St. Landry democrat., 1886-07-03
WESTERN ROADS.
Necessity of Educating Men to Take Charge
of Common HIGHWAYS.


rldes for pleasure through the farming
districts except at certain seasons of
the year. During the summer and the
early part Of the fall horses delight to
trot over the surface of the praires,
and the wheels of any sort of a vehicle
move very easily. In fact, there is no
better road-bed than that formed by
dry and hard prairie soil. 1t does not
tire the feet of horses like a road COW
ered win pavement. crushed stone or
gravel: 1t yields just enough to allow
the ANIMALS to secure a good foothoId
ana not enough to interfere with their
!ree actlon. 1t presents hardly any
impeachment to moving wheels. /: oc-
caslons no jolts to persons who ride in
carriages. In its best cOn9it-un +
leaves scarcely any thing to be !,,fyrG
But 1t IS IN good condition only i few
months IN the year, and during this
period farmers are generally too busy
with their crops to allow them to ri .e
Tor pleasure Or to do teaming When
| shelr crops are harvested the soil is
! saturated with water or the uneven
surface is frozen solid. When in either
! condition it is almost impossible to
drive over it. From November till
May, period embracing the months
that farmers are obliged to do most of
their teaming in. the roads are in 10
condition to be used. Water accumu-
lates in all the low places. and al
though there may be bridges over the
streams the approaches to them are
generally submerged or so soft as to be
dangerous for teams. A team that will
pull a ton over a good road without
showing any signs of fatigue become
tired after drawing an empty wagon q
lew hours over one of these apol0ries
for road.
Every year the attention of the pub
he IS called to the miserable condition
OF the roads. The papers discuss the
matter at great length. State and
county conventions are called in the
interest OF good roads. At these gath
erIngs resolutions are passed and much
legislation recommended The pro-
prietors Of tile factories the owners of
deposits of gravel and the patentees of
road-making machinery all present
their plans for making and keeping up
good roads. If resolutions, legislation,
speeches and appeals to the public
would insure good roads the facilities
for travel would be most excellent in
all parts of the West. All these
agencies, however, appear to exert
very little influence on the condition
OF the public thoroughfares. Most of
the plans suggested for making roads
IN the country are too costly to be put
in practice. They require the expend-
lture OF sum of money that can not
be raised by farmers, MANY of whom
are heavily in debt, and nearly all of
whom are DESTROYS of improving their
places, erecting new buildings, buying
new stock and purchasing implements
necessary to work the soil and harvest
crops. A tax that would put all the
roads IN new country in good condi-
ton would result in the ruin of most
of the farmers
Roads are poor in most parts of the
W est, not because little money is
raised to improve them. but because it
Is lnJudlciousiy expended. Much labor
IS spent ON roads to very poor advan-
[age. The men who know how to
make good bridges and culverts for
earth roads, or to grade the roads, are
somewhat scarce in every county, and
hey are seldom selected to superin-
END these operations. A man is gem
rally chosen commissioner of high.
ways, Or district road surveyor, be-
'ause he is member in good standing
some political party, or is known
IS ''clever fellow He would not
re employed to make plans for .
nan who wished to construct private
Dads or to superintend workmen en-
aged in making them. He is gener-
lily free to acknowledge that he does
ot understand the art Of planning and
onstructlng roads, bridges and cul-
erts; that he has given very little at
ention to these matters and that he
as no taste for them. 1t is likely that
mere are more men in this country
Tho understand the construction OF
allroads than of common earth roads.
here are ten books on the subject of
abroad construction to one on the
taking of dirt roads.
When the directors of a great cor
Grafton wish to construct a railroad
ley employ competent engineer to
Ian and direct all the work. He, with
lie aid of suitable assistants and spe-
al experts, prepares plans and speci-
cations and lets the work to contract
IS. The road is kept in suitable re-
air by the direction of trained experts.
hese roads are constructed and kept
good condition by the expenditure
the smallest amount of money posi-
e under the circumstances. The
tracks, bridges and culverts
9 constantly watched and are re-
ured as soon as they are out of good :
ndltlon IN any way. 1t is not likely
at we shall ever have GOOD waoor