The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1888-03-08
County Road Making

From time to time this subject is dis.
cussed in the State press, and nearly
every writer has method or theory of
his own. The advantages of good roads.
however, is admitted by all. and most
OF all in those localities where efforts are
made to obtain summer boarders from
the city. We have heard it asserted
that to the excellent country roads Of
Berk hire county is largely due the great
success in this line which has attended
the efforts of he people resident there
to secure city visitors each succeeding
summer. While the roads in Benning-
ton are exceptionally good there are ad-
joining towns where they could be i'm
proved, and this remark is applicable to
outlying districts in our town as well.
The Baptist Examiner prints from one
OF its exchanges short article on this
subject. 1t calls editorial attention to
the two methods of road making, and
then copies as follows:
AFTER spring planting, and usually
before the June rains, the road master
summons all hands in his district to ap-
pear on certain day, to work out the
road tax. A heterogeneous collection of
animals, vehicles, plOughs. scrap RS, old
men and young, boys, cripples, and the
feeble minded. il there be any, for any
thing counts "a day, assemble. and the
play and story telling begin. Two ideas
seem to prevail-tO kill time and fill up
the low places. Flowing is done any
where at the side of the road where
earth can be had most conveniently. in
the bitches or on the banks, without re.
gard to lines or symmetry, scooping out
great holes here and leaving overhang-
ing banks there, making the highway
look rugged indeed. This earth, sods
and all, is dragged into the wagon track.
Result: The June rains make the road
sea of mud interspersed with sod islands
for passing teams to founder through
and wagons to bump over. This is a
sample of country roads, and such one
cOnfronts me every time go to the post
Office, while the district on the other
side of me is famous for having one of
the best roads in town.
in the latter case. as soon as the
ground was dry enough in the spring to
plough, the W water courses were opened
and repaired and the plough put in use.
Where the TOadbed was too wide it was
made narrower; broad, shallow cutters
were ploughed, and ugly looking banks
reduced, due regard being had to the
conformation of the surroundings. Then
after the June rains and when the sod
had rotted, the earth was scraped into
the track in the form of an arch twenty
feet wide from centre to centre of gut.
ter, the fall heing one inch to the foot,
from the centre outward. Once done
this way it is done for all time. On
this road is a steep hill where the track
formerly washed badly, but now there
is no wash and no mud holes or hubs
anywhere or at any time. The usual
road gang can make a quarter Of
mile Of such track in a day, but they
should use five and one half foot plank
scraper with steel edge The team is
backed every time. The building of such
a road is so simple that any body can do
1t. Where roads are not made in this
way it is customary to throw earth wa
ter-baFs diagonally across the track on
steep hills to keep the roadway from
washing; the consequence is that wagon
wheels and sleigh runners do not both
strike the bar at the same time, and il
the team is on tFot the vehicle is liable
to got wrenehed into pieces. II water
bars are constructed at all, they should
be in the form of an ObIuse V, with the
apex up hill then both sides Of the run
ming gear will strike together, and there
10 no lateral wrench"