Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1891-11-27


exceeding an aggregate of 10 per cent of
the entire cost In the New York legisla-
ture bill of somewhat similar provisions
has been discussed.
Allusion was made to the influence ex-
erted by the League of American Wheel
men in securing attention to this subject
and mention was made of gift of $4,000
by the head of the Pope manufacturing
company, makers of the Columbia BICYCLES,
to endow chair of country road making
in the Massachusetts Institute of Technol-
ogy.
The essayist then described the two
leading systems of road building, the Mac
adam and Telford. The former consists in |
spreading upon the road a flooring of brok- |
en- stone of uniform size rolled firmly |
down and then covered with gravel or fine |
broken stone, which in its turn is wet and
rolled, until all the interstices are filled. |
In the Telford system an excavation is
made, layer of large cobbles or broken
stone is put in, and on this layer of small
er stone, the whole being rolled by heavy
iron roller until completely compacted. In
both systems the underlying principle is
| that of making foundation perfectly inn
pervious to water.
Every stone road contains some of the
features of one of these systems. A bad
imitation of one is the spreading of a thin
flooring of stone chips upon spongy road
bed to be lost in the mud, and to render
| the road worse than before. A worse imi-
tation is the excavation of the road bed
and dumping into it large round or broken
stones and covering them with soft earth
without a superstructure of small broken
stones packed and rolled so as to make a
hard and durable crust. OF both these
| had W. ar hnv haJ local n
Illustrations to our sorrow. Upon the thick
ness and the thoroughness of workmanship
of the foundation and superstructure de-
pend the cost of a road and its durability
and excellence.
A great advantage in thoroughly made
roadbed is that it costs so little to main
tain or repair it. In localities where the
Macadam or Telford roads have been built
the cost of maintenance is said to be no
more than 80 or so per mile. Against this
is to be set the fact that prominent engin-
GERS and other experts say that now, where
no permanent or intelligent system of road
making is followed, the sums expended by
working OUT road taxes by throwing the
sods and soft earth from the sides of the
! road into the centre is absolutely wasted
and the annual loss is so great that fig
ures were not given because they would
not be believed.
e No town can be called "back town
t which is intersected by good hard road
2 leading-for instance-to Brattleboro. No
= farmer lives tout of the world as the
phrase is if he lives upon such road or
in easy reach of it. If this state was trav-
! ersed by good roads forming system built
+ in scientific manner, and maintained by
r men who understand road making, our az
| ricultura and other material interests
5 would be in the way of greater develop
T. ment.
/ The state ought of right to assist in the
5 construction of main lines of road. High
e ways are public. They are the means OF
S communication for the people of the state
d with each other-not for the exclusive use
:, of the people who live upon their borders
n but for the use of all the people of this
d and of other states who have occasion tC
o use them. They are more essential thar
T. railroads because more persons are depend
;, ent upon them as means of transit. One
,, step was taken by the Vermont Legislature
d in this direction in 1856 when an act wa
t. passed by which, when any town has any
" occasion to build or repair any highway o
e. bridge which will be of benefit to any 9th
% er towns in the vicinity, and such tow
SO would be excessively burdened by the eX
is pense, its selectmen may petition the coun
TO ty court which may in its discretion ap
o. point commissioners to examine the prem
Uses and make report to the court. If thei
of report is favorable to the town and to tn
Ks granting of state aid therefor, the coul
he may adjudge that the state shall contribut
n a sum not to exceed one-half the entir
r. expense of the work and appoint con
X missioner to superintend the eXpenditul
air of the states money This law is occi
= hut gNF1G "a
he been surprised in going about the state
Is. find that its provisions are not oftener il
% voked.
er Figures given by correspondents in stat
of where settled system of road improv
90 ment has been adopted shows that the va
by ne of farms along the routes of these roa'
er. has increased in value from 50 to $40 p
ed acre, which is proof enough of their &c
oh monte value. Good roads shorten di
IDS tances, bring people nearer together, II
rec prove society, save wear and tear OF team
VS.; save time, and therefore money. WI
,m GOOD roads farms would be more accessib
as. and more valuable. Greater inducemen
wn would be offered to our own people to l
he main in Vermont, which, all things co
his sidered, is as good state as there Is
ms make homes in. 1t does not offer gre
wealth to its farmers, it is true, but IL du
eat Oftef them competency anu hS"iti ~
ew equivalent. With such roads greater
mas ducements would be given people from
ro- cities to make summer homes upon o
ont hills and in our valleys.
us other Means of development.
his From the discussion of the road qu'
NV ton, as the main feature of his pap
,se Judge Tyler passed on to consider certa
on. other topics of leading Importance in
nv, development and upbuilding of Nermo
tro First of these was the common schoc
nty The fact was recognized that Vermont
aj taken step backward in relation to
Tor school system, and that looked at iron
an purely material point of view, steps IN
DDS be taken for the proper education OF
fato 20. 600 BOYS and girls of the state OF sch
No- age. The primary solution OF this pre-
H. ing question will probably lie, he believ
Iar i'm the adoption of the town system
M a Next, the churches must be maintain
~ 80 and this apart from all religious conside
anu tiOns. and from purely business sta
u,o noint. When the Westinghouse is all
I nl ed to get out of repair, and the voice
the preacher is seldom heard, 1t surely
'trai lows that the public spirit and the mat
III, al interests of that community are dy
ms out.
' 10 Much of the isolation and lack OF SO
ions intercourse " 'iiOll tI,rougb fine m
over JilcJS Cdll NC ONNiNOtA'N -, %. :,