Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-04-19
Countr and Town Road..

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/ IRE Of peoples civilization; for the reason that
/ the more readily they can reach each other, and
| exchange the products of their labor, as well as
! their thoughts and opinions, the greater will he
! their progress in mental and material good. The
RAILWAYS which have been built, eNemplify this
/ fact but however much we appreciate their
1 benefits their great cost precludeS the hope of
our seeing, during this generation, the state Of
| Maine covered with them, we could wish.
I Bat we can improve our present means Ofcom-
1 munication, between town and town, and that
| too, at less cost in the end than the amount
OF our yearly outlay. 1t has been found by
competent engineers, that if the cost OF repairs
upon county roads, in this country for fifty
years, were capitalized, and the whole
amount spent upon them in one year,
that at the end of that period, instead
Of having nothing to show for our money,
as now, we should have superb roads, smooth,
level and durable, to be kept in repair at an in
significant cost There is not room, in an arti-
Gle of this kind, to give a treatise upon road
making, but an idea of the structure of the
modern carriage road may be formed, from
brief description of it.
BY modern carriage road, we mean, not the
road of this country, which is otbuilt properly,
in the first place, aud never kept in repair, al
though a constant cause Of heavy expense and
taxation; but that to be found in the ancient
and intelligent countries of Europe. 1t IS prop
er, however, to except the driveways in Central
park, New York, and Chestnut hill reservoir,
near Boston, as these are found to be the best
and most economical roads in the country, fully
equal to any in England or Germany. These
are the Teliord road, so called from Telford, an
eminent engineer, who built hundreds of miles
in Great Britain. They are also called founda-
tiOn roads, their proper structure requiring
foundation of stone described as follows The
road bed having been eXcaVated to the depth OF
twelve or eighteen inches, large stones, from SIX
TO twelve inches through, are brought from the
adjoining lands. The surface having been made
smooth, and the proper slope given, for drain
age, pavement is made by placing tine stones
upon the road bed, upon their sides, or ends,
but never upon their fats. They arc placed IL
regularly, care being taken TO break joints.
This pavement is the foundation. Upon If is
then spread a layer of broken stone, (calcd
McAdam,) filling up the spaces between the
stones in the foundation, and bringing the sur
face to level The surface should then be
rolled. This can be done easily, as there should
be no piece of McAdam larger than two inches
in diameter Another layer is then spread, but,
before rolling, it must be covered with gravel,
or, better still, a mixture of gravel and clay,
and sprinked TO a sufficient wetness 10 form
binding cement for the broken stone. The
roller must be of sufficient weight that no
wheel shall ever sink into the road after 1t has
been rolled. Steam rollers are now used for
this purpose. A simple machine has been
adopted in Massachusetts, consisting OF two mill
stones, rugged upon an axle, and drawn by
oxen over that part of the road subject TO the
greatest NGdIs LUIS CouiN NC liduN at ~ NUM-
nal cost, while that of the steam roller in Cen
trail park was $4,000.
70 properly carry out this SYSTEM however,
st1nebreaker is almost indispensable. A very
good one is made by Blake Bros, New Haven,
| Conn. 1t is simple and effective, having two
heavy jaws, that taper from nine inches at the
mouth, TO two inches at the throat. One is
| stationary, the other has an intermittent mo-
| ton given by means OF Il tOggeJoint and CAM
Of a quarter of an inch. No stone is too hard
| for it, but by its quiet movement, all are gently
crushed into fragments. The cost of the ma
| chine is $3.50, weight II 900 lbs, niue horse
| power engine is required to drive it, and this
would cost another thousand dollars. A yet
| further adjunct Of importance is the portable
| railway, by the use of which gravel may be
brought quite distance from the adjoining
| fields.
IT, through false idea of economy, this sys-
| TEN may not be adopted in Maine, there are
| parts of it that are worthy of consideration.
Our present dirt roads could be plowed up, and
the earth removed to the proper depth at no
| great expense; the stones for the foundation
could be supplied from the fields upon the road
side IN most parts of the state, not only at no
cost, but ut the benefit of the land. 1t is not
absolutely necessary, although better, to pave
them, regularly, while il a stone breaker cam
not be had, the filling might consist of gravel
alone. As last resort, gravel alone may be
used, but McAdam alone, never, as the separate
stones sink into the ground, some TO one depth,
some to another, having no foundation to rest
upon, the road thus failing TO come to an even
top surface. Even gravel, we say, wnuld be an
Improvement upon the material commonly used
upon our country roads. 1t is notorious, that
pillow is merely run through the cutters, upon
either side of the road, and the earth, often clay
| loan and sods, thrown into the centre Of the
| road bed, as proper material for repair,
Some revision of the laws is necessary, when
| such an important matter is slurred over in this
way. The roads should be in the hands of prop
erly educated men, who should have no other
| business. They should have a fund from which
TO draw for expenses OF labor and machinery. If
funds cannot be raised at once, towns should be
authorized to issue their bonds, to the extent of
ten per cent OF their property valuation, if need
| be, upon which to raise money to be thus eX.
| pended. Why not? Do they not lend their
credit to aid in the construction Of railways?
| Is the town road or county road of less import
| ance? When you get your railway, you must
| carry your produce TO it; man living five miles
| from station, on good road, is practically
nearer to it than one living half that distance
| upon bad one.
Nothing has been said about drainage, as that
is matter of detail, TO be attended to as a mat.
| ter OF course. No road can be good which has
| stagnant water under it, to freeze and thaw.
| UnderdrainS should be laid in the road bed
when the soil is not sufficiently porus for sell
| drainage. The stone in the foundation, Of ITSELF
| constitutes drain Such road could be kept
III ISpal III nlidi tNpGilSc, NUulu COluG out from
under the snow hard and dry in the spring, at
which time our present roads are only disgrace
to civilization. If gravel, even were carried upon
the latter when they were wet and muddy, they
would be improved Immediately, and the opera
ton prove a comfort, while in practice no effort
is made at improvement, until the occasion for
it has passed. but in June, when the wretched
thoroughiare has become endurable, Rip Van
| Wrinkle wakes from his nap, brings his gravel
| spreads il upon our dry road, and again makes
us miserable; for instead of a benefit, it is only
rains afford sufficient moisture to cement the
| particles and make them settle under, instead of
| push in front Of the wheels. But nothing can
| be expected of a system SO detective as the pres
| ent one, whose bad features are already too well
known for repetition. AS with all other make
shifts, ii is the most expensive in the end. Maine
| E0rUler