Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-01-14
FOR GOOD PUBLIC ROADS
Farmers Open a Crusade for
Better Highways.
SOME INTERESTING ADDRESSES
The Question Viewed From
Various Standpoints.
An Interesting Meeting OF the New
Castle County Farmers Institute at
Newark7-A Thorough Discussion of the
Topic, "rhe County Ronds and Their
Bettermcnt."

NEWARK, Jan. S.--Yesterday's meet
ing of the New Castle County Farmers
Institute in the Delaware College oratory
was the best attended and most gener-
ally interesting one that has been held
by the institute this winter, and If the
effort bears fruit as shadowed forth in
yesterdays meeting it will have been
the most important gathering of the kind
that has taken place here for long
While.
1t was nothing less than the opening
OF a crusade for better highways, and
Judging from its timeliness and very
auspices beginning, it is quite certain to
| gather force and general support
throughout the county as its object be-
comes better known. Newark, it seems,
is just the place, and the Farmers Insti-
tute just the organization to launch this
movement and demand systematic
bettering of the roads of the county,
| Judging from the success attending the
| fight made in 1890 for retrenchment and
reform in the county government, the
reduction of the sheriff's feed bill and
the abolition Of the Levy Court system,
all OF which had there beginnings here in
the institute meetings.
The monthly gatherings for some
time have been confined to the consid-
Grafton of purely agricultural subjects,
largely from scientific point of view,
this being the home of the agricultural
experiment station and its able corps of
officers, who take prominent part in
all the meetings. Yesterday, however,
there was something of departure, the
topic for the day being: "The County
Roads and Their Betterment."
The announcement of this change
brought larger number of farmers
than usual together and in the absence
of the president, DIR. j. j. Black, the
| vice-president, James Hossinger, called
the meeting to order at 2 o'clock and the
first address was made by j. Harvey
Whiteman, Esq, who considered the
subject from legal aspect, quoting ex-
tensiyely from the State laws relating to
roads, their maintenance, &c. The
paper was instructive and showed a
thorough knowledge of the road laws.
The important paper Of the day was
that Of Frederic H. Robinson, professor
of civil engineering in the college, in
which he discussed road making from
both scientific and practical point of
view. Although not practical road
builderN Mr.. Robinson showed very
intelligent interest in his subject and
explained the different systems of road
making, such as the Macadam and Tel
ford plans, his lecture being illustrated
4 by stereoscopic views projected on a
screen on the stage. He said in part:
| "The line of the road having been
| properly located or relocated by COM
petent engineer, the construction of the
road will be considered in two parts:
First, construction of the road-bed or
earth formation second, construction of
the roadway, or road coneing. The
construction of the road-bed includes
earthworks and provisions for drainage.
Passing the former with the remark that
| it includes all excavation and embaak-
ment necessary for the formation of
road-bed level in cross section and
having the intended longitudinal grades
we will take up the consideration of
drainage. The road-bed will require
surface drainage, aud in some cases
under drainage. By the former we pro-
vide for the removal of storm water; by
the latter for the removal of water from
any source which the material com
posing the bed has tendency to retain.
"Storm and surface water is removed
by side bitches. Their bottoms should be
from q to A feet deep. In some cases
it will be necessary to supplant the
bitches with underneath drains, through
which the water will pass. If the ma
terial of the bed is Of such a nature as
to retain water, thorough hnnderdrainage
is necessary. The underdrains are laid
sometimes transversely or across the
bed, sometimes longitudinally or length
wise the road, and occasionally in V
shape with the point up hill. They are
constructed of brick, stone and round
agricultural tile and at distances vary
ing with the retentive nature of the
ground, clay being three times as re-
tentive of moisture as sand. We are
careful regarding the material upon
which we place the foundations of a
building, and why should we not be so
regarding that upon which we place the
road covering?
.Water is the enemy of good roads. |
Relieved of this the road will largely |
escape the injurious action of rain and |
frost. Though the surface Of the cover
ing be SO shaped as to'shed the water
falling upon it into the side bitches and |
so consolidated as TO be as near as |
water tight as possible, the road cannot |
be maintained as it should be unless the |
earth foundation either naturally or |
through underdrains allows the rapid |
escape of any surplus water that may |
reach it. Thorough drainage is the life |
of a road and | feel that this fact can
not be made too prominent. Good |
roads are, like other good investments, |
in the long run always the cheapest. |
At times necessity may justify corduroy
and plank roads and local circumstances |
make shell, Stag, cinder and charcoal |
roads desirable but for system of |
county roads gravel and stone are the
materials in general use and Of these
materials our county has an abundance.
This very fact makes the continued ex-
istence OF earth roads the more mex
cusable. If for q time we must endure /
them as necessary evil sbillfnl renova-
tion and intelligent maintenance can
make their endurance an easier matter
Soils composed of gravel. sand and a
little clay make the best earth roads.
Clay alone in wet weather makes mud,
sand alone in dry weather, dust. There
fore dress clayey road with sand and
sandy road with clay, water them and
roll them well, giving the surface
slope from the middle towards the sides
of in 20 or "a feet. Then, because
drains will fill up and road beds wear
out, by system Of repairs, not spasmodic
but continuous, keep them in good order.
Entertaining the hope we do regarding
an improved system of roads for ono
county, In technical as well as in a |