River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1883-07-19
ROAD WORK FOR 1899.

ROAD WORK FOR 1888.
The matter of roads and road building
is one Of vital Importance in every COM |
munity. The condition of thorough |
fare often determines the curse which |
traffic shall take during a season of mud |
and rain, and the trade so diverted in
many cases follows this line for years, to !
the upbuilding of one community at the |
expense of another in every way its equal
except in the one important particular of
well kept highways. Every community |
recognizes the importance of this work, |
and the best thought of the most skillful
engineers is expended upon this question,
which, to the unthinking, is so simple
that the most ignorant may be trusted
with its solution.
In our own community this interest has
stood next to the common school interest
since the foundation of society in River
Falls. During the past ten years the tax
for the support of highways in the town
Of River Falls, comprising about thirty
miles of road, has averaged $1,000 per
year. During the past four years the tax
has been from $1,000 to $4,000 per year.
With this vast expenditure of money it
would seem that the town should have
been gridironed with the best of high
ways. On the contrary, by far the great
er proportion of this sum has been ex-
pended in the seemingly hopeless and
fruitless endeavor to keep the highways
passable, without making any apprecia-
bic gain i'll the way of permanency. Two
years ago, after years of discussion, the
voters of the town granted the requisite
funds, and Chairman Putnam purchased
rock crusher, which in time was landed
at the depot, where it remained for about
nine months, the butt of all the skeptical
wit and wisdom of community, nine
tenths of whom had never seen a crusher
in practical operation, and who were slow
to believe the statements of the other
tenth that the machine could crack rocks
with the same ease that cob-mill crush |
es ears of corn.
During the season of 1882 the crusher
was put to work, but under nearly every |
disadvantage of situation, inconvenience |
to the quarry, and non-acquaintance with |
the machine, that was possible to COM |
bine upon the one object. Yet, with ev-
erything against it, the crusher demon |
strated its ability to do the work expect |
ed of it, and Mr. Weld, the road-master, !
came very near demonstrating that the |
investment was not losing one.
But the machine was heavy and it was |
predicted that it could never be moved |
to new position. A set of trucks was |
built for it by A. w. Lund, and on the |
9TH day of May, 1888, Mr.. Weld, again
elected road-master loaded up his little |
giant, and with six horses hauled it to !
the foot of Burnett's mound. With the |
aid of blocks and tackle it was hauled |
half way up the mound, and there placed |
IN position and began its real work. |
There, with a small outlay of ready cash, |
1925 loads of crushed rock were run out |
in II working days, with which two miles |
of semi permanent roadway was built.
From William Fishers farm to River
Falls there is now road-bed which is
smooth and solid in all weathers, and up
on which there is hauled. every day, a
greater tonnage than passes over the
Hudson x River Falls Railway during the |
same time. What was once stretch of |
sand through which the teams struggled |
slowly with ton weight, is now a smooth |
track upon which the same teams can
easily haul ton and a half. Of course
this will wear through; but hundred
loads next year will make it better than
ever, and these hundred loads can be
placed at a cost of about Soc per load, in
cludingcost of the stone, quarrying, crush
ing, hauling and grading, in Road Work.
For cash the same work could be done |
for 75c per load. That is economy. 1t |
would cost as much to keep two miles of
sand in place, and after it was repaired it
would still be impossible.
On June 18th the crusher was moved
to point near Rocky Branch, on Judge
Fosters farm, where it was run 103 days,
turning out 719 two-horse loads of stone,
with which about one mile of solid road
was built over the sandiest tracts be-
tween John Fosters farm and T. 7.
Glass. In addition to the stone work
800 loads of gravel were put on the road
south of John Fosters, making nearly
half mile of good road
Such, in brief, is the work of the season
in District No. ]. The work is worth
more than the mere result in rods of
roadway built. 1t has demonstrated that
it is cheaper, with the right machinery, to
build a highway that is comparatively
permanent in its character than it is
without machinery, to patch up the
sloughs and sand ridges that pass for
highways, as has been the usage during
all the years past. Given sufficient
number of men to quarry the stone and
amount of work the teams and men at
the other side of the machine will do to
keep even, over the old style of road
work, will pay for running the machine,
and interest upon its cost.
1t is probably not wide of the mark to
say that in ten years from to-day, with
judicious management of the $4,000 per
year road tax, backed by the rock crush
er, River Falls may have every highway
of any Importance thoroughly macadam-
lied IA feet wide and inches deep,
and in the best condition for hauling the
heaviest loads of wheat, wood and other
farm products. There is nothing that
succeeds like success; and it is our opin-
ion, after careful inspection of the work
done this season, ON the roads, and an in
spection also of the books of roadmaster
Weld, that we may all feel justified in
claiming such success.
Ayes's Cathartic Pills promptly re-
lieve the stomach, correct foul breath
and an unpleasant taste, and cure con-
stipation.