River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1888-03-22
F. A. BRACKET.
Real Estate B Loans.
Improved and unimproved city and
farm property for sale or exchange.
Houses TO rent.


EDITOR Journal: was glad that the
question of lettering our roads was
brought up at the Farmers Institute,
although there seemed to be no one
really prepared to discuss it. i did
not know that the question was on
the program until it was announced
for discussion, although that made no
difference to me as | could not have
discussed it before an audience-I am
not built that way.
have thought for some time that
We ought to do something to better
cur winter roads, aud with your per-
mission will chance few lines on
that subject, hoping to draw out sug-
gestions and problems that will enable
us to have better roads, especially in
the winter.
1t has been the custom, heretofore,
for the overseers to expend all the tax
on the roads in summer, leaving moth
ing to work the roads in the winter;
and as the overseers are usually nOti-
fed not to allow for orer work, they
have no right to call out any one to
work the roads in the winter, no mat
ter how bao they may be.
believe that there is enough honest
labor put on the roads TO make them
excellent in summer, If we only had
the right kind of material to work
with, but as our soil is black loan
it very easily washes and gullies with
our fall and spring freshets.
If we had access to plenty of stone
and gravel we could soon put our roads
in such excellent condition that we
could retain the most of our tax for
winter work, if we don't use anything
better than the shovel, or. possibly,
the device of the roller spoken of at
| our Institute, which think an absurd
| and cartoon device for making roads
over our snow-drifts. While roller
would run level for short distance
at other places il would want to stand
on end, and at others to side-track
against some wire fence.
So,ne one spoke of pinerymen using
the roller in the pineries for rolling
their roads. Now, if there is any place
that roller would work on snow, it
would be in the woods where the snow
is level; but | venture to say that
where one lumberman rolls his road,
there are fire hundred that shOUeL and
scrdpe their roads close to the ground,
and some of then even dig ruts before
the snow falls for their sled-runners
to run in, which they aim to keep
only partly filled with snow and ice.
| This gives them solid foundation TO
haul heavy loads over, with no danger
of cutting-off.
A good scraper, such as they use in
the pineries, made of 6x8 inch timber
and solid hard wood plank with steel
plates ON the bottom, and heavy
enough for four horses. would cost not
far from SIS. My plan would be for
each district. or even two districts to
join together and get up good scrapers.
save at least oue-third of the tax for
winter work and Keep the road scraped
out from the start, with occasional
turnouts. This would give us good
road, and when spring came we would
be on a solid foundation, while the
roller process would leave us perched
up on snow two to eight feet (when
spring camel, with cold chills running
over us from fear of dropping
through.
The question of widening our sleds
is one of great Importance. This alone,
if carried out, would enable us to have
far better roads than we now have.
/ =, GRIFFIN