Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-06-07
TOO LITTLE SPACE
Allowed for Road-Bed on the
Country Highways of
This State.
REPAIRS HARD TO MAKE,
The Narrow Track Being Speedily
Worn and Cut to Pieces.
A FALSE SYSTEM OF ECONOMY
Which it is Proposed to Remedy by Legis-
latiYe Enactment.
FARMERS VIEWS ON THE TAX QUESTION

FARMERS VIEWS ON THE TAX QUESTION
The country roads in Western Pennsylva-
MIA are too narrow as a general thing. A
few counties would allow no roads to be
made within their boundaries originally of
less than 40 feet in width, Crawford county
for example. But 80 feet seems to be about
the average width in the counties surround
ing Pittsburg. 1t is next to impossible to
keep a narrow road in good condition.
Traffic is all restricted to one track, and that
keeps it cut up. Nor is there the opportu-
nIty for repairing that there would be on a
wide highway. And on these narrow high
ways at various points through Washing
ton, Allegheny and Butler counties the re-
cent road expedition sent out by The Dis
PATCH found pipe lines for either oil or
gas.
The pipes were laid along the cutters, thus
shutting off tine only drain the poorly kept
up thoroughfares possessed. The water had
no escape and no wonder in rainy seasons
deep mud ppddles.
STATELY OLD AVENUES.
The old-time turnpikes in Western Penn
sylvania are all wide, and have a stately ap-
pearance about them for that reason. The
Philadelphia and Pittsburg pike at no place
is less than 40 feet in width. The State
road, which passes from Ohio to New York,
through Crawford and Warren counties in
Pennsylvania, Is 60 feet wide and much of
it shaded with trees set out
at regular intervals. The national
road, built by the United States, and pass
ing through Somerset, Fayette and Wash
ington counties of this State, is so feet wide,
but with macadam road covering only the
middle, 80 feet. The pike from Bellefonte
to Waterford, through Clearfeld, Clarion,
Venango. Crawford and Erie counties, con-
Meeting Eastern Pennsylvania with Lake
Erie, was 40 feet wide. The width of all
these roads has had much to do with their
easy preservation.
In France four classes of roads are pre-
scribed as follows: First &c feet wide, of
which % feet in the middle are paved or
stoned. Second, 50 feet wide, of which 20
feet are stoned. Third, 80 feet wide, of
which 16 feet in the middle are stoned, and
fourth, a width of 26 feet, of which 16 feet
in the middle are stoned. Telford's Holy
head road, which runs through hilly
country, is 80 feet wide between the fences
on fat ground, % feet on side cuttings not
exceeding ieet deep, and % ieet along
steep and precipitous ground. The Roman
military roads were narrow, being only u
feet wide on the straight portions and 16
Ieet upon curves.
A WISE MOVE.
Several months ago the Western Pennsyl-
Tanis Engineers Society adopted the form
,f lavr- e,,lt 20 he
Legislature. 1t contains this wise clause:
Section l3-The width of all highways shall
not be less than so feet and of roads not less
than 40 feet: provided, however, that all exist
ing roads and highways which have been estab-
lished of greater widths than herein provided
which have been constructed by Incorporated
companies, and have passed to public control
by lapse or surrender of charter, shall be main
tanned at the widths SO first established.
Wide roads are sometimes finished with
stone road-coyering in the middle only, OF
just sufficient width for the vehicles to pass
each other upon it, while the sides are
maintained as dirt roads, Tor light and fast
travel during the season when the soil is
comparatively dry and firm. The objection
to this method is. that during the wet season
the road covering is injured by the large
quantity of mud conveyed to it from the
sides. Opinions differ as to whether that
portion Of the carriage way 10 be furnished
and maintained as a dirt road, should be at
the sides or in the middle. Heavy loads are
apt to seek the sides, in order that the
driver may walk upon the foot path, which
faVors stoning the wings rather the middle.
ABOUT ROAD MACHINES.
1t is a significant sign of the times that
farmers are turning their attention to road
hu n mn In hnr foy
present use upon dirt roads, township
authorities lose sight of perhaps one of the
most valuable results. These machines are
a comparatively new thing. 1t is reason
able to think that if constantly used for five,
six or seven years they will give permanent
shape 10 the dirt roads. This should be un-
derstood bv the reader t. mean that after a
machine is run over a highway the road is
higher in the middle and tapers out to either
side, leaving well-drained roadbed from
which the water drains into the cutters,
which are perfectly formed.
Be ore making a macadamized road, this
grading would have to be done anyway.
Therefore, If it is done by the road building
year after year, for six or seven
when the time arrives to macad-
amize the roadway this part of
the work will be found to be al
ready solidly done. Where it was done
by hand and plow, carelessly heretofore,
it could not be packed down solidly. There
fore, every winter would plow up the
road as usual, but with the machine there
we're both uniformity and solidity,
THE WORK LASTING LONGER.
Machines used from spring to spring will
in the course of time, make a we'll
graded roadbed considerably down beneath
the surface, and therefore have it eventu-
ally prepared for the macadam. About
half the counties of Western Pennsylvania
now have these road building machines. In
the counties where they have not yet been
bought township authorities should regard
the matter as important. Only a small
levy of money tax is required to pay for
them, and with one a farmer can work out
bis taxes far quicker and with fewer men
than he could by scoop and pillow.
Usually, where you find people opposed
10 macadamlzing road ways, they will say
that II costs so much to break the stone. 1t
is strange that but few farmers have thought
of any other method of breaking stone ex-
,ept by the hand. They will figure out. and
rather truthfully, too. that to hire men to
do this work can only be done on wages of a
81 90 per day, which would make the stone
cost about 60 cents per perch. Now, il a
'oWnshlp bought stone crusber. having |
or it about $500 to s., 900, it would break |
rom 90 to 100 perches of stone per dav,
squal to 10 to Is cents per perch. An au-
hOrity on road building, Prof. Shayler. es-
imates that good roads can be construeted
With crusher to cost not more than So 600
,er mile. found no county in western
where a crusher is in use.
DIFFERENT KINDS OF STONE.
It is the opinion of many farmers that the
,tate Commission should have a thorough