The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1888-06-16
Road Improvement.

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tain public highways Is u problem that
has veXed mankind since the world began,
though We sie prone to feel that only our.
selves have borne the burden Of road
tax" and suffered the inconvenience of bad
thoroughfares. Traces of prehistoric ma
tions found In both hemispheres show
them 70 have been we'll versed In the sci
ence of road building, and Rome, at the
zenith of her power, expended millions
upon her highways. Though built chiefly
for military purposes, her roads became
the bulwarks of her strength, and the
chief factor In the accum dlation of her
wealth and the upbuilding Of her COM
merce.
Highways throughout the state of ILL
nois are constructed solely for commerce,
and 1t is therefore the duty Of public off
cials 70 make and maintain In thorough re-
pair such roadways as the commercial in
terests of the State demand. How may
this be accomplished AT least costg
A judiCious mixture of sand or coarse
gravel and clay, or clay, prairie soil, and
broken stone where the same can be pro-
cured, will create passably good road AT
all seasons of the year. Of whatever ma
terial constructed, little can be accom-
plished in establishing good road with
out perfect system of drainage. This
principal being early recognized in other
states, much time and thought has been
expended in solving this problem, and en-
periments In this direction have met with
encouraging success.
BY the use of ordinary drain tile placed
at sufficient depth below the surface of the
road TO perfectly drain the subsoil and by
appropriate side ditching, all that need be
desired has been accomplished. Among
many persons who have devoted their al.
tention TO this subject msy be mentioned
MIR. H. W. Thornton, Of Millersburgh,
Mercer county, Illinois, and as result of
some twenty years experience he recon-
mends the following method OF road drain
age:
Lay a line of tile lengthwise along the
centre of the road at depth great enough
to draw the water from below the bot
tom of the open bitches by the
road side If sand is most convenient and
cheaper than gr,vel or broken stone refill
the ditch in which the tile is laid TO II
depth of six inches above the tile with soil
to hold the sand above. with which the
remaining portion of the ditch is to be
filled. Place coating of sand six or
eight inches in depth and six feet In width
over the centre of the roadway, thus
leaving six or eight feet on either side OF
this track for a dry weather road. The
theory is that continued rains would soon
put the central track In use, thereby ia
cilitating drainage of the surface water
into the sand or gravel over the thing, and
thus secure perfect drainage
Other states are far In advance OF our
own in the matter of road Improvements,
The subject was agitated in Iowa as early
as 1883. The attention of the entire state
was attracted and people began to wonder
why they had so long endured the misera-
BILE condition of their country roads. An
association was formed with an avowed
purpose of awakening an interest In the
Improvement of public highways, and to
secure such legislation as would give Il
better system of working the roads"
Within very short time there was a
complete overturning of the old legislation
on the subject. Measures were passed pro
viding for new system of collecting the
poll tax, making the larger portion of II
payable in money, and of requiring addi-
tional security for judicious and fair ex
penditure of labor upon the roads in pay
ment of the residue
A system of classification was adopted
whereby the roads most travelled received
the greatest share of attention. The drain
age was provided for, and at the presen:
time the roads of Iowa are proverbii for
excellence and safety. 1t is estimated that
millions of dollars are annually saved 10
the taxpayers by reason of these improve.
ments and that the value of farm real estate
has more than doubled in consequence.