Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1874-08-07
iFfHn the Amsrisan Agriculturist. J
Roads and Road,

Roads and Road, d,Nnking.
II has b,en sail that the civiliE ,tiou M
people Is mjasurel bv the condition of their
roads. II we shoull iu lgo ourselves By thi.
test, At least 80 far as our wagon roads are
concerned, wo must admit we are somew hal
behind the gen1rsl standard Of ci viliIation
Bat tho prevalence Of railroads has Rreauy Y
diminished the importance of other roads, and
m Iis them but ssc'n larry m sans Of cnmmuni-
cation inatcLi of prim irY ones, as they former
Iy varS. Nevertheless we caut ignore the fac,
that the usual bal cpndiiiun Of our country
wagon roads is serious tar upon the agrieul
tural interest. A badl y-made road is e1p.n.
sive to keep in repair, ann one which costs oul '
81 900 a mule to construct at ths outset will
have cost in the course Of ten years a sum
which would have paid for an excellent road
upon which very few repairs would have b,en
necessary, Again, bad road, built for 81 900
ruffU - HzDre csisJIy tu uue on w i,leh
three or four times as much has been expended
IN making 1t, because man wh1 draws loads Ia
market upon the one can only carry third or
q quarter as much as upon The other, an to
move this reduced LOAD requires double the
time the larger would on gO9d road. There
10 hardly question that any eommnnity can
better ahnrd to build a level, sOlid, smooth
stone rnad at cust Of ss 900 or 90 900 mile
and mIintsiu II in gnOi order at a merely
nnminal annual cost for forty or Grty years,
than 10 build an uneven, ruuKh s0ft earth
road at c"st Of 600 q mile, and keep il
in barely pasaabs eIndition f"r the same num-
Der OF veNs NJ the necessary high annual
cost. This leaves out of calculation the loss
0f time, team power, and wear Uf wagons,
horse-shoes, and harness which is afflicted >
on every traveller WIN uses tie road.
u this shows ths importance Of laying out
roads Of easy grades. Aui P'ssug around hills
instead OF over them, aud of making the surface
hard, smooth. aud durable. Probably one of
the best county roads in the country is one
now in course Of huildiag by the Telford
PaveInent Company Of Orange, J Some
time ago we had an opportunity Of inspecting
this method 81 road making, and here describe
Il, with the machinery used both in preparing
the material and finishing the road bed The
road-bed is first exeavuted. graded, and proper
ly formed TO depth of fourteen inches from
the level of the cutters; this cross section is
made to cnnform in every respect tn the cross
section OF the pavem ,nt when finished. il is
then thoroughly and repeatedly rolled with the
steam roller, all drpressiOns which may appear
being carefully filed and rolled before the
stone is put on. On the road bed thus formed
and consolidated a bottom course or laver of
stone ~ average depth OF eight inches is set
by hand, in The form OF close 6rm pa vement.
and thoroughly rammed or settled in place
with sledge-hammerS, all irregularities OF sur
face bsing broken OF and the nierstiers care
fully wedged with pieces of stone. An in,erm.-
diate layer Of brpken stone, Of a aize not ex
ceeiing three inches In diAEetrr, is then evenly
spread thereon, to the depth Of four inches
and thoroughly rolled, after which AhaIIan
lHeh Of sand is applied aud rolled ia. The sur
face layer ot broken stone, Of a size 1 ex-
cesding two and half inches in diameter. is
then put on to depth offour inches, thorough.
ly rolled, and half an inch of sand applied |
and rolled as before. Care is taken to 40 |
spread the stones that the total depth VIII, n |
finished shall b. uniformly not less than four
tsen inches, anl that the grade aud cross sec |
ton of the pavement my be perfect when |
thoroughiy consolidated. A bin ling compos.
sd OF clean sharp sand. or of the screenings
of the broken stone, is then applied, wen
saturated with water, aud thoroughly and
repeatedly rolled with the steam roller until
the surface becomes irm, comp, ct. and smooth
when all suPerhuous bndingis swept OF aud
The steam roller weighs not less than 6f.
teen gross tons. aud is 50 Constructed that its
compressive force ON the road way beiux roll.
ed shall not be less than $50 lbs per inch run.
The cost ot road thus prepared is 81 90
per square yard for nine inches in depth of
stone, aud 81 so per square yard for twelve
inches in depth. A road i've Yards wide. oi
per mile. road like this would be of such n
permanent character as to require vsrv little
repair Tor many years and could be kent in
good order at a very small annual expense.
ln some parts OF the country the citiz.ns have
already found II a measure of economy toI
arse money by bonds to make roads Of this
the annual saving in cost OF repairs
being sufficient q pay the interest upou and
D.sVide sinking fund for tho final pa m.nt
II the bonds, when the road will practically
iave east tue township nothing as COMPARED
With the former poor roads.
The road material is rock. The best rock
hard trap; the next best is crystalline lime.
tonsi but the ordinary "hard heads" or bOul.
lers, so common in many places when broken,
urntsh one oil the best ma'erials. The soft
limestone common 10 much Of the western
0nntry will make an excellent road, but will
iced more Heqnent renewal, the cost Of which.
IoweYar, 10 small item compared with thai
i the foundation. Neither is II necessary in
" cases to be at 80 great cnst for the prcptr-
ton OF the bed. very fair road NAV be N adp
Without excaValing the foundation aud a large
'ortion OF the cost saved. II the rock ia to
70 blasted from ledge, the compressed air
rill or a percussion stesul-drill is used. In
be nplnY drills Oftbis character a large
mount Of time aud labor is saved. The Tock
) broken by a Blake stone. erusher, which DOW.
riul machine reduces the hardest rock To
rdgments OF the required size. The broken
Oek Is then hauled aud spread up n the road
D the proper depth when the steam TnIlst
nmpressesit with great f,rcs into a snlid m ,ss
'hlch binds together with great compaclnrss.
! certain PARTON Of sand OF fine stone screen.
lgs adds greatly to the binding together of
he stone.
The steam roller is a road locomotive which
AZ double set of wheels, oHe fer ordinary
rah purposes, and one of greater weiRhtabd
idth used OLly for rolling aud cnmpressins
'e road. II Is made by the MeSSrs. AvelinR
Porter, OF Rochester, Englan bat is import.
aud sold by their agent in this cnunlry.I
here u Is already In somewhat extensive usa
ne Of these engines has drawn eleven two
'rse wagons loaded with staae uppn an nr,lin.
y country road up grade of que fool IN
Teen. An engine weighing eight tnns has
oompressive force upon the road OF 27O lbs
an inch of bearing sa face. aud uses lO9 lbs
coal per day. The total cost of working
ab nut 50 day, aRd the cOst of the engine
lth set Of four farrOw pluws for Rreparine
% foundation or for field plnwiag ia aboutl
l,OOO, An engias nf this weight is twelve.
'rse actual power. aad may be used for
reshing or any other purpose 10 which
0 I'm tive engine is sWitabls This general
STABILITY renders il Of saeh service thati
cost u witbis the means Of Alm0st aDy
wnshlp IN the epnutry or Of any agricultural
soclatiou. Soms Of our sRricuiturai societies
uld' by putting these machines in use, hoip
solve the question Of the Osefulnsss Of
IAN cultivation, and also that Of how ws
a have durable roads.