Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1882-06-03
Roads ana Road. Making.

Received on freedoms field OF honor!
Roads and Road. Making.
Lansing Republican.
The following wasIread by VIM. Apple
ton of Lansing before the last meeting
OF the Ingham county horticultural So
ciety:
The secretary asked me to prepare a
paper on. the subject of Roads and
rOad-making." | was reading in the
which was credited to the Nashville
News. The writer thereof says the road
beds are generally too narrow. l will
read from this excellent paper. He says:
"In building country road of course
the first thing is good drainage, without
which no material will endure. This,
unfortunately is the least considered of
all matters, by the pathmaster system.
Good, clear cutters should be established
discharging readily into creek or res
ervOir. Cutters with no outlet simply
receive the water and hold it until it is
evapOrated or sinks into the soil. In
this way our country roads become very
frequently source of malaria and sick
ness. People are poisoned by roadway
stagnant POOLS" And further on he
says: stone, gravel, or shale must all
be used with understanding to make it
Of any more value than clay" And
again he says: "The wear of bad is es-
timated to demand from two to FIVE
times the horsepower of reasonable
good road"
So the farmer pays in wagon wear and
horse wear far more per year than he
would If subject to road tax, sufficient
to secure a firStclass rOad-bed.
The article l have been quoting is
good and full of practical suggestions,
but as many of you have doubtless read
1t. will try to make few suggestions
not contained therein.
And first, as being of prime impor-
lance, the subject of drainage. How are
we to accomplish this, the one thing
without which all else is wasted and all
labor lost? Let us ask how often we
have seen passable road made impassa-
BILE by the Oyerseer of highways bring
ing out his plOws and his scrapers and
scOOping out a misshapen hole in an
otherwise fairly level roadside to fill a
rut or mudhOle in the rOad-bed, which
one or two yards of earth would entirely
fill, and If drawn from distance would
have mended the road cheaply and have
helped to lower a sand or gravel hill.
The side of the road wOuldestill be fair,
pleasant to the eye and easy to the tread
of the pedestrian. But please let us
pause moment and see by our system
what has been accomplished. First, the
path-master's neighbOr is pleased; he
has credit for day for his little son
who has been rated man. He has also
a day or part of day for his pillow, his
scraper, wagon, team, and for himself;
it is surprising how little has been done
to count up from four to eight days
time; but that little has made the road
side into pool to hold stagnant water,
that will soak into the rOad-bed, making
it soft and easily cut into ruts and holes,
and quite impossible for q person walk
ing unless the rutty road-bed is taken.
Thus all interest in the walk is lost and
the pedestrians becoming Disguised,
long for some place to live where the
pedal extremities may be exercised with
out danger to life or limb.
Now we are all aware how much easier
it is to point out evils than it is to cure
them, but our system of rOad-making is
go abOminably bad, it would seem any
change would be for the better. Sup
pose, for instance, we should try change
by making an examination of section
of road, and find out where the outlets
for the water are, and be sure to plan
our work so that when it is done, if it be
ever so little, 1t shall contribute to a
plan Of thorough and systematic drain
age. And, above all things, be sure that
no plOws or scrapers (things dear to the
average path-master) make unsightly
holes or stop water from flowing of
the road. have often thought (useful
as Is the common scraper in the hands
of those who use without abusing the
use) IL scrapers had never been known
roads in Michigan would be better to.
dav.
Idare not trespass on your patience to
speak about material for roads, and their
use in making good roads, for take il
for granted we shall have to tolerate
dirt roads for ordinary purposes for some
years yet. A word about dirt roads:
knew district some years since where
the system had been high rOad-beds and
so narrow they were always dangerous
and much of the time we'll nighlimpass-
able. at length change was effected
in the management; new style went
into fashion. What was called turnpik-
ing was stopped; no scrapers were used
good culverts were put in and the water
disposed of. Holes in q clay fat were
filled from sand hill. Causeways were
attended to by lowering the water in the
swamps through which they went. The
logs stayed covered, and In three years
that district became famous for good
roads as compared with others. The peO-
pie were proud OF their roads, and nc