The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1889-01-10

while all farm and garden products are at
an eztravagant price in the stores, the
local farmers and market gardeners can
not always get sale for their produce. The
money that should circulate locally to the
advantage of the general community ia
RENTED to benefit the citizens of other
states. Thus, the interests of both the
urban and rural population of the county
are seriously affected by the want of
means of communication between town
and country. In fine, il is lamentable
state of governmental administration
when days rain paralyzes the iuternal
trade of state and obliges the citizens
of an agricultural country to depend for
their food supplies to Importation from
other states. But, even under the most adj
vantageous conditions of the the weather,
the farmer is still seriously injured by the
rough crude state of the country roads,
badly aligned, badly graded, and full of
holes and ruts. Thus, in bad weather the
farmer is virtually out off from town, and
in good weather, from the faulty construc-
ton and ill-kept condition of the roads,
the value of his time and team are reduced
one-half, as on hard, smooth surface his
team will draw q greater load In less time
than on the ordinary i'll constructed couu-
try road. Moreover, not only is the power
of his team decreased, but there is also
the great loss by wear and tear on his
harness and wagon, due to plunging and
jerking through holes and ruts.
Again, there is, as a rule, no well devised
plan or order in the administration of the
road fund and the construction and
maintenance of the country roads. By
fits and starts, without system or method,
attempts are made at repairs and i'm
provements, and the money is then
lavshly and unintelligently expended
The work is entrusted to an amateur,
or theorist, who has as much
practical knowledge of roadmaking as he
has of any thing else of which he is ignor-
ant, and, more frequently than not, few
months after such Expenditure the state oil
that improved road resembles the state ni
the relapsed sinner. These remarks ap'
ply generally to road management
throughout the state.
1t should be more generally known that
there is as much science required in road
making as in any other engineering work
The most perfect system of road-makipg
in the world, perfectnot only in the excel
! lent condition of the roads, but also in the
| economy of their construction, is that or
which, with other engineering works,
was engaged during my sixteen years ser
vice under the government of British In
dia. The making of cheap and efficient
roads is as familiar to me as blowing tC
an old farmer. / have during my sixteeI
! years. service either constructed or kept II
repair, taking one year with another, over
I 900 miles of macadamized roads. The
system and method in vogue there is thu
result of the experience of nearly lOC
| years; and as there has been of late 81
many amateur and theoretical Suggestion
regarding the construction of roads l will
as briefly as possible, describe the cheaI
and efficient method of road-mak1ng il
India, which is equally applicable Il
Texas, as there is as much variety of sol
in the former country as in the latter
Having determined the points or place
: to be connected by road, the countr,
along the proposed route is reconnoitre
and the road then aligned. Great discern
meut is necessary in this alignment, 80 a
to combine directness of route with tn
avoidance of swamps, steep hills, etc. y
where these have to be crossed to do so u
advantageously as circumstances will pei
nit, to secure firm road bed and cas-
gradients. There is not much to be sal
on this head with reference to the Texa
county roads. Unfortunately these wer
not aligned in the manner L have de
scribed, and while, for obvious reasons,
would be hardly practicable to re-align a.
the country roads, stillgreat improvement
might be effected by slight devie
ton here Ind there to shorten a line
avoid a bad crossing of creek, stee
hill, swamp or a stretch Of deep sand
soil
The alignment being made, the frs
requisite of good road is efficient drain
age. Drainage does not consist in dig
giug bitches four to six feet deep along
road. A scientific scratch in the prope
place may be more effectual than 4 ditto
four feet deep run by the eye of an anna
teur road-maker. | will again repeat, tina
the first and absolutely necessary require
ment of good road is efficient drainage
The road must not be allowed to get soc
dened with water. Fortunately, drainag
coats but little when devised by a comps
tent engineer. AS rule, proper drainag
can be effected by trenches, the cart
from which would just suffice to raise tn
road-bed from six inches to foot.
The land taken up for county roa
should not be less than sixty feet /
width, to allow for drainage trenches, etc
and the width of the made roadway shout
be rs feet, raised not less than 6 inche
above the ground. This 26 feet should b
made up as follows: Eighteen feet @
hard central surface, metaled wit
broken stone or gravel, with feet of a.
unm etalled Irthen bernie on each side @
the hard mecadamized central surface
The side slopes of embarked roads to b'
as a general rule, ~ feet horizontal to
foot vertical. In cuttings the slopes to b
according to the tenacity or hardness c
the material cut through, varying froI
"a to in ordinary soil, to elmost pei
pendicular in rock.
The width of roadway given above-l
feet and feet side berm-is wide enoug
for all practicable purposes. More tina
this is mere waste of money. A roac
way of greater width may be necessary i
Bourbon county, KY, but no
in sober, mperance-loviDg Texa
1t would be better to expend tn
extra money in keeping tine widt
1 mention in good repair than wasting
on an unnecessary width of twenty five c
more feet write from the experience G
the commerce of country having poI
ulation to the square mile sixteen time
4 L