The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1890-01-22
eOOd Roads ano RoaamakIng.

w1irh hps snch . pFarSicsi hearing and
which reaches the Interests aaa ps,esesz
Of 20 many people A. gooi roaas We
have tesn wrestling wifh thiz Yrsbieel
here in this c'sy tine cat Of niua. aul
IN the country districts Is has BEEN q
most important iss1e ever sinoe he arsf
road VAS legally lAid ou1 Every sEfi-
eeliarsi ssiefy in this Stsfeshas been
Discussing The rad qa-ssior. land ffefn
every ons hiss sone' up.a.protest szsins.
he roads We no have and q sncae
prayer for something better. Rssl taxes
2re high, as ali kseE. while roads are
vel known TO Be almost anifersa
Dad. Poor roads are costly in the maiter
Of horse fesh as veiliAs-vehicies We
pay for good roads and get bad ones.
Fusl Of chuck holes and covered aith
breaks from end 70 end, they are 80 OBJ
Jet of dread 70 all who have = csc
them. Agrlcultursl and other journals
in vain protest Agains. al this. bgs ihe
r0ads are no better than hesore. aud
there is no reasonable expectation thene
will be a change fsr the beaer "a
near future.
All this is the more sgzr2vatinr ui.en
se bear how excellent The highesys of
Europe are During the past SIMMER sew
erzl travellers have borne ample testimony
in thee columns 70 the superior excel
lence Of the rozds Of Great Britain and
Continental Europe. They have no rad
breaks al AL, 10 RUS, no mud holes, but
q hard, well drained roal-ted fiForbie
70 men and animals. and Winnins Tie
universal commentator of al sAo see
them.
lr. Joseph Penneil, who VIII bis uifs
Travelled over great deal u Western
Europe on bicycles, has written 80 ia-
teressing account Of the roals an the
roAd-making that be saw foF q recelt
number Of HafIscr's Wesztg lie SAYS
The roadway Is vide enough fsr ESQ
or three teams to pass Beyond 3 a
sweep Of beautifully kept gas ani be-
yon3 again two great deep guiiers, onf-
side Of which i bank OF earth higher
than the fields which il bouads. keeuin.
all the water, II there should be- any.
back in the fields and OF the Toals.
Every hundred feet or 80. cut in the grass
BY taking turf out. Is a small -nfter.
through which any Eafer which msy
fAll in the road Is drained into the leF-
er gutter. As you ride along you viI
see that the road Is divided by movable
tin signs with czntoBniers on them Near
these signs, which are usually ab0at .
mile apart, you viii find man breaking
stones small enough 70 20 through q
ineh ring, piling the broken stone uq I'm
symmetrical mass Ike a b01se roof.
which must exactly TT into skeleton
frame which the cantonnier places over
il These stone-breakers are % vors
spring, summer and autumn olher uen
will be picking up the droppnes oa ihe
road, puiting them N q sheelh-rroU. Ira
another part Of which l. fresh sand %
sprinkle over the place, aud they carry
rakes and brooms 70 tonch nP ans iu-
perfeetions on the surfaee. f1r such a
thing a. a loose stone or a lamp 1f dlrr
Is almost unknown. Having gathered
up anything which may have fsiien lroul
passing carts or wagons--for the harses
hoofs do not kick uP the surface of tle
road, nor DO the wheels grind into it,
each goes over the whole Gf his allotted
space with a broom about ten feet lore.
sweeping OF the sand, which Is taken
away and stored fJr future Use. ~ s3ld.
This Is kept up daily from Apnl 70 CO..
tobeT, and 80 thoroughly thai, tbouga
have Travelled over the roads Of Frame
ia both the drisss ard Eetiest SINNERS
and autams, I have never found hall an
inch Of mud or dust on the Grandes
Routes.
with the beginning Of Oeiober ard
the rainy season an inspector comes oat
though for that nIafter be Is aimost
always travelling up and doEn-f0liowed
BY a large gang Of men, one or more
siesm rollers, which. If the district b.
far from a tOSn, phil after them eirsy
vans in which the men live. The prop
erly broken stone Is then spread evenly
over the road and interslices flied up
with smaller stones and pebbles. the
refuses from the smaller stuff over this
Is spread a layer Of ehaikv o. c.avev
earth, which bad been caTted and he1pei
there in neat piles during the summer.
What Ee would call mush-moliy j. made
out Of the whole mess with water in the
gutter, which the engine pumps through
the hose. The steam roller then psrades
up and down the suffice for day or Sd.
boards and guards PIT upto keep the
passers by from driving on the ersss, and
by the middle Of winter the whole sur
face Is 50 perfect that in riie through
the Vosges in the early spring. although
there were high snoE hanks on both
sides, the road having been cleared and
although frost was coming up ou; of the
ground. il was comparatively easy %
ride On light bicycle, insiead Of heins
obliged 70 drzg II through a sea 0f ans.
This i description Of the actual way
in which French roads are kept 10 repair
BY the department Of ponts e ehaussees-
The same system l. more % less carried
out in Germany and Italy
Every person who hzs ever been 10
Europe confirms this report Of the roo.i
roads there They are al gooi taers
are no bad ones VIII any one pretend
10 say that We cant 10 here shat they
have been doing for a hHn3rel wears
over there Hardly. Soouer or lster
re shall pursue the same coarse here.
We might as well begin ncW. and stop
throwing money away. When aHi
where shall the new dispensation be
nshered in