The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-12-17
For the FREE TRADER.
Country Roads.


Country Roads.
During the epidemic of bad roads a few sug.
gesuons upon roads and roadmaking may be
appropriate,
There is no subject more important, especi
ally to n rich agricultural people, than good
roads, for the value If produce depends largely
on the facility of getting II 10 market
The prairie soil makes excellcntroads when
dry, but the very opposite when wet; and the
usual method of working the highways, IN
creaslng the difficulty rather than helping its
makes travel for portions of the year almost
impossible.
| 1t is almost the universal practice TO turn
pike or gravel up the roads late III the season
just before the fall rains, when the newly re-
moved earth unpacked becomes bed of NOR
tar and if of much depth almost impossible
| till CONCEALED by frost and then as rough as a
! pile of rock during the winter
1t is safe to say that nine.tenths OF the labor
Expended ON the roads is a positive injury; far
better give the taxpayers their tax and hire
them to keep off the road. The accumulation
of earth or the road is displayed by the teams
founderlng through 1t; deep ruts are formed
which years travel does not fill, and the road
bed is uneven and unfit for travel for years, 1t
| is the custom to leave each scraper load by II
self, never leveling the surface and when stone
or slate from the stone quarrles is used 1t is de
posted in piles unbrokcn, depending on the
travel to pulvcrize and level 1t; and the more
cobble stones or bOulders from the size of a
mans fist to that of his head is left on the sur
face, the better is the road -maker pleased.
How long IS this fOolishness To continue
Grading with the prairie soil is except in
some few cases positive injury, and where
needed it should be done early in the season,
so as to become Thoroughly packed before the
fall rains and winter trosts.
The law requires that ihreefourhs Of the
road labor shall be expended by the LIST OF Sep.
TENDER ut should be the LIST OF Octo6er) and
wha. Is done then is 100 per cent. worse than
| lost.
The law makes it the duty of the Commits
sioners of Highways to see that the roads are
| kent in repair and of course done IN the right
way, and they should be held responsible, But
a better system is needed-two things are a
necessity: A competent engineer to direct
the work and an efficient law to force the work
early III the season. But do the best possible
and the prairie soll makes bau road when
wet The man that will invent II cheap means
| Of making "a good ROAD of durable material
Will immortallze his name and fill his pocket
The only means available at present is to cover
with stone and gravel-wc have plenty of them
but not well distributed. Gravel alone, unless
two or three feet thick, will not answer One
foot of stone covered with SIX TO eight inches
of gravel makes "a good road
| If each acre of land was taxed three or four
dollars and the amount used in macadamlZng
our main roads, 1t would enhance the value of
each acre twice that amount and much more,
as has been fully proven by such improve
ments in OHIO and other states. And each
town or commercial centre can afford to pay
half the expense by increasing the facilities
for business, while each farmer gets the full
value of his tax in enabling HIM to do his
marketing IN the slack season, while now he
has to do it when the roads are dry and he is
needed h,o farm, and uv tic increased
| amount he can take at each load, to say moth
! ing of the pleasure of gong to town on dry
smooth road at a speed of five or SIX miles an
| hour, instead of two miles an hour daubed
with mud and exhaustng horses, carriage and
rider, and perhaps chilled nearly to uncon
seriousness and suffering the torments OF hades
| Perhaps the better way will be to commence
| by laying light tax that will not be felt, and
improving mile or two each year, commenc
ing at the market place and extending into
the country. The trial will enable the good
sense of the people to determine how fast the
Improvement shall be made The trouble is
when the roads are dry we forget the evils OF
bad roads, like the man who could not put a
roof on his house when IT rained, and when II
did not rain he did not want any roof
| ] propose to get accurate estimates OF the
cost of making the proposed improvements
| and give them in another article.
| ELMER BALDWIN.
ILL., ~ NJ. I'm