The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1869-12-21
Written for the Spirit.
IL ID A I'd $.
As 10 their SfraTgIitness. Curves
and Direction.

should be perfectly straight; but tha
straightnc5s should be considered subor
dinate to casiness Of grade" The i'm
portance of making 4 road level as pos
sible was explained in former article
And as road can in but few cases be at
the same time straight and level, over,a
uneven and hiIly country like ours, these
two requirements will often conflict
"In such cases straightness should al
ways be sacrificed to obtain Il level, oil
to make a road less steep" This is one
of tie most important principles to be
observed in laying out or improving a
road, and it is the one most often viola
ted
4 straight road over an uneven and
hilly country must be obtained by sub
mitting to steep slopes in ascending and
descending hills, or these natural obsta-
clcs must be overcome by great and
unnecessary expense Of making deep
cuts and high fills. "a good road should
wind round these hills, instead of run
ming over them,' and this it may often
do without at all increasing its length ;
for it is the same length around the cir
Gle Of bucket bale whether traced in q
horizontal or vertical position.
Precisely so may the curving road
around q hill be often no longer than
the straight one over it; for the latter
road is straight only with reference to
the vertical plane which passes through
it, and is curved with reference to hor-
izontal plane, while the former level road
though curved as to the vertical plane is
straight as to horizontal one. Both
lines curve, and we call the latter one
Straight, only because its vertical curva
ture is less apparent to our eyes.
The difference in length between a
straight road and one which is slightly
curved is very small. But even if the
level and curved road were very much
longer than the straight and steep one,
it would be better to adopt the former
For as general rule the horizontal
length Of a road may be advantageously
increased, to avoid al ascent, by at least
twenty times the perpendicular height
which is to be thus saved.
"Therefore to avoid hill 100 feet
high the road could be advantageously
increased 1000 feet upon level, or to
avoid ascending hill one mile long at a
grade of five degrees the distance on a
level road could be increased over two
miles. This ratio will, however, vary
greatly with the nature and condition of
the road The above data is the result
of experiments made by eminent cngi-
neers both of the United States and of
England and France. some of which
make the difference still greater.
This principle is, however, almost
daily demonstrated upon some Of our
own roads, by actual experiments made
by our teamsters, to illustrate a case in
point. There are two principal roads
leading from Darlington to Woods6eld,
one Of which follows the valley Of Sun
fish Creek, called the ''crcek road,' hav-
ing gentle rise Of from IL TO 10 feet to
the mile, and something over 90 miles in
length. The other, called the ''ridge
road," passes up Fish-pot Run to the top
of the hill, and thence along the ridge
over al uneven and undulating surface,
having several long ascents of five de
grees and is something over two miles
shorter than the creek road.
Our teamsterS or wagoners who are
constantly engaged in hauling the heavy
products and merchandise to and from
these points, have long since learned by
the difference between road
comparatively level and one Of steep
grades over lilly country. Although
the ridge road has received a very large
expenditure of money for many years,
and while on the other hand the creek
road has received but little attention, in
fact some parts of it hts only the bed Of
the creek for road, and for nearly half
its distance receives scarcely any other
work than what is voluntarily given it
BY the teamsters themselves, !. c., from
Cameron up; yet our teamsJers greatly
prefer wagoning this road, seldom trav
cling the ridge road, and then only with
empty wagons or very light loads.
They have demonstrated the fact that
the creek road is the most advantageous
both as to economy vf time and in the
labor and fatigue Of their horses. And
the seeming prejudice
against the creek road and the great ex-
penGiture Of labor upon the ridge road
if possible, apparently, to compel them
to use the latter road, still they prefer
and travel the former.
Again, a few years ago the creek road
from Clarington to Cameron was cousid
erably improved, and new road from
Cameron up Hurd's Run, to intersect the
ridge road,was made at grade of about
five degrees, and the grade of the ridge
road from thence to Woodsfeld consid-
erably improved BY large expenditure
of money good and passable road was
thus obtained; and although this road is
about mile shorter than the creek road,
yet our tesmsters after giving it fair
trial, find that the same principles of
L Al