The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1886-05-08
GRAVEL ROADS.

GRAVEL ROADS.
The Chicago Tribune of Saturday had
the following synopses of addresses del v
cred at Springfield, at the meeting of the
Highway Commissioners of the state, which
ougl I to be of interest TO the farmers OF La
Sale county. Mr.. S. G. Paddock, who read
the leading paper on the subject, is at pres
ent County Clerk OF Bureau county, and
has given a great deal Of study to the mat
ter of road building;
S. G. Paddock of Bureau county, devoted
himself 10 the consideration of Gravel
Roads" relating what had been done in his
own county.
The greatest number of miles graveled
is in Princeton township, where there are,
exclusive of the city streets, twenty two
miles, which have cost 100000 for grading,
drainage, and crawling, a triile over $500
per mile, the gravel being hauled an aver,
age distance OF two miles.
In seven townships of the county there
are tifty-seyen and one.half miles Of grave!
road, which have cost for grading, drain.
age, and grayeling $52,4OO, an average of
SOL per mile, the average distance for
hauling gravel being one and S!N-tenths
miles. As to most OF these roads, the grad
ing was already largely done and the drain
age fairly good before the grayeling was
begun. The amount of tile drainage need
ed was not large enough 10 affect the aver
ages materially. What was expended in
that direction, however, is included in the
cost. A considerable portion of this work
hu. hann aNnnri m nptul. nArhang strictly
speaking, all of il is. That is one Of the
difficulties surrounding road making, We
have as vet no expert road engineers, and
the average American citizen thinks he can
make as good road as any other man, and
may be little better Our experience
shows that il has cost us less absolutely than
the old no method.
Our work in this connection has all been
done in the last six years, and during that
time the road and bridge taxes in all of the
seven townships has only been $3.50 per
annum more than for a spOnding
period prior 10 these years, when no gravel
was used, or total of S22 800 for the six
years, but slightly IN excess of 40 per cent,
of the cost of graveling, showing that we
have 90 per cent, or over 30 miles, of gravel
road without the expenditure of one cent
over the old methods, and this difference is
the more marked in those towns that have
done the most graveling.
The proposition is so plain that argument
Or proofs seems hardly needful that road.
work is profitable just in the proportion of
It's perlaanence. II il has TO be done over
every year it is tremendously expensive, be
,ouse /, Is about all thrown away. if il is
narmanent il is economical be
,.nsa II .+av, and is indefinitly useful That
,ur ordinary urqvel roads are NOT perfection
i roncadai In the sprino if il he wet
+hav ret h,l in nlacas, but not 50 bad as
the adjacent dirt roads and never become
imDossab,e Then they "cOne 10 order"
,uirLIv and the u8ssin,r of a .craDer over
the snrface soon reduces Them 10 their
rood condition
TINY Grc 81, fgsf that t,av can he made
rood lone haforp one Womb tbirl, Of ven.
-urina with l0qd on the dirt rrgi I'm
,sr,-nl,ce. stlouoltthat Gravel rou,d
nor he had within reasonable reach. search
l'tynvzr reysale,l II and If is ,loubless trIla
-bat If +. unite widely distributed When
II cannot he nad I'm joralities where Trans.
,,rt,,fnr NJ # y,..II betoo Ltoh for ur3cti
,al nnrnnsas II may ia. tbat q Substitute can
=
nose +bat q choan sort of rude brick can be
r,odn where tY4l is CHEAP ana clay plenty
A hard hurn win u~odnce an article that is
yeIl ,l4nf4d to surfacing a road.
Nir stevens contributed plpar on
,Gn'I p1hlic Roads - and sail. in hisop
ion uuIinois can boast IF the hest road.
md worst roads All on the same track and
With tho least amount of eXrenSe Of any
.t.,ta have ever been in. When tine
,,.tha, l. drv and fha , irt roads of This
,t,ta are made .unoth which can be done
~ ~ va., small cost they are without cues.
ION thn ire,t ,rocl,s m travel r0on Mat can
NO had Inf when they become wat-and il |
.a,,ns Inv Iittln rain IN wet tbem-they are
49, ;rnassaila % II is nossibla 10 make
nom observation has shown us thatthere
,ro Of Iaast afoL+ months IN the wear and
'o,net;n,as twelve NAT il is impossible 10
,onI an ordinary load on the pnblic roads
,ry distance without the mid of n. least
'voond Generally four extra horses The
,Jvont,Ges IN he derived from GOOD public
'o,Js' .re many esnariaIlv IN the farmers
/, % NJ, thot is nrodnced ON the farm. which
-, al char i roreumad hoth ON fine farm
I'D J., tIa GOWNS and cities mu.t he houIed
nv 80 - T., ,,o;r,, 10 tic ,n.r