Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-01-21
KEYSTONE MUDWAYS
Local Engineers on Improve
ments Badly Needed.
THE WAY TO MEND THEM
What Good Roads Mean From a Dol
lar and Cents Standpoint.
AN IRON TRACK FOR THE WHEELS.

A committee, consisting Of T. P. Roberts
T. H johnson, A. DempSter, C. Davis and
A. Kirk, was appointed last February tc
examine and report upon proposed laws to
be acted upon by the Pennsylvania Legisla.
ture affecting the highways of the State,
reported draft of bill on March 19, which
was read before the Engineers Society OF
Western Pennsylvania, but, as stated by
Secretary S. NJ. Wickersham, was not
printed in time to reach the Legislature.
No one who has had occasion to use the
country roads this winter in almost any sec
tion of the State will find fault with the
conclusions arrived at by that committee.
AS the committee said, it is interesting not
only to civil engineers but to all classes of
citizens, not excepting spirits in prison.
The committee finds that most of the
counties of Pennsylvania have come to a
complete standstill, so far as increase in pop
uIation and value of natural products are
concerned. In 1880 the percentage of forest
to total ares was 243, and of the remaining
rs per cent,nearly one-hsli is waste land
In New York, New Jersey and Maryland
the condition was still worse, New Jersey
being almost half forest. This fact is not so
much to be deplored, as the committee seems
to think. There is enough cleared land, but
it is not half cultivated, but this cOnSidera-
tion does not initiate against the stand
taken BY the engineers that the roads should
be improved.
POOR ROADS TO MARKET.
The committee is right when it states that
II.
compete with those OF Minnesota and Da-
kota is partly at least based on an error.
Notwithstanding the abuses of railway ad-
ministration, the main trouble is that the
Pennsylvania farmers means of reaching
the markets are inefficient. The loss of
horse power in transporting farm products
ten miles depreciates the value OF land IS
per cent, and detraets that much from the
comfort OF the farmer and the education of
his children. Good roads and good horses
would keep farmers boys at home, and they
would not 60 braking on railways, driving
street cars, etc. They cannot be expected to
STAY at home in a district where the roads are
so bad that gallant runs the risk for sew
eral months in the year of being mired if he
attempt to 60 to see his girl. The salient
points of the law the committee recommend
ed Tor enaction are:
First, Location. Where good grade can be
obtained they should be Straight, no mat
ter if farmers do kick. Going around farms to
placate owners is a tax waste of time and horse
power. amounting to many thousands of miles
in the 80 900 miles of roads in this State, and
the farmer favored pays the tax by paying tolls
to others similarly favored. These kinks
should be removed, and cost of maintenance
time and horsepower could be reduced to an
extent thar measured in dollars would in a
very few years pay the State deby. Many steep
,4n1Es@
nothing OF the humanity that should rule in the
treatment OF horses, the farmer should regard
s pound of oats or hay In the development of
heat, units which may be displayed in energy,
that is, power, lust as the locomotive engineer
regards pound of coal in the eYapOra EiOn OF
water in the creation Of steam. Low grades
mean saving Of steam, and hence an economy
IN the use OF coal, and so with the horse,
more perfect machine than any engine man
can possibly construct, and therefore more
liable to injury when Overtaxed.
CONSTRUCTING ROADS.
The second point to which legislation is re-
quested is the construction of roads, The
committee urges the improvements of the
main roads first by draining graveling or
macadaI. z:ng, the worst parts to be improved
first, and boroughs and cities taxed with town
ships for the improvement often as a poor
township cannot stand the expense. The cities
and boroughs would be reimbursed by getting
food cheaper. Hence, county instead of town
ship supervision is recommended for the main
roads. The cross roads might be left for time
to township supervision, the committee having
faith that when the ruralists test the advant-
ages of good main roads they will soon see to
1t that the cross roads are also made good,
The third point is the maintenance of roads
after completion. The committee is convinced
that the maintenance of macadamized roads
would be less than the annual expenditure at
present, which does not repair. But this the
committee observes, is a narrow view, as the
object of road improvement, is to get good
roads and not to keep down taxes. but i'm
pToYement brings with 1t new sources of reve-
nue., which more than compensate for the in
crease in taxation.
TIE difference in cost OF hauling over good
roads and over bad or Indifferent ones which
tile public encounters continuously without
fully appreciating its magnitude, as given from
MOrin's experiments, shows that grade of
6o, SS5 per hundred, the load that grade
would be, for one horse, l,l50 for street pave
ment in good condition. lO90 for macadam and
but zoo pounds for clay roads.
HORSE STRENGTH LOST.
As the steepness of grade increases the eff
cheney of both horse and road surface dimin-
ishes; that is to say, the more the horse's en-
ergy is expended in overco ming gravity. the
less remains to overcome surface resistance
For average conditions of each class of road.
the loads hauled are in the following proper.
tions taking that Of the clay road as one:
Macadam. Pavement
On level. LAG
On 5 per cent grade. eco
On ten per cent grade. lib I5S
On legal grade 5O.........L56 l.64
In 1879 total farm products of PENNSYLVANIA,
omlttlng orchard and garden products
amounted to 6,5O0000 tons, of which 325OOO0
tons were sent TO markets, an average haul of
not less than i've miles. The cost between
hauling on clay amt on macadamized roads was |
81 81 500 an excess sufficient to keen 80 600
miles of macadam in repair at an annual ex-
asnFCg ErNaw ia
loss for man and two horses on clay roads as |
against macadam OF S3l 600 days labor The
loss on other tonnage is estimated to swell the |
amount to the community at large to $4OOO.0OO |
a year
Andrew Carnegie's description of English
roads is quoted as also the estimate of W. h |
Wheeler in the Sanitary Engineer showing |
the saving to England by reason of the excel. |
iency OF their roads alone to be Sl0O0OOOOO an |
nualy, This estimate not being based on a |
comparison OF clay with macadamized roads, |
but between well kept and neglected turnplkes
three horses on the former being rated equal |
60 four on the latter. Making the comparison |
between turnpikes and clay roads the saving |
would be S50, 100000 year.
FRANCES BIG SAVING.
In 1885 France had IS, 600 miles of bad roads.
and the commerce of the country hauled over |
these roads cost $50, 600 600 a year, 10000 a
year Of which is now saved, the roads having |
been put IN good condition. 1t is doubtless |
largely owing to the good condition of these |
roads that France was able to pay to Germany |
ten millions without bankruptcy
Good roads also enable the farmer to market |
crops to better advantage. While the roads /
are GOOD the markets are glutted, and when |
prices go up the granger may sit at home and |
CrowI at the result of his assininity. 1t is esti-
mated that Pennsylvania farmers lose 81 $50 900 |
a year in the price of hay alone on account of |
bad roads. The aggregate of loss
from this, the market prices alone is over
S6,GO0000 year.
Good roads enhance the value of land rs to
81 per cent. Ohio has tested it in many sec
: m /