The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1889-11-22

SJO00 TOHOS WAS dlmObJ Ill tno eAaCJ
ratio of the sizes of stone used. Thus
a road composed of three inch stone
will cost in repair triple that of road
composed of one-inch stone. Then
again there is broad distinction of
saving between a well-knitted, solid,
iron compact of stone end loose bed
And still again the upheaval Of large
base stones adds considerable per.
centage to cost, 80 it seems that a
macadam composed altogether of rub
BILE we'll pressed is the one of all least
costly to maintain. As proof of this
the first macadam road built at Devon,
Chester county, some eight years ago
has not in that time | am told cost
one cent in repair. Is it not then per-
fectly safe to fix the repair of "good
macadam road" at 800 per mile3
BY recent inquisition upon the
part of our county commissioners made
under State direction, l find after de-
Quoting the cost of county bridging,
also that of street repair and construc-
tion, that township roads cost in repair
and constructor say within fraction
of 1900 per township. The average
of mileage is about TWENTY-FIVE miles
per township, making the average cost
for repair and construction of our dirt
roads per mile seventy-two dollars.
Should any township propose to
macadamlze the roads selected would
certainly be those bearing the heaviest
strain Of travel and traffic. Allowing
that the cost in repair of our most
used roads exceed the cost in repair of
roads slightly travelled to an amount
overlapping the cost of local bridging
and township percentage in cost of
new roads not separated from our geh-
eral assessment, we still have seventy
two dollars as the average cost in re-
pair throughout Chester county. De-
Quoting twenty dollars per mile as the
annual cost of repairing macadam
roads, and we have tifty-two dollars
as the average annual cost per mile in
repair of dirt roads throughout Chester
county. Thus the average ten years
saving on mile of road would be
$500.
AN ESTIMATE.
Thus, upon further detail of saving
in time and draft, which means the
saving of money, and in the light of
the average individual saving of farm
owners, l think it would be found that
we would average from our macadam
investment an annual profit of one mill
out of the difference in time and draft
between struggling through bogs and
gliding over solid roads. But in order
to clear my estimate from the imputa-
tion of being wild, let us drop to one
half and conclude upon half a mill
saved per mile annually.
To sum up we charge, say East
Goshen township, Chester county:
| To mile of Macadam, 16 feet
wide, 10 inches thick, 2S45
perches "a S1.00. .S2S45 90
And credit:
BY saving in repair
@S52 per mile an
nually. 10 years s. 500 90
BY ! mill on real es-
tate taxable value
S639,429, saving
in time, draft etc.
10 years. ........S3197 00S3717 90
Leaving unexpended.. 5 872 90
In order that this estimate NAV not
altogether have home application we
will apply it to Lawrence county:
By the report of the Secretary of In
ternal Affairs, 1887, Lawrence includes
seventeen townships with a total real
estate taxable value of $l3,309, 1897.
Deducting the taxable value of New
Castle, Wilmington and Wampum,
leaves as taxable for township roads
S10,0l3,1l1. Deduct for bridging,
Sl3,l11, we have $1O,O00,0OO. Divide
this by seventeen, the number of town.
ships, and we have say 100000 as the
average township assessment. Multi
ply by say two as the average mill rate
and divide by twenty as average mile
age per township and we have $50 as
the average cost per mile for repair of
township roads. Deduct 800 for re,
pair of macadam roads and we have
$40 as saving per mile by substituting
macadam in lieu of DIRT. We charge
the township
| To l mile macadam road, 16
feet wide, 10 inches thick S2845 OO
And credit:
By 10 years saving
in repair a $40
per year, .......S 4OO %
BY mill on $780,
600 valuation saw
ing in time and
draft, 10 years. :. $4,000 00$3400 OF
Leaving surplus equal to. 1856 OC
If these estimates are but an ap
Proclamation, with a liberal allowanc,
at that, the statement of the Philadel
phia daily that good macadam road
/ will pay its cost every ten years with
interest every six months is reliable.
r | have In mind a verifcation o.
Secretary Edges statement in a piec,
of road that cost annually $125 for re
pairs. The piking cost $ll00 thus il
ten years the pike saved fully its cost
HOW CAN WE ESTIMATE.
But then it may be said by som
that this is after all but a matter O
figures and speculation, but we fin,
that farmer in the prospect of new
barn gets the cost of lumber, stone an,
] iron, sits with the builder, figures as t,
size, number of feet of lumber, add
y up and concludes upon the basis O
3 figures that the barn will cost thus an
so. Is this speculation? True, cost
\ may overrun estimates, but notwith
) standing this we still figure as t
r barn and houses, knowing that sue
} calculations cannot go far wrong. Blu
: figuring as 10 barns and houses is ole
. as to roads new, and certain citizen
e who guess that the cost of repair G
r the roads of their respective townsh ?
a is but $50 when it is really forty, cas-
= l.. j.. !. I. ].