The Newtown bee., 1892-03-25
THE OPEN PARLIAMENT
Road Making.

AhC SupISSG LII SOOu IOduS IS Ouc kuhl ought to interest the travelling public, from Maine to Florida.
 Of course we can sketch, in fancy, the single trail of the Indian through this region, but civilization soon widened that, until, in 1878, the General Court or dered that the roads be cleared until they are ''one rod wide.''
 The matter of roadways received early attention from the inhabitants of Connec- ticut. In the colonial records for 1636, it is recorded that the people "considered the maintaining of highways not only necessary for the comfort of man and beast, but tends to the profit and advan- tage of any people in the issue," there fore they ordered, at that early date, that each town should yearly choose one or two of their inhabitants as surveyors to take care of and oversee the mending and repairing of highways within the several towns. All appointed for such work were obliged to work with their teams two days in each year.
 Some may express surprise that, after more than two centuries of such system atic labor as is here represented, the roads should remain so uncomfortable for the travelling public. There was fine for not working them, but all their faithfulness does not seem to have been of much avail and the reason the high ways and throughfares continued for two centuries so poorly adapted for easy travel was that they did not understand the true system of road making.
 The writer does not pretend to have a practical knowledge of the best methods, but it is quite certain that the old meth cd of annually, in the Fall of the year, ploughing occasional masses of grass and mud to the middle of the road and leav- ing them to form mud pits through the Winter, never was any great advantage to travellers. There are some quarters where this barbarous habit has not yet been given up, but, as we are now treat ing of civilized highways and not by ways, let us see what may be considered the best method for constructing broad and solid road, such as it delights the public to travel.
 In the history of road making, there stands first on the list the famous thor oughfare of ancient Rome, the Via Ap- pia, which every school boy knows about and yet it must not be omitted, because it presents qualities to modern road makers that ought not to be passed by.
 The durability and excellence of this thoroughfare was owing to the proper foundation which the old Romans spared no pains to lay. All loose soil was re- moved before the stone and cement were laid, and then the huge blocks of stone ; were firmly cemented over that enduring foundation.
 Road makers can find a suggestion here. It pays- well in the end to dig down, where the soil is loose and yield ing and first lay a good foundation to build upon. It is just as necessary as tC have d good foundation for d building.
 There is many d country road ir swampy places that has been made sim ply passable by cutting down small trees anu brush wood and then carting turf
  to compute how long such a road will last, but it is not easy to see it's econ omy, since the labor must be done almost yearly.
 Though the first cost is expensive, 8 good foundation is the best economy ir the end.
 The nearest approach to perfect road making ill modern times is that invented by MacAdam and improved upon, as some think, by Telford. The only differ ence between the two methods is that the formerTequires several layers of broken stone of specified size, while the latter commences with large stones, with the interstices filled between and, upon this immovable foundation, layers of smaller stones are successively laid, until the fin al layer consists of scarcely more than coarse sand rolled thoroughly over every part of the road.
 Travellers over country roads would be satisfied with either of these methods.
 The agitation of this subject affords at least an expression of opinion and we hope it will be shown that the greatest economy and the most comfort will be derived on thoroughfares where pains has first been taken to have the foundation firm and substantial and the covering smooth and solid.
 There has been great improvement in the roads of Connecticut since 1630, but the improvement is not so vast as We might have reason to expect during two centuries. In fact, there is barbarism often found about country roads far in- land that cannot be said to be much of an advance from those of l630.- Com municated.