The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1890-08-14
BTETER ROADS.
A Vital Question that lntereats Both
Town and County.
The Question tntelligentiy pisou sssd BY
an EEpert'-Pisass Digest the Niger
Head Question,

with tic good aud beautiful rOadain un'
ion county and advises that tile commits
sloners Of Stark county send one OF
their number 10 Union county aud inyee'
tigate the subject Of road making with
crushed limestone, sandstone and mig
gerheadh,
lt ID true that union county has the hest
AMI most lasting country roads OF any
Other county la tho State, Hut The Doe
tpr does NOT need 70 encourage our Stark
county commissioner 10 visit Union
county with a view Of our ever Delng able
10 nnIld such durable 70 ids In Stark
county with gravel as th0sp gravel roads
arn u Union county | have Travelled
oV, A. ihp Largest part of Union county and
have obtaiued reliable information Ia
reaard 10 tho building and material used
In those excellent roads, Union county
has about 800 miles of gravel roads and
about 100 miles Of road with crushed stone
for surface wear, The gravel Ia Union
county IN much anperlor 10 our. gravel ~
Stark county, Their gravel After thheh
out and exposed 70 Tie surface on clay
road beds, appears 10 cement and gelA
very hard 40 rough eemented, There 10
but very little gravel Ia Union county and
only found In spots ht great distances
apart 1 know OF several points IN tho
county where gravel had W DO hauled 4,
d and 4 mlles for road auriholng, The
road beds are formed by digging large
ditehes along buth aidea OF tha roads and
ground soraped 10 tho middle " hleh raiaeh
the TOP Of the road much higher than on
either side. The road iill Ia OF clay loan,
As the surface Of nearly all tho county II
Of clay, and strange, but true, 80 lillle ~
ak Inches OF their gravel placed on topof
those clay roads beds continues 10 last,
-. ..lalAaaN
know OF road built la this way lead
Ing from two miles north ot Maryayllle 70
wual, which waa built and eunsuuvIvd
twelve years ago, and up 70 two years
ago had not received particle OF repairs,
and none expected for years 10 come,
The gravel In Union comfy IL not un'
like our own In appearance, and the same
quantity Of their gravel placed alongside
of ours could not be detected, whether
from Union or Stark, But for all this,
there must be a vast difference In dur
ability for the different kinda, Therefore,
Il IL only folly for No 10 think OF having
auoh roads built 90 In Union county from
our gravel. la regards 10 the 100 miles OF
road made with crushed Atono IN Union
county, have this W say, that II has been
very expensive In constructing those
eruahed atone surfaced roads, and the
Union county people would never have
resorted 10 ualng crushed stone Tor road
nurpOsea II thOy could have had enough
gravel. Any kind OF crushed stone for
road facing IN very perlahablo and re-
aulrea a constant repleniahlng and repair
ING, IN the Doctor will only Investigate
little further while he remains IN Union
county, ho will learn that the good roads
OF which he has written about, no doubt
having roiorooco 10 tho road leading from
Redwood TO tho Sprlngs and 70 Dolewaroi
that they are faced with gravel In place OF
crushed stone and that the crushed stone
roads are only found west Of Maryhyllo
The crushed limestone roads In Union
county are no bettor and less expensive ln
waste aud repair than tho same kind Of
road In Wood county and our gravel roads
la Stark, The Union county people would
not exchange one mile Of their grayolod
road for three miles OF thoir crushed
atono rOnda. Their crushed stone pulyor.
lzea very rapidly and the dust theroirom
IL very Injurious II inhaled.
There haa been great deal said and
written In regard 10 the improving OF our
county roads, and | bayo frequently
thought and have Expressed my Views
aud upiuiohH, Although not la point OF
our having In abundance oil over Stark Co,
along aldc OF almost every road In tho
county the cholcoat material for road
purposes, and still bottor material
Than the gravel In Union county. Tho
material have reference 10 IN the oldand
everlasting Niger heada, A road built
with all large niggorhoada after the
following plan would last without much or
any repairs for all time.
The road paved would not need 20 exceed
twenty feet In width and should be well
boddod with gravel for the stone. There
should bo u threo.inch tile drain placed
two feet undor the aurfOco IN the middle
OF the road, Tho tile drain would amount
10 but u trlilo IN expense and labor, and
stll answer u great purpose, II would al
ways bc ready and willing 10 carry oil all
rainfall within twenty foct on Other side,
and 10 catch and carry oil the water from
the frozen road bed In the Spring Of the
year aa thawlng Of frost coniinuCd 80
that from freezing and thawlng and rain.
fall the road and surfaces vould always re-.
MAIN comparatively dry AiN. holld be-
lioye that road built In this way, with "a
good gravel bed, largo nlggor'hoada and
tile drain, would be much moro durable
than the excellent gravel roads In Union
conuty and fully throe 10 a half dozen
times cheaper.
DR.. Sluascr informs us that the first
eighteen miles Of road making IN Union
mile and the aocond contract per mile Tor
moro road making was let out NJ " 900 per
mile. Now, have not made an cstlmato
OF what tho everlasting nigger'hond road,
as have described, would cost per mile,
hut / fOel quito sure that the cost would
not exceed 5000 per milo.
Objections might be raised by gomO one
that the nIgger-hond road would be too
rough for easy travel, The nIggcr'heod
rond would not be rough FOR horse or
wagon " the dirt was allowed 10 remain
on the road 10 break tho rouRhness. In
proof OF this that the road would not bo
rough and harsh by driving over II II tho
dirt was allowed 10 remain on lis surface
i refer the reader 10 our stone roads In
the center OF our clty-thRt during the time
OF the dirt remaining on the surface that
the road In easy and smooth enough for
any kind OF travel, and tho road as have
described with tile drain In the middle
would mako the road much more easy In
driving over II than over the rond In the
center OF the city, because OF the tile drain
always keeping the dirt on the surface
dry and hard. do not believe that II is
the wish and desire OF our country people
TO want whltewashod or u gllded road
for beauty, that ON inch or two OF dirt or
mud could be borne without any complain
inQ, The wish OF the country people
II / understand them right, IL TO keep out
OF mud 10 the axle and TO tho horses backs,
and can we'll Afford 10 do without having
n whltewashed road. Now, we have tho
material for such road scattered along.
side of almost every road In the county,
and gravel can be had from every knolland
hill with convenience, and It's surprising
that our stupid country people continue
TO swamp In mud by having such excel
lent opportunities for ,oad.malting that
would Far surpass any other ronds In tho
state for cheapncss and durability.
This Ia what know OF the Union county
and Stark's roads and road.maklng.
w. WHITE.