The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1892-04-07
Good Country Roads.

lne earliest rOaQ5 Ol WHICH auytuiuS
il known are the old Roman roads. One
of the oldest of these is the celebrated
Appian Way, which was constructed
about 312 B. G. This, as we'll as all
other Roman roads, was model Of solid.
ity-a model, which if initiated by the
road builders of this country would give
US the finest roads of the present day.
Whenever the SONS of the Imperial
City conquered a new country they
would Immediately build their military
roads, so that at the slightest sign of an
iusurrection the legions of Cesar could
be put in motion.
Their method of read construction is
we'll worth considering and initiating.
Two trenches parallel to each other
were first cut to mark the breadth of the
road, and all loose earth was then remov-
ed till a firm foundation was found.
Upon this four layers of masonry were
laid. The first layer consisted of two or
three courses of flat stones; the second
was of rubble masonry or coarse con-
crete; the third of finer concrete on
which as fourth layer was pavement
of polygonal blocks of hard stone, Joined
together with great care. The paved part
of these roads was about sixteen feet
wide. Many of their roads we're not
paved, however, but had hard concrete
finish, or pebble and flint set in mortar.
A system of roads after this plan would
of course be very expensive at first, but
in the end it would be by far the cheap
est Ifimpracticable If to adopt the sys-
tenn entirely an imitation of it's best fea.
lures would prove beneficial, such as a
foundation of stone. Here in our South
ern land the government seems to believe
that as long as it keeps the roads passa-
BILE it's full duty is done. Now if the
roads were laid on a rock foundation in
the beginning they would need compar.
atively little repairing, and consequently
the government would would be less an.
noyed about them.
Many would probably say that taxa
tion for this purpose would be ruinous to
the country; but everything must be
done by degrees, the work of putting the
road in good condition could be gradual.
Take the principal roads first, aud by de-
grees get them all on solid foundation.
Would the people lose by so construct.
ing their roads? In twenty-five years
what is saved in the general wear and
tear of horses, vehicles, harness, bicycles
and the like, would about pay for the
construction of the roads to say nothing
of the time saved in tfavel and transport
tation.
But while the system like the one re-
ferred to would be the best in q rocky
country, in the northern part of South
Carolina for instance, where stone for the
foundation of the road is found at hand,
in the southern part of the State it might
be too expensive.
Here in our sandy soil, it seems that
the best road that we can make, which is
at all practicable, is road composed of
our clay and sand mixed and rolled so
that the parts may be consolidated.
Drains are essential to every good road,
for if water is allowed to remain on the
road, it will soon be in an almost i'm.
passable condition.
Two other important phases of this all
important question are, by whom is tho
work to be done, and how is the money
to be raised?
Many experiments have been made in
the line OF the first inquiry, and the best
results have been obtained in this section,
at least when the work has been done by
contractors. 1t might be well for those
who have been sentenced for short terms of
confinement in the County Jail to be put
to work on the roads in the County where
they have been convicted. In this way
they would be turned to some use instead
of being an expense to the County.
To raise the necessary money for work.
ing the roads, let the State levy a road
tax on property. This would be just,
because the property owner is benefited
more than the man who does not own
any property. A further provision should
authorize the County Commissioners to
give out contracts for the maintenance
of the roads in their respective Counties
A good road is one of the greatest con.
veniences of The country and it is high
time for the good people of South Caro-
lima to wake up to this fact. "Aikcnite," !"
In Journal and RevieW.
Aiken, s. c., March LIST, 1892.