The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1880-09-16
Road Building and Repairing.

How to properly construct, or even
repair, a road in the best manner, is
understood by comparatively few, who
have charge of the roads, at the public
expense. No class suffer more from
bad roads than farmers, consequently
no class are more interested in the
proper construction and repair of roads
than they are.
In laying out new roads, it is usually,
but not always, best to 90 straight; it
is sometimes better to curve around a
hill than to 90 directly over it, and it
does not always increase the distance;
to illustrate, it is just as near for fly
to travel the length of the handle of a
pail when it lies horizontal around the
pail, as when it stands up and passes
directly over the pail; on the same
principle a road built level around the
base of hill, may be as near as one
built directly over the top of the hill;
while the saving of strength to draw
load around the hill, would be such as
to make every one prefer it, to one on
a direct line over the hill; in fact the
level curve would be preferred, by most
of travellers, though the distance be
twice as great.
In building new roads, it is poor econ
omy to half build them and make no
provision for drainage; vet many of the
new roads, built by towns, are put out
by contract to the lowest bidder and
constructed in the cheapest manner
possible; usually making no provision
for underdrainage through wet places.
To make a good road it is just as neces-
sary to have good drainage as it is to
make good grass land of a meadow.
Roads that cross wet places where the
soil is soft, can never be made good
until firm foundation is constructed
and the water drained so as not to set
tie Immediately under the road. Rocks,
covered with six inches to a foot of
gravel make a good road; the rocks
should reach enough above the mud to
permit the water to pass between the
mud and the gravel. A road thus con-
structed will keep in good condition at
all seasons of the year.
Roads over which but little travel
passes may be repaired by blowing out
the cutters and throwing the earth in
the center of the road; but public thor
oughfares where the travel is large
should never be repaired in this way.
The gravel put on such roads is ground
to dust by the numerous heavy loads
that pass over it; this dust is but little
better than mud to repair roads with,
therefore what washes into the cutters
should be carted off to be used in the
compost heap. for which purpose it
makes an excellent material
Many towns find it for their interest
to cover roads, over which the travel is
large, with crushed stones; although
the first cost is heavy it is believed to
wear enough longer to pay the addi-
tional expense.
The system adopted by many towns
for repairing roads is a very expensive
one, and one which keeps the roads in
a very unsatisfactory condition. The
old method of repairing them with a
labor tax is vet followed in many towns;
this is very unjust to those who pay
their tax in money, because it has been
found that money tax, of the same
will accomplish a third more
than labor tax. Another mistake is
made by many towns by dividing the
bOhu llLO Slulll hlSll lCbo
a large number of surveyors, by SO do
ing many incompetent men are chosen
who often worse than waste the money
by repairing the roads in such manner
that their successor has to eXpend a
large sum to put the road in agood pass
able condition.
The management of the roads like
the management of mandatory,
should be under the direction of one
head and that head should be not only
but also as permanent as
possible; to change every year or even
every three years, makes great waste,
for it requires several years of expert
ence to learn Just what method is best
for every piece of road; and it frequent
ly requires a number of years to carry
out contemplated improvements. If
continual changes are made, no extend
ed system of improvements can be car
ried out; if any are commenced the new
will usually entirely ignore
them ard commence quite different
system of improvements after his own
ideas; thus a vast amount of money is
wasted in the repair of the public roads.
We know that it is very difficult to
find the right man to superintend the
and repair of the town
roads, but when town finds one, they
should give him charge of the roads as
ong as he does the work faithfully; by
50 doing large amount of money
would be saved and great improve
ment would be made in the roads,
PJOughmGn.