solid and smoo h, so that car
rage tire will not even make mark on
it.
The roads in England are smOothed
out something like our railroads, and
graded so that 4 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
a heavy bed of large flat stones Tapped
one on another, something like Tapped
furrow slice, then cover with smaller
stone, then with gravel coat or broken
stone of small size. Thes roads never
cut through.
Very firm roads are made III Central
Park by laying down a heavy body OF
all kinds of stoRe, and putting on a
thick coat of fine gravel and rolling
down smooth; when 1t cuts, they harrow
it over and wet il, aud again roll down
smooth. My opinion is that the best
and cheapest way Of making our country
roads is to lay down heavy bed OF
large fiat limestone, similar to the Eng
lish mode, about twelve feet III Width
on the right hand side ef the road so
ing to town, and then put heavy coat
ing of fiinty stone, broken fine, and COW
er with o good coat of common sand
Then on the left side throw up with a
scraper a dirt road some fifteen or six
teen feet in width. The dirt will be the
best in a dry time, and the stone best
in wet time; besides, it will save the
wear of the stone road, which wears
NEST in dry weather, as it is cut into
dust and blown away.
We ought to construct a small lece
of this road every year, and it need
not be very expensive; it can be made
after harvest, when we are not very
busy. i know that in our own district
if the township will furnish the stone
we will turn out and haul them free
aud l suppose other districts will dc
the same. 1t is only about One-third OF
the roads in our townships require
stone ut all, the other part is sound anC
needs only to be thrown up well and the
water drained off; the draining of oul
land will pay for that. Our roads viii
then be growing better instead of worse
and il will be O good investment, and
think we shall be satisfied with 1t.
have long claimed that the plan OF fill
ing the holes with stone was bad: II
may do we'll for the present, but in the
end il will make two holes instead Of
one, and then you never use the long
road scraper TO advantage.
The long road scraper will do more
work than ten men, and make splen'
did road in dry weather, and should be
oftener used.
About the worst feature in the con
struction of onr roads, is the practice
of working them only once a year, ant
then never thinking of them again, nc
matter how bad they get. We ought
to have more or less work on then
throughout she entire season, tor it is
much less work TO fill small mud-hole
than to fill large one. In Europe they
pat men on the road when it Is necessary
As soon as the rut is seen it is filled i'm
mediately 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 toe close the road, well drained
and then the road will dry off. Wher
the ditch is close 10 the road the cspill
airy attraction will always keep th'
road moist.