The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1891-04-10
FOR BETTER ROADS.
PART ".

These roads should he put IN better
condition. and that. for the use Of the
general public, aud not for the man
that lives on the road, hut for the
men that wish to pass along that
road with a load of merchandise, or
produce. on their way to the markets.
and the men living on that road.
which is made either by the county
or the town. will work out their
roal-tax. or their proportion of the
road.tax, upon the cross roads that
run into and connect with those
made ny the county or by the towns.
There are many things that should
he done in road building. There is
something hesides the building of
the road that is marked essential.
Many of our roads gn over hill
when they might better be made
around it. They should, as FIR AS
practicable land it should he done by
what II term one of natures enei.
neers) he made to conform to the
grade of the land. and made to run
a. near rs practicable to the way the
water runs.
The use of oats in feeding farm
horses, is in every respect. even
chemically, analogous to putting coal
into a locomotive. II is the cOmhus-
ton of carbon in the locomotive that
makes the water boil, and generates
the steam. that runs The engine that
draws the train, 1t is the combus-
ton of oats and hay in your horses
that feeds the blood in the lungs, and
makes the vital force. that gives the
animal the power to draw the load.
and just so much harder that you
work the locomotive, so much more
coal you must put into the fire box.
SO much more oats you have to feed
the horse. 1t is energy in both cases.
A road that il made after the COM
mon practice, Ont OF the ordinary
material. of which roads are con-
structpd, being rounded up in the
middle, as in the worst possible
shape, and must remain so for
great number of years. The first
single team or double team that
drives oyer that freshly produced
road, will drive as near as possible,
squareIy upon the top. The horses
are walking on steep incline both
ways from the center. The wheels
of the wagon are upon a side hill.
They are in the best possible shape
to commence making rutS. The prac-
tiee of the last hundred years proves
this. and without any successful con-
tradirtion. If this is done by a sim
gle morse, and followed few times,
there will he horse track. When a
double team comes along, one horse
will take that track. and the other
horse will be upon the side, and the
lower wheel there will commence
making Il ru', because the pitch Of or
binary roads rs they are made by the
farmers and highway commissioners,
il at least three times as much as
they should be.and in many instances
five times. When the next man
drives back the other way one horse
will take the track originally made,
and he will commence making u rut
upon the other side 16 to 20 inches
from the other, and so on. until the
road is completely rutted from end
to end. Now, l have said that this
is the worst possible shape that the
ordinary material for road making
can he put into, and as a positive
proof, you can 20 to the corner of any
road In the state of New York where
the roads turn, and the corners will
he found to he practically smooth for
so to 100 feet beyond the corner, then
il will be found beyond that to he
rutttd. The reason for this is. peO-
pie do not drive in the same tracks.
No two men ordinarily, will turn
around corner in exactly the same
track or semi circle. Wagons are
seared differently, consequently. if
they did drive their fore. wheels
where their neighbers did. the wagon
being geared differently either longer
or shorter, the ind.wheels would
not track where the hind wheels Of
the ether wagon did. Now, in prac-
tically every instance, you will find
lhis road, instead of being rounded.up
around the corners, to he sloped one
way, and generally not half as much
slope as the road has 100 feet beyond
il on either the cross or the main road.
Here is a practical example. and this
practical example has been before
the eyes of the world ever since roads
were constructed. and other roads in
tprsected them. making corners.
Now, taking this rs my standpoint.
l say all roatls should be made inclin.
ing one way. and from IL to 16 feet