Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1870-10-28
Improvement of Common Roads.

Improvement of Common Roads.
Railroads are now absorbing more
than their share of public interest,
we believe, to the detriment of other
highways. There are many ambi-
tious rural communities straining
themselves to invest five per cent.
of their valuation in the Smithville
and Pacific railroad, when COM
paratively slight addition to the
highway tax, and little more skill
in civil engineering would add
equally to the prosperity of the
hamlet and return much surer divl-
dends in the increased value of real
estate, and the elevation of the peo-
pie. Railroads, of course, must be
built, but probably the time will
never come when the mileage of our
railroad system will compare in ex-
tent with that of our common roads.
The latter traverse our fields, make
the connecting link between our
neighbors and ourselves, and are a
part of our very homes. They are
the promenade of the carriage and
of the cart, and their smoothncss
and hardness contribute equally to
the luxury of the one and the eff
cheney and protitableness of the
other.
The best engineers are now of the
opinion that future effort for the i'm
provement of ordinary methods of
transportation, must be directed to
the moderation of the roadway
rather than of the vehicle. Wheth-
err steam engines may be applied to
our common roads or not, they
plainly will never be used to any
very great extent if they require
tramways, and the only chance for
their introduction is that the roads
may be hardened and leveled to
permit of steam traction on the earth
surface. This alternative would
contribute equally to the efficiency
of horse power, and hence all effort
for the Improvement of our roads
gives us the immediate benefit Of
better wagoning and the prospective
opportunity of using steam power
for the heavier loads. The imme-
diate problem then is; not how shall
we make a horse of the engine, but
how shall we reduce the friction of
earth roads to the low point of that
of the railroads. On all of our most
Travelled roads macadam is the I'M
doubted remedy, and the dur
ability of surface prepared by
this means is much improved by
being thoroughly rolled by heavy
cylinders. Sir Joseph Whitworth,
the English engineer, advocated the
application Of staam rollers to all
the macadamizcd roads of the realm
and further suggested that were they
employed for rolling, they could
also be used in the hauling of the
material of macadam. The roller
most in use now in England weighs
Is tons and is said to pay for itself
speedily in the decreased cost of
repairing the road. The chief com
missioner of the Central park in
New York reports that this machine
accomplishes as much in one day,
with an outlay of $40, as can be
done by eight horses in two days,
with a seven ton roller, at cost of
$50 per day, which makes the horse
machine about four times the costli-
est. Other advantages arising from
rolling are that the wear and dust
are less, the stones being pressed
instantly into place, instead of being
subject to the wearing of wheels and
hoofs.
Macadam is probably very far in
the future for most of our country
roads, though it is well to remember
John Macadam himself, the Scotch
engineer and the American tory,
procured within the ten years from
1916 to 1926, the macadamization OF
nine-tenths of the $4,000 miles OF
public roads in England, and that
too against the most virulcnt oppo-
sition of the farmers. Even if our
roads are not thus reformed there
are many Of such ballast naturally,
that heavy rolling would be Of the
greatest improvement to them. We
at least hope that this branch of our
public works will not be entirely
neglected. 1t does seem as though
amid the multiplicity of bureaus at
the state house, there ought to be a
place for one on highways. Mr..
Macadam with his three SONS were
of the greatest service to England,
in such capacity, though he never
took contract or received cent
for his labors. till they were nearly
accomplished, when Pertinent gave
Lin, Coz 600