San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1890-05-22

sh"oEL H. Do"NiN1' that macadam
costs less for repair, and that 1t Is
the most economic road, some very
good people will not 30 much rs wrestlo
with the new saying, but, clinging to the
old idenl, will argue that inasmuch as
pixies arc rough, macadams must be
rough, inasmuch as pixies nro built below
frost. mncndnms must be so built; that
inasmuch as the haiiu numruervd r,i..
has cost ms much as $4,000 per mile, and,
because Of its coarse construction, 8100
per mile annually for repair, that con-
seguently machine crusher, roller
made macadam structure must cost the
same $4,000 per mile) for the making
and the same (S100 per mile) for annual
repair.
1t is becoming usual to call pixies
macadamized roads. A macadam road
Is not pike, in that the macadam Is in
finitely better and less expensive than
roads heretofore called pixies.
The imperfections Of pike are:
First-In that 1t Is composed Of loose
stone In its making and repairing. Thus
the pressure pike receives from passing
wheels deepens into ruts. A rut once
made, although filled and refllcd, will
reappear.
Second-Pikes have been constructed
of hammered stone. Hammered stone Is
too coarse for the best supcrstructure Of
roads. The originator Of the macadam
principle stated before committee Of
the house of commons that stone road
wos n saving Of repair In ratio with the
fineness Of the stone used. Thus bod
Of one inch stono would cost in repair Of
such bed but onc-half Of that Of bed OF
two inch stone.
Again, pike composed OF hand.
broken stone may have cost $1,000 per
mile for building, and si0O per mile IN
nually for repnir-SJ,00 900 per mile for
building, because the stono was hand
broken, at 81 per perch, and S100 annu-
ally for repair, because the superstruc-
turo was coarse and loose. Thus ruts nre
started and are expensive to erase. Tho
experience Of macadam builders touches
TINT q rut will follow rut, TINT is II
stone bed is laid upon rutted clay base
ruts will appear In the stone bed directly
over those OF the clay foundation. Thus
one rut In pike Is the predecessor Of an
endless series Of ruts and nm endless bill
Of costs.
On the other hand, q macadam struc-
ture avoids these imperfections OF pike
In that (frst It's superstructure Is com
posed Of small stone and stone siftings
or chips, and (second) while wheels press
the unkhitted, loose surface OF a pike,
and reach solidity within one track at
two inches below the general surface,
thus forming ruts. the roller used In
macadam structure does exactly what
wheels do, but further. II presses the
entire surface Of the led, 30 far as wheels
can penetrate. In ruts. and thus makes
the entiro bed rs solid as the base Of a
rut. Thus, again, n macadam is 80 uni
formly resistant Of wheel pressure that
ruts cannot he produced in some mac
adam within a period probably OF ten
years Il
A crusher turning out so perchcs OF
stone per day VIII earn In q day, at 10
cents per perch, sl2. which VIII easily
pay for the cost Of runninga crusher per
day. Tho difference bctwcen 81 per
perch for hand broken stone and Is cents
for crushed stone l. s. cents. in the re-
Alizaiion of this gain Of IS cents by the
usc Of crusller we can reasonably con
clude tlIat macadam ought 10 bo built
for less than half 6he cost Of hammered
pike.
Tben again. as % the economy Of a
macadam over that of a pike. a mac
alan Icing virtually nut and uTAter proof
and Continuing 20 for ten years. what
vii t cost 20 rcpair a macadam per
mile annuzIIy during ten years. I thirk
yoa vil rcF.iy. really uofhing-
Dui VIII q -lacsGan rsEist Wheel pres