The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1879-01-16
Impr venents of Roads-Mate-
rails.

Count Gentleman.
The materials for roads that are sup
piled by nature are stone. gravel, clay,
loan and sand artificial materials are
good broken stones, burned clay, refuse
Of certain manufactures, as brick
yards, iron and glass furnaces. charcoal
kilns, and the coal ashes from cities. |
have travelled over a road in North
Carolina made of the refuse from tur-
p~entine kilns, mixed with sand, and
for hardness and smoothness that road
could not be excelled. In Northern
Michigan there are miles of roads made
of the Stag from the iron furnaces, and
the ''braize" dust from the charcoal
kilns, which are not only excellent in
all seasons, but are also of a permanent
character. There are numerous local.
ties where such materials as these may
be gathered in large quantities and
turned to the best account at little cost
for road-making. OF all the materials
that are used for roads. that to be
mostly avoided is turf, or soil consist
ing largely Of vegetable matter. The
best of the individual natural materials
above mentioned. is clay; that is,
when it is properly used, a hard smooth
clay road being almost waterproof
above. Clay mixed with gravel or
sand, makes al excellent road. Gravel
alone is not a stable material, unless it
is continually packed by heavy ROLLERS.
Sand is good except In dry weather,
but when mixed with a small proper
ton of clay, it makes a good DAD
either wet or dry. The best material is
broken stone, and where stone abounds
there is no excuse for wanting roads Of
the very best and most permanent
character. A B'ake's stone crusher,
and a ten horse power portable engine
could be proftably kept in every
county in the country where there is
stone sufficient for road purposes; and
one would serve for each county, not
only to break stone, but to transport
it; and in doing it to find work for
the armies of tramps which are per
ambulating always and everywhere.
The fact is, ii this floating element
could be secured for a time as it goes
by, it could be made to do all the
roudwork that IS needed. All that is
wanted is an organization for that
purpose. Stone may be broken by
hand very cheaply, by the use of light
hammers, such rs shown at fig. /.
The heavy hammer, flo. 2, is wholly
OF steel, and should weigh S to 10
pounds. The light hammer, fig. |, is
of steel. is round in section, and
weighs ? to 4 pounds. The handles
are oval in section to prevent them
from turning in the hand. Poor per-
som wanting labor could be thus en-
ployed. The value of stone for road
purposes is in proportion to its hard
ness, and the cost of breaking it. The
splendid macadamized post-roads of
FL gland are made of limestone. The
crystalline soap rock Of the mountain
regions is tough, but is remarkably
durable.
The limestones prevalent through
the Northwestern States, from Wes-
tern New York to the Missouri, fur
nish cheap and excellent material
easily broken, and having good bind
ing properties when packed by wear,
or rolled. The frequent beds of sand
stones, shale, clay, gravel and sand,
may be used for matchmaking, and it
will undoubtedly pay to transport these
to considerable distances, where no
good materials are to be procured,
rather han to use soft soils composed
largely of vegetable matter.
AGRICULTURAL. ENGINEER.