Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1890-05-15
AN ESTIMATE OF THE 60
The Expense Involved in s.cn,,.
BILE Highways

DIG highways.
An interesting article on coun,.
improvement is published in Tbo ~ iM
from the pen of ''Viator," which @ass
fail TO interest 'cyclers and farms, LOO
are carrying on vigorous camnsia W.
better roads. The most salient na'sM
"Viator's' argument are given ba lsAsa
The American mind is notl,inn y
practical. The subject of road -. na
ments has gained so firm hold y
attention of our people that it i .i,.. =
now a question of time, economic ua,tgI
and financial ability when the ross s.-a !,
the country at large will be mae.
mized; in other words, our ordin.rv !
graceful, wasteful, dirt roads win
become Foundation roads, To n,o. ~
"a contamination devoutly to be Viii
ed" it is only necessary now to DEM
strate the practicability of the rafos
and to show that it is within tha an
cialability of the average TOWNSHIP :
have, without delay, first class road, :
an extent commensurate with tbei,
cessities.
{ 1t has been settled by long. patisD,
costly and scientific experiment that It
motive power of a horse on a ..foupl,
ton" broken stone road is exactly dmI.
that of the same animal on an earth ~
! in very good condition. The experims,s
of NORM in 1854 have establisbedts,
beyond question. The saving in timss
very much greater. The writer hsshh1
self recently seen a pair Of ordn,-
horses trotting at the rate of six nil.
per hour over a macadam road. bsnlh,
a wagon containing 1000 pounds lurs
than three gross tons of crushed Tan
on a level grade.
How, then, is it practicable to proce
such roads-at least in the maioritvd
our older states?
We will suppose that the area Il Ia
average township is equal to three nils
square, and that to put in touch with III
great country road, and especially viii
markets and railroad stations, it i ns.
essary to give it two intersecting f0vp.
dation" roads, making in all tvsIr
square miles Of improved road. O
course the existing roads would Be utg
lied. but on this principle it NAV Be- !.
sumed that these roads can be complies
for "a 900 per mile. and kept in rsu,
for 8 per cent. annually of their iz
cost. This would give $4,000 as III
sum needed for which to issue bond
The yearly charge would then be 5 pa
cent. interest on S4s, 00O-S2, 400; sinking
fund, / per cent. annually, for thig
years, $3.50; total, $3.50. The Tepan
are not here included in the annual oS
because they are needed in any event
but under the present systems are COZ
pletely wasted.
The outcome of the plan here indrlx
would be that as the sinking fund wogi
liquidate the bonds at maturity theton
ship at the end of thirty years w@a
have at least twelve miles of thorough
good road paid for, and which could
always maintained at less cost thai
now expended on roads that are Nns
times well nigh impossible. But this /
an infinitesimal part of the benefit as +
ing from the improvement. In muI
cases the only reason why city busiHa
men do not reside in some choice losR
ties is that they cannot have the plesEr
Of driving over good roads. Their SETH
ment in any rural district at once caus
the value of property to increase
crease of population brings customena
the farmers doors for milk, butter ssA
fruit and vegetables. 1t establaa
churches, schools, postoffices, ibfsHA
and, finally, villages. So that in the -
forna case of twelve miles under eoass
GRAFTON the certainty would be that y
fore the maturity of the thirty year oal
at least double the mileage would eE
manded and built.
The estimated price of Si,OWpef ~
here given is intended to apply to
inch macadam roads based on the eIle'
fence of building in New Jersey %
this figure is meant for roads that can =
constructed by machinery. The demali
for such roads has developed the ~
that they may be so built by bringing"
gether machinery that hitherto has -
used separately and not to the grs'@
advantage. 1t is now seen that Iraea.
engines may be used in conjunction w
automatic stone spreading machines :
steam rollers in one continuous tram
as to actually build and perfect NILE
macadam road in from three days ~
week, according to the distance ~
which the material has to be hauled
A construction train would coD'Sa I
first, a seven ton traction engine u :
lead as haulcr; next, ten to twenty ~
spreading wagons, containing tWse
forty tons crushed stone, accorahg
the amount of motive power enipgs
third, q fifteen ton steam roLeii
partly as a pusher, which thol9 ~.
compacts the stone just spread
machines ahead of it.
Col. Pope quotes Professor JehAs
thority for the statement that u1
nois roads cost SIS, $40, 600 in ex'i1
ing, and reduce the value OF faru =.
distance from railway depots 2! n
100000. If Illinois spent $3.50 OOV's