The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1888-11-10

Abstract OF address by G. Morrow,
University of Illinois, before convention Of
highway commissioners at Springfield, Ill. ]
Road improvement Is one Of the great
problems before the people of Illinois, The
condition of Its roads Is, In good degree, a
measure of the wealth, prosperity and civil
lization of nation. 1t Is not enough to
have a network of railroads, nor to have
few OF many great thoroughfares even II
put and kept In the best possible condition
Good roads In every neighborhOod are es'
sential not only 70 the economical transpOr.
tation of produce but also 70 the best devel-
opment of the people, socially, Intellectual
ly and religiously.
More ana more railroads will carry our
people and their goods. The stone and
gravel TO be found In some sections Of the
state will make It easily possible TO have
many good MacAdsmized roads, even
where the material must be transported
considerable distances. For years some
have thoue hit 1t would yet be found practlc-
able 70 make good roads by the use OF
many years there will be many thousands
tunately when In good condition these dirt
II Is also fortunate that work done In max
ing or keeping them 10 repair will not have
been wasted If II be found practicable to
MacAdamize them. With the rarest excep-
tions an earth foundation Is the basis Of all
roads. The stone or gravel applied is
chiefly to protect 1t and keep II IN good
condition.
A perfect road is straight, level, smooth
ana hard. We cannot always secure these
points, out should do 80 as nearly as prac-
ticable. The firmly fixed custom In the
west of having public roads follow the lines
of the government land surveys, leaves not
much 10 complain Of In the matter of
strai ghtness, and on our prairies there Is
com paratively little trouble In the matter
of levelness In dry weather there need
not be any trouble In having any properly
made earth road smooth and hard. surplus
water causes nineteenth Of the complaints
against our roads. We need to be rid OF
mud 81 far as is possible.
No plan has yet been devised by which
earth roads can be kept in thoroughly good
condition If much used during wet wealth
or. They can be kept In fair condition
even during moderately wet weather, II
adequate provision be made for promptly
removing the surplus water. To most
effectively do this Is the great object Of
work in making and repairing dirt roads on
the prairies. Chiefly to secure this the roads
bed is raised above the general level, its
surface Is crowned" bitches are made at
the sides and tiles are laid; frequently the
most important point of all, because they
effectively prevent trouble from stagnant
water. Doing these things In the best way
and then frequently smoothing the surface
ID preserving Its slope Is about all the
wisest of us can do In securing good earth
roads-aside from building and caring for
bridges and culverts, and reducing the
grade where this is exceptionally great.
Sometimes 1t Is good economy 10 vary
the rule requiring roads to be kept on sec
ton lines. The public can easily afford to
pay the extra cost of the right of way along
ridge or high, dry land, rather than fol-
low the government survey line through q
swamp or ponds not easily drained. The
common sense rule In billy regions, that 1t
Is often better to 60 aronnd than over q
hill, may sometimes be equally applicable
where there is pond or bit of swamp land.
Like week link in a chain, one bad
place" In the road largely affects its useful
ness, even though there be miles of good
road on either side of this.
Grading the road bed 80 that the surface
shall be higher than that of the land on
either side is important, but this alone Is not
sufficient; Oftentimes not so important ne
having good bitches, kept we'll opened and
with tree outlets. The practice of raising
Il high grade when there are depressions In
the roadway and leaving pond Of stagnant
water at one or both sides of the road or of
being content with making bitches at the
sides, without seeing to 1t that the water
can flow from these Is most Objectionable
In recent tests at the university we have
found that dry soil will take up from 39 to
40 per cent of its weight of water by capi'
larry attraction. Where there is standing
water at the sides of the road or where the
soil Is saturated II will draw much water
even TO the height of three feet The rail-
way engineer Ii possible, prevents any
water standing within three feet of the
surface even through the cars move on the
rails held In place by heavy ties, often bal
lasted with stone or gravel. Much more
does the standing water at sides OF the
wagon road do harm. For roads with little
travel 1t may be better not TO raise the road
bed at all, If bitches and Culverts be pro-
vided. than to throw up a narrow passage
way without provision for drainage.
A comparatively narrow raised roadway
is better than one Of greater width rs the
surface drainage will be better; but very
narrow bed with much "crOwn" or slope 10
the sides is almost always Objectionable,
not giving any choice In travel, thus causing
deeper ruts. When used while the surface
IL wet the wheels and horses feet will GER
tainly make ruts AMI holes, and In most
soils these are so puddled as 10 be imper-
vious TO water, so that extra slope to the
sides is of little importance. If 1t were
practicable to prevent the roads being used
during or soon after rains, the surface of
we'll drained roads would soon become dry
and hard As this cannot be done, we must
rely ON securing az e Cd drainage as is
possible, and on promptly filling the ruts
and holes made during the wet weather.
When the land Is wet, lines of tile laid
at the tides of the road, inside the open
bitches, will be very great help In carry
ing off water, which would otherwise have
to be removed much more slowly, and
largely by aporation--always provided
the work Is we'll done, and there he good
outlet for these drains. Tile drainage will
not give us ideal reads In wet weather, but
Ii may do more TO improve the roads In
many sections of the state than any other
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