The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1891-06-26
COUNTY ROADS.
Graduating essay read at the o. A. G., by
Joe F. Alexander, class of 1891

Graduating essay READ at Ine ". A. u, Dy
Joe F. Alexander, class OF 1891.
The roads of country are of more bene-
fit to the people than is generally supposed.
They belong to that unappreciated class OF
blessings, the value and Importance of
which are not fully felt--their uses being SO
varied as to render them Indispensable, and
to cause their origin to be forgotten. But
for one moment imagine our con dition with
tout them. With no means of communica
ton our condition would be but little better
than that of the savage; to the condition of
our roads we owe advancement in educa-
tion, industry wealth and science. Upon
the number of county roads in a commu-
nifty rests the development of people and
their lands. Most farmers are not aware of
the fact that they in great measure
dependent upon the roads for their pros
perity. If the roads are good, coupled
with other circumstances, the farmers will
be prosperous; if not, he will be unsuccess-
full. Why is this? Simply because the
| benefits from them are great. By them
we are benefited both directly and Indirect
| ly. Directly, for the reason that every
thing taken to and from market has to be
hauled over them. To reap the fullest
benefit, this must be done at the minimum
cost, and this can only be attained by the
| improvement of the roads, which saves the
wear and tear on horses and wagons, and
greatly reduces the cost of carriage. In
directly, by being brought into easy reach
| of cities and towns that afford ready mar
ket for their produce. and decreases the
cost of their supplies. Good roads are also
of great social Importance. In a country
where the roads are few and bad, the peo-
pie do not have much intercourse with one
another. In fact, they become like a pond
of water without an outlet, soon becoming
stagnant.- TO prevent this condition of
affairs, good roads are necessity as they
bring the people into intercourse with one
another and encourage them to exchange
ideas with, and introduce improvements
from the outside world. The farmers of
Oregon do not seem much interested in the
subject of their county roads, and [ ven-
ture to- say, that if they would spend less
| time in discussing politics, free trade, pro-
lection, national finance, etc.. and pay
more attention to the improvement of their
roads and highways. that their neighbor-
hood would be greatly benefited. The
/ farmer who has to take his produce to
market over bad roads, cannot compete
with HIM who has the advantage of good
r)ad facilities. The price of all commod;-
ties at the market being fixed by the mall
kets Of the world, the farmer gets the same
for what he sells, and pays the same for
what he buys whether he has to haul over
bad roads or good, whether he lives one
mile or ten from the station. So the whole
cost of hauling comes out of his pocket,
! and to make this as small as possible, the
roads should be improved.
Let us now briefly discuss the essential
qualifications of good roads. If practical
| BILE road should be made straight, as an
! unnecessary excess of length involves a
great amount of time, labor and capital in
| building and keeping in repair the unneces-
sary length. Very frequently this general
| rule cannot be adhered to, for obstacles
often necessitate various degrees of curva-
ture. as it is sometimes necessary to curve
| them on account of economy in construc-
| tion; such as to avoid swampy or danger
| Gus locations or large excavations or to reach
points on streams better suited for bridges.
Again, it is often necessary to curve them in
order to avoid hills. as this is generally
cheaper. Amongst the early settlers
safety and health were considered of
much more Importance than good road
facilities, and consequently the rules
of road making were not generally complied
with.
The houses were usually built on hill tops
to escape the poisonous miasma and the
scalping knives of hostile savages. The
first roads were merely foot paths, being
travelled only by men and pack horses, and
therefore followed the shortest, though
steepest routes. These paths were next
turned into roads for wagons, and finally
these random tracks became the legal high
Ways. Another reason given for the poor
location of some of our roads, is that farm
ers will not allow them to run through
their farms in winding line. They attach
more Importance to the squareness of their
fields than to the improvement OF their
roads. They do not seem to be aware of
the fact that more labor is wasted in travel
ing over steep roads and around unneces-
sary corners than there would be in culti-
waiting an awkward corner of a field. In
our own state this is carried to such an ex-
tent that the roads have to be run along the
farmer wishes to pay his neighbor social