The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1886-06-12

But few people know the source from
which the term macadmized roads is deriv.
ed. Some information on this subject may
therefore be useful and interesting
About the year 1916, Mr.. James H. Maca.
dam who had for many years previously
given his attention TO the state of roads in
England, assumed the direction of the
roads of Bristol, and he put In practice the
leading principles of his system of road,
making namely ito put broken stone upon
a road which Shall unite by its own angles
80 as to form a solid, hard surface" at
follows" he adds, "that when that material
is laid upon the road II must remain In the
situation In which II is placed without ever
being moved again; and what find fault
with ia putting quantities of gravel on the
road Is that, before II becomes useful, 1t
motion" The principle was to substitute
small angular stones, such as result from
the breaksge of larger stones, for rounded
stones; so as to form sort OF mosaic or In
terlocking system. This is the distinctive
novelty Of the system of Macadam, and its
value has been established by universal eX-
perienCe.
Mr.. Macadam also maintained that no
greater convexity should be given to the
surface Of the road, in transverse sections,
than was sufficient TO cause rain water to
run readily into the side channels. The
surface of the road was kept even and clean
by thu addition of proper fresh materials
when necessary, distributed equally in thin
layers Immediately after a rain, in order
that the new materials might bind and in
corporate properly with the old Macad-
ans system of construction consists in
simply laying a stratnm OF tiints, or other
hard materials, 10 or / inches thick, broken
equally in small pieces about Inches IN
diameter, and spread equally over the in.
tended road surface The broken "metal' -
becomes consolidated by carriages passing
over it, without any specially OF professions
al training, except the faculty of acute OBJ
servation. Macadam affected great i'm
prOvement of the surface of the road i'm
mediately under his charge; and 10y his
| business like and extended views on road
administration he established for himself
world wide reputation. He prOfessed to
be a road maker only, and devoted his
whole time and attention to the propagi on
or his system. He found the Bristol dis
| trict loaded with two or three feet OF mater.
ials, of large and irregular size which had
| for years heeu accum ulated on the surface.
The heaps were utilized as quarries of stone
partially broken on the spot; the stones he
excavated, separated from the mud, and re
duced by breakage to uniform size, six
ounces in weight. After having been so
broker the stones were re laid, and were
carefully and regularly raked and levelled
during the process OF consolidation In this
way with the addition of effective drainage
where necessary, he was enabled to make a
good surface on roads which were pre-
viously almost impossible. As nearly every
road had more metal upon it than was nee
essary, he, and the surveyors appointed by
him, established economy in the construct
ion and maintenance, as well as in the ad-
ministration of the finances, and hissystem
became generally adopted.