The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1890-10-04
The Making of Roads.
France Leads in Excellence English
Bad and American Worse.


i Know About Roads," He says
some the vilest roads he has ever
ridden on are in England. This
will be news to many people who
have looked on English roads
especially in comparison with the
highways of America, as being
well nigh perfect. He says there
is not a 100 mile stretch of road.
way in England that is in good
condition, and not a foot of it any
where that is as we'll kept as ii
ought to be.
Whether this is true or not there
is no question that America can
double discount England or any
other country in vile roads. The
American method of roadmaking
is singulalarly well adapted to the
production of the poorest possible
kind of road. In most counties of
the United States road tax is
levied, but the farmer or other
person taxed has the option Of
working out his road tax, so much
being allowed for a man and so
much for team of horses each
day. AS a general thing in the
rural districts labor is more plenti-
full than money and so the MAX
ing of roads is left entirely in the
hands Of the farmers along the
road, and even when money is COL
lected that money is expended by
hiring more of the same kind of
labor, and none of this labor is ever
under the direction ofanybody who
knows the least thing about road
making.
In Canada the state of things is
as bad. The tax is reversed there
that is, certain amount of
statute days of 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 work himself
or hire it done. The roads are
under the charge of u pathmaster
who is appointed annually, and who
has charge of a certain district.
The pathmaster knows nothing
whatever of the practice or theory
of making roads, and never has an
instance been known where he
endeavored to learn anything
about it.
The working out of statute labor
is looked upon both in Canada and
the Unithe States as a grand holi-
day, when neighbors unite and |
work just as little as they possibly |
can, loafing a great deal of the
time under shade trees and swap
ping yarns and gossip. What work
is done is the digging of useless
bitches that lead nowhere, and the |
piling of dirt in the center of the
road, where it makes, when the
fall rains come, one great heap of
mud. This goes on
year after year, and the consequ-
ence is that the roads in the rural
of Canada and the United
States are the worst that could
possibly be made.
AS the adage says: "They do
these things better in France.n
And Mr.. Pennell tells us how it is
done in France. Every mile or
two along the French roads you
will find a man breaking stone into
pieces about two and a half inches
square. These piles of broken
stones are arranged symmetrically
with a roof on each pile. These
men work at stone breaking ir
spring, summer and autumn, and
all the while other men are sweep
ing the road with great long
orooms and piling up the dust for
future use or sale. A loose stone
Or lump:of dirt on a French road
Is absolutely unknow. In October
'hese broken stones are laid evenly
On the road, and the interstices are
illed up with smaller debris from
he pile, and then clay or chalky
Earth Is spread oyer it. The whole
s thoroughly saturated with water
brown from the hose of an engine 4
which runs the steam roller and up
Ind down over this mass the heavy
team roller passes, pressing it into
he most perfect roadbed that is
lnown.
The roadway in France Is wide
'nOug for two or three teams to
'ass. There are rarely any fences
" the French farms, but on each
ide of the road is a small dixie {
'uilt up to prevent the water from
unning from the farms on to the |
Dads. Near the dixie is deep
itch, and between that and the {
Dad n grass plot Is kept in perfect /,
n