The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1891-04-08
THE SECRET OF GOOD ROADS.
saropean Highways Show That It Lies
In tho Maintenance.

III Inc Oll SOTlu Llt-v Know Two LtllneSS
about roads and roadways with which
the people OF the United States are not
generally familiar. They know how to
build road, which is one thing. and
they know how to care for it after it is
built, which is another. Weof America
know more about building roads than
we do about taking care of them. More
attention has been devoted to the former
process than to the latter. When We
read about the roadways OF England,
France or Germany. that have been in
use for 100 or $50 years OF moro, we
must not understand that they were SO
well constructed and of such good ma
terial that they have passed through this
period without attention or expense
Nothing could be further from the truth.
All good roads are subject to constant
attention. otherwise they are bad roads.
Money will not build road that will
maintain itself. This is where a great
mistake is made in American roadways.
Whatever may be said for our organiza-
tion for building roads, little or nothing
can be said with respect to our organiza-
tion for caring for them. This is some
thing we do not understand. We have
been reaching for the impossible-the
self sustaining, the self repairing. cheap
roadway. 1t does not exist.
have paid some little attention to the
roads of Great Britain and France dur
ing the last few months, and what has
impressed me more is the care exercised
in their maintenance. We have built
many good roads, but have few or none
to compare with the best to be seen in
the countries referred to, and this solely
on account of our neglect.
/ bear in mind u beautiful carriage
drive through part of Scotland. The
roGdbed was as solid and smooth as a
concrete floor. There was not sugges-
ton of a rut or depression for miles 1t
followed the natural contour of the
country, which was somewhat irregular.
with its trim. neatly formed bitches and
its spacious, substantial culverts where
they We're required. The smoothness
could hardly understand. 1t was GER
tainly the perfect roadway. 1 looked for
ruts or depreseions, but there We're none.
Finally came upon an old Scotchman
with u wheelbarrow, pick, u hammer,
pointed bar, other tools and some
broken stone. lie was getting ready to
do some work. L stopped our horse, got
out and examined the surface, but could
1 asked theoll man what he was going
to do, and he told me, in Scotch dialect
so broad that could hardly understand
it, that he was going to cut ont n bad
place in the road and renew it. To see
what he would say remarked that the
place was not very bad. and he reminded
me that n stitch in time saves nine Then
he went on to tell me that If place was
neglected it rapidly becomes very bad;
that the wheel running into slight de-
preston would, because of the extra Jar,
make it speedily deeper and wider. 1t
was good deal like striking the sides of
littls gulley: it would soon make a wide
breach, and thus n large bad spot would
be developed. 1t was like u rotten place
in an apple, which would soon spread if
it were not cut out. This he proceeded
| to do. The opening was not moro than
eighteen inches wide and two feet and n
half long. he hammered the broken stone
| back into place, left it a little high, and
said that he would come back to it again
in u few days. This old man was caring
| for about ten miles of road, and by being
| exceedingly careful and prompt in de-
tecting the slightest imperfection he was,
at very slight expense, maintaining a
most beautiful and satisfactory surface.
There is no great expense in maintain
| ing this perfect condition. The class of
labor employed IS cheap and the amount
of surface inspected great.
Neglecting good road like this would
be like running expensive machinery
without oil, which Implies rapid de-
struction. Because of the well known
result, tho owner of the machinery can
not say oil costs too much money; we
| must get along without it. It Is econom-
ical to do whatever Is necessary to main
tain n reasonably perfect condition. It
is gross wastefulness and extravagance
to do anything or to fail to do that which
| will cause general deterioration and in
time large expenses. The cost of caring
for o road is one of its fixed charges. II
the road is allowed to decay it must be
| rebuilt. Hence the fixed charge repre-
sents the cost of n new road, or so much
thereof as belongs to the replacing and
renewal of material. On the other
hand the constant attention which main
tains good condition at all times is also
a fixed charge, and it will be found that
within ten years the difference in the
two costs will be largely in favor of the
latter method, with the advantage of
always having n good roadway rather
than a decaying one.
Under the proper system of instruc-
ton and repair there is no reason why a
road should not be better Mt the end of
ten years than at the beginning. I,A
weak points have been renewed and its
strong ones proven. Any little defects
in drainage or otherwise will have been
corrected.
People who ride about the country on
bicycles know quite as much about road
ways as any other class. They sec the
little things which go to make the per-
feet travel, and they say that the very
old highways which have the hundreds
of years of history back of them are uni
formly the best that they pass over.
They account for this in tho way I have
named. The repairs which have been
going on have added to the depth OF the
foundation and have made the entire
passage uniform.
Roadways should be considered in the
nature OF business investment, and all
calculations which are made with re-
spect to them should be on basis of a
long term of years. 1t win be found
that the cost of constant repairs under
the system which have suggested will
be much less than the interest or added
taxes, because of rebuilding or expensive
repairs. 1t is simple business matter