The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1891-01-21
Primitive Road building.

iotica-
Primitive Road Building.
My early years were passed IN the
muddiet region on earth This pre-
emihence wss lonz disputed by our
neighbcrs on the weston the black
prairies Of central nlinois-and they did
get Up q very fair article Of elastic mud
over there in rs season- But for mud
that came early and staid late mud that
worked uD deep and took = firm grip on
a Eaeua wheel and made every horse a
clay hank from hOof 70 midsides, I
have never seen the equal q the clay
based uplanls OF western Indiana There
we're q few sand ridges, and there the
more it rzined the better the roads were,
and aleng the streams there vas gravel !;
but everywhere else the rich black soil
rested upon the dness Of white or yellow
clay, that .held water ike a crock, az
the farmers put IL
TIE Ssology of that region is peculiar
The southern limit OF the glacial drifl
erosses Indiana a little below the pAral-
Tel Of NineeEnes, and north Of that con
sequen.iy lly the lzst frituration from
the GA IA deposits-the very finest sand,
very fsw bowlGers, and elaYs perfectly
clear of grit n dry season this clay
became an inlpalpzhle powder, rising IN
every wind-obeyinz cloud. wrapping
every moving vehicle in zstiaing envi-
ronmenf. and turning every traveller into
sn object lesson on the text. Dust thou
art. ard unto dust thou shalt return
Man certainly Was a creature Of the en-
vironH ent' there, = Spencer says for
AL Cur fashions il dress goods we're de-
termine5 and our plans Of living mOdi-
Eed By considerations CT mud and dust
A whi-e linen coat could be xoEn for one
day. White gloves or 4 white vel at
once marked the lady neE conner And
as % white sunday panfsloOns,- the
man Hho tired 70 20 through 9 summer
with them world have received unzni-
r1ocs vose for TIRE sunzfie asylum
The first improvement II HIGHWAYS
Was the -old corduroy On the frst
survey Of our county-Pzrkee-in IsI7,
the cli.f engineer reported thar 10
more than one-half of this region Is Ct
for cultivatioH, the rest being chiefly
swamp. and As the tIrst settlers clung
. The creek margins or the very highest
ridges. they very naturally -eordaroyedr
the Elts On the theory that they we're 70
remain sEamps indefinitely The ma
terisl Was saplings from two . SIX inches
Thick, the roaGbed being thrown ID q
FOOT o. txo above the natural level; TIE
larger franks, CT: to 8 length Of twelve
feet or 50 and trimmed. we're aid cross-
wise thereon, sad the smaller ones laid
IN The carved angles between, II the faint
hope Of breaking the shock O1 this
the people rode In winter and spring BE-
cause they had to-anywhsre else the
stron sest team could n0t pull al empty
Tagoa-bur as s0on as the ground vas
firm enough 70 bear they turned aside
and engineered their way a. VIII through
the woods. Thus many coriur0y -
was 5orlsrsd by from q quarter 10 hall
. nile Of ever twisting. winding wzys,
sa-casticAlIy alluded 70 ss the natural
road
OF course The Poles soon got ous Of
place OF broke. leaving great yaEning
{ gags IN the corduroy Many Wheel
vas broken. many poor horse Izmed,
+ and Il some eases persons were seriously
+ inirrsd by the terrific jolts. and 20 the
I people Tose IL sheir wrath, took oct the
corduroy, and demanded 4 road law.
I The satirist has not yet cone vho ezn
I 90 justice TO tie general rad laws Of
IndiAna Is they were from 70 $50 to Is60
: or u serezbouts-
legislators who Rad to 20 on horseback
= 81 away from home between Janu-
AIRY and May, and Eho vent about In
dianapOiis Eith pantaIoons stuck in their
boots to keep them out Of the m1d,
nevertheless had a noly horror Of raising
I taxes, ind Just at that tine. unsortun-
ately, the theory vas put forth and gen
Z ers.ly believed that If the ro.dbsd we're
raised very high AID the water drained
/ away from It's margin the rad would in
tins get - dry and hard in summer thai
( It w1uld remain good all winter. 20 the
Lea. stature ia2ugnra,ed period Of
national roads
The results we're rather curious It
vas found th2s tke dirt, once removed.
worked CD, and held water Ear verse
than II is natural state.
Il sheer despair the Iarnsz then tired
the -rAiiroad, 50 called L ras an i'm
5 pr0remeHt on the corduroy in this
the aattest rails were selected and could
Be laid together more evenly, bat 81 It's
best i was veTy bad The irreprsssible
rural wags found material for grim hu-
NOR in the situation. Riding on the
'-raiir0ai7 vas highly recommended 70.
+ dys7eP.ics il vas q sovereign remedy
Z for 'iiver complaints and for the most
Obs lrAte constipation = cure IN three
days was guaranteed. There xzs another
great advantage Formerly. wnsu the
sta-e eoach -st1ck- IN an ont Of the way
plaee the passengers had 70 cur poles or
walk hack to the nearest farm for rasls to
pry i oui. bgt nov The rails we're con-
venienily distributed along the road
IaIs50. I think il E1s. the great plank
Toat# excitement ses in, and for Two
years the whole western country had Il
bad In or section timber vas 10 OBJ
jecs, the Eoods we're fall Of It. and
every inland community wanted an oct
les % the then neE Wabash and ERE
caraL .. inngmsE2hle pink roads we're
pruiertes besides the general system
which contemplated a road from county
ses- 70 county seat. making fO1T in each