The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1892-01-14
ROAD MAKING.

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ROAD MAKING.
Good roads are almost as essential
10 the farmers prosperity as good
crops. Large crops may be raised and
the profit thereon greatly reduced by
the cost of shipment over bad roads.
Traffic is sometimes entirely sus-
pended and very frequently impeded
0y mud to an extent equal to 90 per
cent. In other words bad roads dOu
BILE the expense of hauling a given
weight over n well constructed and
properly maintained road. This is
too well known to require proof. All
intelligent and successful farmers APP
preciate the advantages of sound,
easily travelled roads and would glad
~ contribute TO any practical scheme
in the direction of road improvement.
There are, it must be admitted, a few
old stick-in-the muds who think the
roads will do very well as they are,
if improvement has to cost anything.
would 60 further and say that the
roads is their worst condition are too
good for some people. They have
wallowed in mud all their lives and
have no ambition out of it.
Argument and the clearest
of evidence can have no
effect on such people and 1 preach
the gospel of good roads, without
hope of making converts. | address
those already on the mourner's bench.
Every one of them prays to be deliv-
cred from the punishment that presses
them SO grievously, but they have
not been able to sec any practical plan
of salvation.
Thanks to the clear head and in
domitable will of our county Judge,
and the enterprise of our commits
missioners court, a scheme has been
put in force that should give Travis
county in the near future a system of
roads not eXcelled, it equalled in the
state. We have got the most inn
proved road grading machines. rollers,
steam crusher and 9th rappliances for
road making. The county convrcts,
who under every other adminstra-
tion killed time as best they could,
and ate the bread of idleness, are now
employed handling drills and crow
bars and many of them for the first
time doing honest work for q living,
converting bedrock into macadam.
This material is transported on wag-
ous to its destination and applied.
Now if this plan could be continued
long enough and withoutinte mission,
it would not take many years to give
us first class roads over the whole
county. But convict labor, even
If plentiful enough, cannot be
used in handling teams
away from camp and bOtn teams and
drivers cost a good deal of money,
more than can be furnished by the
road and bridge fund, so that if road
making is to 60 on to any extent,
county labor must be supplemented
by voluntary aid. There is not a
farmer in the county too poor to con-
tribute some aid, as the improved
road will in one year more than
repay any reasonable expenditure OF
labor, if wisely directed.
This brings me to the discussion OF
the road improving method now in
operation. [ have watched the
progress of work on the Georgetown
road, and acknowledge the good in
'Vu'p'h VI It's ploliloteIS,d anu ltel aus
ful for the measure of relief already
bestowed. Bnt [ feel that an even
better result might have been accomp-
lished at IA greatly reduced cost, if the
engineer in charge had practical
knowledge of building macadamzed
roads. Too much material is being
used. A few days ago | interviewed
The workman charged with leveling
the crushed stone on the road, and
learned that it was spread in mass
varying from twelve to eighteen
inches in thickness. This supports
the estimates had formed on a per.
Sonal inspection from time to time
This gives al average thickness o.
fifteen inches. AS McAdam, the in.
ventor Of this kind of road, always
contended that a thickness of six &c