Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1890-02-28
IMPROVEMENT OF PUBLIC ROADS.

MI. j. U. Williams is Superintendent OF
the Westtown Boarding School, Westtown
Pa, near which institution piece Of good
roadway was laid down during last year.
Writing to the Public Ledger touching the
matter of the improvement of our public
roads, SuperintendentWi Williams gives the
following valuable information:
"The almost impossible condition of the
roads in the spring of 1889, induced the
committee appointed by the Yearly Meet
charge of their WesttoWn Boarding School
to build stone road from the school tC
WesttoWn Station. Before the work was
begun, and as no member of the committee
had any experience in such work, CORES
pondence was opened with some practical
road-builders on the subject. A. j. Cassatt
wrote: / take pleasure in giving you my
opinion upon the different questions you
ask: First. From a number of years ex-
perience with both Telford and macadam
roads, am strongly OF the opinion that
the latter is the best for our country; the
TelfOrd pavement consists of a foundation
OF large stones, covered by a layer of
broken stones; as these last wear away the
larger stones are exposed and the road be-
comes rough and requires a complete re-
surfacing, which is costly, and requires a
long while for the surface stones to bind
in with the old road and become solid and
compact. The gnacadam road consists of a
bed OF broken stones of an even size from
the bottom to the top; such a road can new
Ell become rough; the worst thing that can
happen is that it may cut into ruts (espec-
tally in the spring, when frost is coming
Out), but the rutS, it taken in time, can be
filled up with broken stone, which will
soon pack and consolidate and give "a
smooth. hard surface again; cart load of
broken stone will fill in many, yards of
rnts, bnt will not go far toward resurfac-
ing d Telford road. Second The stone
should be what is called 1H-inch stone
throughout; that is to say, the stone should
all be small enough to go through a two
inch ring. Third. Sixteen feet is wide
enough for the paved part OF a country
road. Ii there is much heavy hauling, the
otherwise nine inches would be sufficient.
There should be spread on top of the stones
a thin coat of screenings (made by the
crusher in the process of crushing the stone)
to assist in the building process, and the
whole should be rolled with steam or
heavy horse roller. 1t will be necessary
to keep the road thoroughly watered while
rolling, otherwise the roller will have lit
tie effect. If you can do so without too
much expense, it will pay you to water
the road in dry weather. Dry weather is
the enemy OF macadam roads in our cOun-
Try; during long continuance of dry
weather the mass loses its compactness
and loose stones work up to the surface
"The above valuable remarks were pub
lished in the Philadelphia Record, and
called forth the following letter from An
drew M. Frantz, of Lancaster: I noticed
in the Record Mr.. Cassatt's opinion to you
about making stone road; you will excuse
mr. fo,.u mir N
question attracts public attention and is,
in fact, public matter. The distinction
he draws between the macadam and the
| adam is the best, or may be so for pleasure,
carriage or light travel of any kind, but
when you talk about heavy hauling, the
TelfOrd is the only system that will hold
| out.
"'If the stones are all broken fine a
heavy team will cut through in the spring
OF the year, or at any other time when the
will collect on the roads and retain water.
and subject it to the ordinary effects of
freezing and thawing. 1t does not matter
what depth you put the stone on, there is
nothing to check the wheels cutting in and
forming rut. You want solid founda-
ton made of large stones that will arrest
the action on the surface, and prevent the
oA1S
body of the road from cutting through.
Small stones will disappear-Where they
go to it is hard to tell-but they press into
the earth and go down somewhere. have
been connected with the management of
turnpikes in Lancaster county for % years.
Some of the roads have the substratum
made of large stones, in fact all the old
ones made during the first turnpike era
from 1890 to 1925. Other roads that helped
to build were made on the macadam plan,
nearly all of them made since 1910. The
cost of keeping the old roads in repair is
not ohe-third that of the new ones.
est is almost impossible to keep a good
surface on the newer roads for the simple
reason that there is no foundation. The
large stones form solid foundation, and
surface dressing of from four to six
inches of small stone to begin with will /,
after being fairly settled down and packed
and leveled up, last long time.
"'In old times there was no discussion
about the two systems, though the Telford
dictated by the Judgment of common
sense
CATER deliberately considering the above
were united that Telford road would
| best suit the wants of the school, as large
amount of coal would have to be drawn
over it each year. The following specif-
cations were adopted as nearly meeting
our wants:
"sThe road shall be constructed on the
Telford system, and to be IA feet wide;
depth of stone in middle IA inches, and 10
| inches at the sides, and regularly slOped
from the middle to the sides. The foun-
dation shall be composed Of large stone,
eight inches deep, set on edge and closely
| together, so as to make the foundation
compact and solid throughout, and to be
approved by the committee before the top
| OF surface material is put on. The top or
surface, material to be put on the founda-
ton, made as provided, shall be composed
of broken stone, known as 1A-1nch stone,
to go through two-inch ring, to be built
up with this description of stone to the
middle and 10 inches at the sides, as afore-
said Chat is, IA inches and 10 inches in
depth, including the foundation).
:" THE surface shall then be covered
with screenings Of sufficient quantity or
depth to make it perfectly even, without
any projecting stones; this surface-dressing
to be done to the satisfaction and approval
large stone in the foundation, the small
stone on the top Of the foundation, and the
screenings for the surface-dreSsing to be
approved by the committee before they are
used. In preparing the bed for the Stone
superstructure, before any stones are put
on it, there shall be four inches elevation
given to the middle of the road-bed, sloping
regularly to the sides; this work to be done
by the contractor.
e. The work as it progresses shall be
rolled with roller of not less than ten
tons in weight, the first rolling to be done
after the large stone are laid and suffl-
Gent quantity of small stones put on the
foundation I'd level it UP to a perfect level
with the projection thereof; afterward,
when the small stone and screenings to a
sufficient depth to comply with these speci-
fications are put on, the whole to be rolled
to the satisfaction of the committee
"After advertising for proposals, con-
tract was entered into with M. & T. E.
Farrell Of West Chester, as the Lowest and
best bidders, 70 build the road according to
the above specih'ca lions for the sum of
81, 200 for distance of 1900 feet, being
about 50 per running yard an additional
sum of 5000 was allowed for hauling sur
face stone of a better quality distance of
one mile, and $3.50 for cleaning up bitches
and grading up to the finished stone road
surface fully % feet in width, thus making
the total cost Of road 5000, exclusive Of