The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1889-12-05
Tie Making Of Roads.


article entitled "WhatI I Know About
Roads" He says some of the vilest roads
he has ever ridden on are in England.
This will be news to many people who
have looked on EDglish roads, especially
in comparison with the highways of
America, as being we'll nigh perfect. He
says there is not a 100.mile stretch OF
road in England that is in good condi.
ton, and not q foot of it anywhere that
is as we'll kept as it ought to be.
Whether this is true or not, there is
no question OF the fact that America can
double discount England or any other
country in vile roads. The American
method of road-making is singularly
well adapted to the production of the
poorest possible kind of road. In most
counties of the United States a road tax
is levied, but the farmer or other person
taxed has the option of working out his
road tax, 80 much being allowed for q
man, and go much for team Of borses,
each day. AS II general thing in the
rural districts labor is more plentiful
than money, and so the making Of roads
is left entirely in the hands of the farmers
along the road, and even when money is
collected that money is expended by
having more of the same kind of labor,
and none of this labor is ever under The
direction of anybody who knows the least
thing about road. making.
In Canada this state of things is as bad.
The tax ia reversed there-that is, q
certain amount of days of statute labor is
put against each person, and the person
has the option of paying in cash 81 for
each. days work, if the person does not
desire to do the working himsnlf or hire
it done. The roads are under the charge
of a path. who is appointed an.
nualiy and has charge ofa certain district.
The path. master knows nothing whatever
of the theory or practice of making roads,
and never has an instance been known
where be epdeayored to learn anything
about it. The working out of statute
labor is looked on both in Canada and in
the United States as a grand holiday,
where neighbors unite and work just as
little as they possibly can, loa6ng q great
deal of the time under shade trees and
swopping yarns and gossip. What work
is done is the digging of useless bitches
that lead nowhere and the piing Of the
ditch in the center ofroad where it makes,
when the full rains come, one great
heap of unfathomable mud. This goes
on year after year, and the consequence
is that the roads in the rural districts of
America and Canada are tho worst that
could possibly be made. ,
As the adage says: "fhey DO these
things better in France" and MI. Pen
nell tells US how it ia done in France;
Every mile or two along the French road
YOU will find man breaking stone into
pieces about two and balfinches square
These piles of broken stones are arrang.
ed symmetrical!y with q roof on each
pile. These men work at stonebreaking
in spring, in summer and autumn, and
all the while other men are sweeping The
road with great long brooms and piling
up The dust for future use or for sale. A
loose stone or lump of dirt on French
road is absolutely unknown. In October
these broken stones are laid evenly on
the road and the interstices are filled up
with smaller debris from the pile and
then clay or chalky earth is spread over
it. The whole is thoroughly saturated
by water thrown from the hose of an
engine, which runs the steam roller, and
up and down over this mass the heavy
steam roller passes, pressing it into the
most perfect road bed that is known.
The roadway in France is swide enough
for two or three teams to pass. There
are rarely any fences by the French
farmers. but on each side Of the road is
small dyke built up to prevent the water
from running from the farms onto the
roads. Near the dyke is q deep ditch
and between that and the road is grass
plot that is kept in perfect order. Every
loo feet or so there is trench cut in the
grass plot that allows the water to run to
the road into the deep trench and SO the
roads are kept perfectly drained. All
the distances are marked off by stones
about two and half feet high. On one
side of the stone you see tue name OF the
next important town, with its distance
in kilometers and on the other side the
name of the important town you nave
left. On the face you read grand route
No. so.ard so, and below the name Of
the great city from which it starts, and
great city to which it goes, and the dis
lance to each by road. Every hundred
meters you will see white stone with
the number inseril q on it.
Ifevery county in America were to
appoint an efficient road engineer who
knew something about the theory and
practice OF road making, and the whole
statute labor or road tax labor were IN
telligently employed, even u, under i ,tae the
present system, something might be done
to make the roads of America other than
E. reproach to the country. 1t is an I'M
portant question and has much to 40
with the welfare Of every community.
Nothing is more necessary than perfect
roads lbrnnghou! the country and ! Mr,
l'enneIl's article has called attention 10
the reckless system which is in vogue IN
America in building roads, it will 40