Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-02-08
ID a. L j. Y
POST IVTELLIGENCER
ROAD H.AIsG.

James Gazette. according to his Own ac-
count. returned to Scotland from Amer
lea in 1873, when the Scotch turnpike
acts had been about 20 years II opera
ton and roads were still being made
everywhere. He go. appointed com
missioner of roads, and afterTard re-
moved to Bristol, where be obtained p
similar post and WAS made q magistrate
Gifted with mania on the subject ne
hogan about 1874 to travel over the
country at his own cost; and these IA
bors he continued from Inverness to the
Lands End for 26 years, for no otheF
purpose, apparently, than 10 search Tor
a we'll made road and the bes: means OF
making one. In this way he spent 1917
DAYS. covered 10000 miles, and expend
ed over 5000. These facts being well
known in Bristol, he was, IN 1916, in
duced to take the post Of general sur
yevor to the Turnpike Trust, which then
managed all the surrounding ROADS
These. to the extent of l4S miles, were
rapidly and entirely reformed, ana pui
into the best possible state for use,a an
expense considerably within the annual
revenue of the trust" which had pre-
yiouslv been in debt $3.50 mile. This
soon attracted general attention; his
advice and assist nee were sought IN All
directions. Meanwhile he must have
had a correspondence greater than that
of many minor government once, Tor
he explained his principles and plans 10
every one with perfect candor; and his
enthusiasm was such that his gratuitous
services were at the disposal OF all who
came 10 him or sent for him. What
was the talk Of the whole country e'
length engaged the attention Of P'rlia-
ment. and select committee was ap
pointed in 1879.
McAdam's plan of roadmakinP differ
cd az much from the old way which h'
found in oper ,tion as bridge doe
from ford. Instead of going deep or
a "bottoming' he worked solely on the
top. Instead of producing peaked
roof like mass OF rough soft rubbish, be
got fiat, smooth and solid surface. IL
lieu Of road 4 u feet through, he mad
one of at most 10 inches in thickness;
and for rocks and boulders he substiiu
ted stone, broken small. His leading
principle was that roads ought to he con
sidered az an artificial flooring 40 strong
and even as to let the heaviest vehicle
pass over il without impeachment. Then
people began to hear with wonder If
roads 30 and 40 fest wide rising only ?
inches in the center; and he PROFOUND
cd the extraordinary hsresy that n bet
ter and more lasting road could be made
over the naked surface Of morass than
over sold rock. Another of his easy FIRST
principles was that the native soil wa
more resistant when dry than when wet
and that, as in reality it had to carr,
not alone the traffic but the road also, II
ought tn be kept in the condition of the
greatest resistance; that the best way OF
keeping it dry was to put over it GOV
ering impervious to rain-the road, III
fact; and that the thickness of this GOV
ering was to be regulated solely in re
lation to its imperviousnoss, and not nj
all as to its bearing of weights, to which
the native soil was quite equal. In
stead of digging trench, therefore, to
do away with the surface of the native
soil, he carefully respected it, and rails
cd his road sufficiently above il 10 let
the water run off. Impermeability he
obtained by the practical discovery that
stones broken small and shaken aud
pressed together, IN by the traffic on
road. rapidly settled down face to face
and angle TO angle, aud made AZ close
mass AS wall.
Surprise followed surprise. Roads
which were mere layers of broken stone.
six, four, and even rs little as three
inches in thickness, passed through the
worst winters without breaking up.
while, ~ the coachmen used 10 say.,hey
"ran true; the wheel ran hard upon
them; it ran upon the nail" Commits
sioners could not believe their eve
when they saw new roads made for
much less than it had cost them yearly
to repair their old ones. When an old
road was given into McAdam's charge
he often made new one of il for SIS a
mile, while round London the cost of
annual repairs had been $40 mile.
For he knew that the roads-such had
been the ignorant waste-generally con
tanned sufficient materials for
their use for several years if properl,
applied. Unless the road was hopeless.
no went to work in practical. cheap
way; first cutting of the 'gridirou" of
ruts in the center ito level with the
bottom Of the furrows;" then "pick-
ing the road up to depth of four
inches; removing all the chalk. CLAY or
mud; breaking the large stones small.
and simply putting them back again;
and one of his directions to his work
men was that nothing is to be laid on
the clean stone on pretenoe of binding"
But too often the road was SD bad, as AZ
Esham, that it had to be removed to its
foundations.
For the repairs of roads. when once
made. he always chose wei weather, and |
"loosened the hardened surface with |
pick before putting on the fresh brok- |
en- stone; things familiar enough TO us
now, but paradoxes then to all the con-
fraternities of the roads. In this way
he had the greatest success IS With the |
freestone. nesr Bath, and on q road GU,
OF Bristol toward Old Down where CIV
erybody had always said good road
never would be made with the materials
available. This impossible road of II
miles, which the Postmas.er-General.
~ a last resource. was about to indict,
ne perfected IN two months, in 1916, for
N