The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1872-02-10
ROADS.

noticed that where one road crosses another
or there is a turn or lane or entrance, som,
gross irregularity occurs to make it incon
venient for all who use the different places
Such was the case in the spot before u.s.
MIR. Dunk" said I, "isn't this a fine
place for load of hay to cross? '
| "Ought to be filled up with stones" said
Jakobb.
1.-The main road should 70 straight on
without interruption whatever" remark.
ed, with its two gentle side trenches, and
when cross road occurs, those who use il
can pass them easily: but in this place it is
uneven for everybody" '"'~...
We began to ascend gentle hill.
This break is busted OUT suddenly
broke in Jakobb, sit ought to have more
stones on it, --r .s' ...st
sit ought to have none at all, Mr.. Dunk:
the whole break ought to be busted out
entirely, and that other one also at the ton
of the hill.'' t' go '.a :
"The water would dig gully in the
road yard deep" said Jakobb ......
keep the water out of the road by hay-
ing the middle highest, and the two side
trenches will take care of the water ,, 7
replied. Jakohb here turned around apbast,
no breaks On hill! 1t was contrary to
all his practice and that of all his grand.
fathers. -
You bust them breaks OUT said
Jakobb, "and put the water on the s;das
and it'll dig out two bitches as deem as :,
river bed, and leave the road high as a stack
in the middle; and then where'll yer load
be when yer wheel gifts down one O. them
wells %
"Mr. Dunk, l replied, call the water
IS turned on one side now by these breaks,
isn't it"'
"Ya-a-s," Answered Jakobb Fright
where it ought to be-"
"Now will you tell me how, by dividing
the volume of water and putting half on
the other side, it will make deeper gully
than when it all runs on one side ?'' asked.
1t was too much for Jakobb's "tillosophy:"
but l couldn't convince him: he had got
the notion somewhere, and post mortem
autopsy will detect it, with all the other
notions rolled up into small wad at the
back part of the brain.
Now the truth about breaks is this: thew
have use under the present mode of repair
IN turning water from the road into an
adjoining field to prevent too great vol
ume of water from running in the road,
but the same object can be accomplished
by culverts or water boxes without DESTROY
ing the grade of the road, which is an
important matter; we have hard enough
work for our horses without increasing it
by making distractions
Here we arrived at fiat which was pas
sable by lodging around fence corners and
picking the way, while right alongside of
this truly miserable spot lay stones enough
to Macadamize it.
Wants stones, don't it, Mr.. Dunk ?"
asked, knowing Jacobs invariable pre-
scription for poor spot.
"fa-a-s, them thar stones ought to be
chucked right into the road, to harden it,"
said Jacobb.
The proper plan would be, Mr.. Dunk,
TO hnd the lowest spot, build a strong deep
culvert across the road; break up the stones
fine and put them on, then apply a slight
top-dressing of dirt from the side trenches.
Water seeks the low spot, and so long as
these are undrained no road can be kept
good; drainage is one of the first essentials
OF good road: it is as necessary to drain
road as a grain field, and yet country
road makers seldom practice it,"
Jakobb couldn't see the point: he thought
II you "put stones thar it would fetch it,"
Next we came to mudhole in one of the
wheel tracks.
lere ought to be stones anyhow" said
Jakobb.
mot an ounce" l replied: "the water
remains in that spot because it can't get
out: round up the road, throw the dirt in
the depressions, and if the water can get
of, there will be no mud holes"
The common plan of going to the stone
pile for every i'll that a road is heir to, is
one of the most reprehensible features of
country road making; it ought to be penal
offence to put stone on road that would
not go through two.inch ring: deep Gull
lies excepted, but in these it is not expected
they will touch the wheel.)
Next we reached the branch.
"Here,' I remarked, "we need a good
bridge: this spot is a dangerous ford in
high water"
"Joodge," broke in Jakobb, "I don't
believe in no bridges.''
Glow would you have got to Baltimore
the other day on the cars, if you had not
gone over Potter's Bridge?" 1 asked.
"Thems for cars: mean for country
roads,
"Couldn't we ride as pleasantly over
country bridge, as the cars 60 over on an
iron one?''
Yes; but when flood comes and
washes 'em away, the channel is so deem
the old ford is worse than it used to be-"
said Jakobb.
"Bulld them up again, the same as we
10 other good things when they give out:
don't let us refuse to make anything for
fear it will wear out or break down or wash
away.
"Where there is no bridge the wheels of
vehicles make the road muddy for several
yards on each side of the water: this !
becomes very icy and dangerous in winter,
and accidents are very likely to occur on
such spots, besides the hard pull they give
a loaded team to get up and over them, and |
who likes the scrape of sleigh in winter,
through all the water and stones at the
bottomo'
Next we came to three large depressions
in the matchmaking as many big mud
holes at intervals of few feet.
What are you going to do here with
out stones?' inquired Jakobb.
"These three depressions are the three
lowest spots in the road, and repeated |
efforts have been made to prevent the oper-
alton of natural law by throwing stones |
in these places, but water aeM settle in the |