The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1886-06-26
Care of Public Roads.

depend on the latter, in measure, for theil
very existence. We unfortunately live IL
section where the public highways are
execrable; quite likely they are as bad in
other portions OF the country, though hard
ly worse than here In Southern Maryland
Their management Is about equally faulty
a complaint pretty general against all who
have the welfare OF the roads under theil
supervision. How easy-we all knOw-tC
point Out grievance or fault, but how very
difficult to name or apply remedy! The
general public must bear the chiel
blame, and their apathy an disinterestedness
Is hard to account for. In the first place we
have not adequate laws, either general o.
local, to accomplish the ideal highway; and
the few We have, ordinary civilians are
unacquainted with, and those in authority
act as II they needed an introduction.
A fine road Is self-evidently necessary
even to the most obtuse person, for wild al
well as cultivated land; but the combined
qualifications of shade and good, cheap
roads, In these all clay or all sand sections
is the problem demanding our serious at
tention. Much cannot be made by small
expenditure, neither can those living on
farms of like soil be sufficiently taxed to
accomplish this desired end; but one thing
they (the adjoining landowners can do to
help the CORD cause; that is to give to the
roads enough of this poor land for road bed
and shade, say 40 feet (Which will be ample
| for all country roads in this sectionl, "a for
the road bed and Is for bitches (when nee
essary) and shade trees. Twenty-four feet
gives room to travel in new ruts AS soon as
any one becomes worn too deeply; this, with
the present disbursements and the mending
they now get, will give the most satisfact.
ion to the general public in this sandy sec
ond district of Anne Arundel County.
One great trouble with cur roads Is that
there is often but one track, and not sIfiic.
lent room for another lin some places it has
the lawful width between fences, and bush.
es and briers have encroached upon the
track until the wheels of the wagon drag
against the bushes on the sides while again
We may find the fences only 20 feet apart,
or else some embankment has been cut
through with only sufficient room for one
track,) and all teams are therefore COMPEL.
ed to use the single track, whose ruts be-
come deep and irregular from the constant
travel, where, if the roads were properly
widened-all public highways should be
kept the lawful width-and higher IN the
centre, vehicles would avoid the deep ruts
long enough for them to fill up naturally.
Our land makes poor road beds from the
nature of the soil. Where sand predomin
ates, it is almost as bad as all clay, though
the former is always passable, while the
latter, during protracted wet spell, cannot
be used; neither can 1t be made into good
road beds without great labor and expense,
and In poor sections-land averaging three
barrels of corn to the acre-it is an impOssi-
bllity, without outside help to do much to-
ward a perfect road. The shape of per-
feet road bed, which has been often stated,
should lie a convex surface between para
llel lines, like the segment of large cir
Gle.
These coarse, sandy roads, as we have
them in the lower half of this second dist
riot, are fine enough in winter or when wet,
but becomes wretched in mid summer, or
when very dry. AS this sand is SO easily
displaced, allowing the wheels to sink, it
causes team to draw at least three times
as hard that Is, where ON a solid smooth
road bed, horse could pull ton, here 700
or 800 lbs. would be a big load, and besides,
the grinding action of the hot, dry road
upon tires and rims soon ruin the best
wheels. In very warm weather the steel
or iron ties expand Gas we all know more
than the wooden fellies, causing an interst
ice and this is speedily filed with sand,
which soon increases the breach, finally
compelling the cutting of the ties to save
the wheel. The mole Shade, the longer
this sand remains damp, and moisture
counteracts the expansion of tires by swell
ing the rims and lessening the heat; than
nJ ~ mt oh do iu tho hncf fore baS rpoHS
Where they are all clay, or clay in excess,
then during wet spell they become like
putty, the wheels sinking to the hub, and
are then the worst roads possible, though
they never weat and injule the rims and
tires as the former, and they become excel
ent in mid summer, or when dry. Shade.
therefore, for this latter soil is slightly in
furious, but with proper distances between
the trees, or grouping and keeping them
well trimmed, this can be mitigated, and
with sufficiently wide road bed, entirely
counteracted We do not want bushes and
briers for shade, but large trees with trunks
without limbs for. 20 feet or more (and ii
we p rmit these to be entWined now and
then by our Virginia creeper, bitter sweet,
and native clematis, that are so very abund-
ant along our roads, so much more pleasing
will the sight be- 50 that the air can freely
circulate over the road bed
The limits of the public highway, with
few exceptions, are underlined, and unless
interested parties agree to allow the centre
of the present road TO be the true one, as
base to ascertain The correct boundary, it will
cause considerable trouble and expense to
locate the lawful meter satisfactorily.
Many buyers of land on the public roads,
when they come to remove or repair their
fences on said roads, will encroach upon
the 30 feet allowed by law instead of going
out, thereby gaining little land TO the
great detriment of the travelling public.
Supervisors should be instructed to demand
the removal of all fences that infringe on
the said roads lawful 30 feet Now here
comes grave difficulty, for, as said above,
the boundaries are underlined; so who can
tell when land owner does encoach, unless
twenty years, peaceful use by the public
makes the present track lawful. With the
present 80 feet allowed by law, it is difficult
to save the shade trees, but the judicious
supervisor duly advised with written in
struction, not oral can save many of our
fine native trees still left on some of the
roads-say 20 feet for road bed (Which is
not sufficient for good double track two
feet on each side of road bed for bitches,