Western sentinel. [volume] (Winston [i.e. Winston-Salem], N.C.) 1856-1886, 1879-02-06

Road making as an art is but poor
ly understood by the majority of our
highway SURVEYORS and road masters,
and what they do know is not always
we'll carried out. There is, 10 doubt,
a gradual improvement in our high
ways. The loss ard injury occasioned
by Outlying and wash-outs are so
great that those means by which sta
bility of the travelled way is secured,
aud getting to be tolerably well un-
derstood. But the other points, such
as securing easy grades, conducting a
road over swamp, the management
of clayey or mucky soils, and the re-
movai of stones,I both fixed and loose,
are ell matters in which our rural
road-builders may easily improve
their methods. In every farmers
club, grange and agricultural gather
ing for the discussion Of rural affairs,
road-making should be made a mat
ter of frequent consideration.
The losses by reason of bad roads
are very large-far greater than the
cost of maintaining good ones. But
they are so uncertain as regards par
ticular instances, and so divided
among all hands. that the sum of
them is not realized as it ought to be.
The load that can be drawn over a
road is limited by the load that can
be drawn over the worst places, just
as the strength of a cLain is only the
strength of its weakest link. The
strains thrown upon the different
parts of wagon or carriage, upon
the bolts and braces, the wheels,
axles, pole, shafts and on the harness,
Ito say nothing of horses,) by steep
grades and the unevenness of the
road bed, by deep mud, and by
stones, are also matters that are large
enough in detail, but form a mon
strous aggregate far beyond the con-
ceptien of those who do not figure in
regard to them. We believe that
there are few travelled roads III the
country on which the unnecessary in
jury to vehicles alone would not pay,
and more than pay, for the cost and
maintenance of a tirst-class turnpike.
There is one thing, in particular,
dy, that is very destructive to wheels,
the most costly parts of every vehicle,
and which is also the cause of very
great injury to horses. We refer to
the loose stones left upon the surface
of the road way thrown upon it, in
fact, when the roads are repaired,
and left there the whole season after
wards. The stones could be all
thrown OFF in a very short time and at
very little expense, but there are
very rarely attended to. How many
loosened and broken tires they cause.
and how many horses feet are injured
by these rroyokingly loose stones in
the road?
Other bad things, easily remedied,
are the holes and bollows worn in the
road by wheels. and rapidly increased
in depth by the softening caused by
the collection Of water an them after
rains. These holes break more aXles.
bolts, braces and spokes, ten times
over, than the cost Of filling them up
would amount to. A "stitch in time
here is important, but few road-mas-
ters will attend to the matter as they
should.
We repeat that these are thing:
worthy of frequent discussion among
farmers, so that knowledge regarding
the proper remedies may be dissent
mated, and, above all, public opin
ion be created in favor Of good roads
The civilization of community il
almost as well gauged by the condi
tion of its roads as by the quantity o
soap it uses.