The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1892-04-29
A Plea for Improved Roads.

ry to say much on the necessity of good
roads, as the public now very generally
realizes this; but very few even now see
the need of having good roads to and
from country towns which are not only
good enough to drive over with heavy
team at any season of the year, but be-
sides are in such good condition that
there shall be no necessity for shifting
from one side of the road to the other to
avoid those miniature lakes of mud
around which there are so often we'll
defined tracks. Indeed this track often
cuts well into the grass at one side of
the road. Quite often we see a farmer
who has enough love for good lawn to
put number of timbers or heavy boughs
across the grass bordering the road.
This is indeed a good plan, but why
should it be necessary? Simply because
the roads are so badly constructed that
in rainy seasons often any place at the
side of the track is preferable to the
road-bed itself. In clay roads it is a tor
ture to drive horse in spring or fall,
as the horse not only has to pull the
carriage through the mud, but also to
draw his own feet out of the mud at
every step. This, to our shame be it
said, is true even of light buggies; how
much more, then, is it true of heavier
wagons, those used for farm produce
and other heavy trucking wagons. Why,
to take fair load of any sort to the
! railroad station in early spring with a
single horse would in some parts of Ad-
olson county, in this State, for instance,
be almost an act of cruelty. Here let
me cite from Henry Irwin, c. E., on
this point: "A horse can draw on a
| common macadamized road more than
| twice as much, and on a good solid Tel
ford macadam road more than three
| times as much, as he could on gravel
road"
A Telford macadam road is one
formed of layers of broken stone, the
smaller size being near the top, and
sub-stratum of blocks of stone four or
five inches across and six or seven inches
in depth; in soft soils lower stratum
yet is formed of quantity of rubble.
The stratum of large stone is made very
carefully. in fact very much as the
driveways of the city are constructed.
Notice that Mr.. Irwin compares a
gravel road with a macadamized road,
not muddy road full of ruts with a
macadamized road, or even indeed with
fairly good and well-drained road of
gravel. Gen. Gilmore, in an article in
Johnson's Clyclopedia, tells us, that if
it took 80 horses to conduct the traffic
of a dry and smooth broken stone road,
it would require 112 if the road had light
ruts in it and was muddy, while if it had
1eep ruts and was very muddy, it would
require 1872.
Perhaps suggestion or two might
not be out of place here, first one for the
city: Most of us will "go round block"
if only we can avoid the layer of broken
stone that is thrown down on the surface
q, dirt road, and left there until the
way becomes finally passable, though in
the mean time a source of agony to man
and beast. Now in France and Great
Britain, and in some cities in the
United States, they have steam roll
ing machines of about SIX or seven
tons burden, and the way they make
their roads lat least in the United States)
is something like this: from the bitches
on each side of the road there is grad
ual slant to the centre, exactly in the
centre and taking up about % feet is the
double horse car track; this 25 feet is
paved with small square blocks of stone
Between this and the ditch about s or 10
inches Of earth are taken out, then there
is thrown in a large quantity of stones
broken rather large; this is forced into
position by the roller, and another lot of
stone, broken trife smaller, is thrown
on and rolled, this is repeated until the
space is filled up. The road thus made
is in perfect condition the instant the
workmen are taken off.
This, however, seems to relate entirely
to city roads, though indeed it ought not
to do so. In the case of country roads it
seems as if the only practicable way were
to make road that has good drainage
as a chief requirement and then to com
plement this by carting sand and small
gravel on to clay soil, and clay on to
those roads which lie over sandy soils.
Now, if o Jer this a steam road roller
were run, a road would be made that
would last for many years and increase
the ease of communication 100 per cent.
A road roller might be owned by the
county and used continuously on the
different county roads. The first cost is
indeed great, but it would no doubt pay
in increased facility of transportation,
and so also in the greater value of the
farms which border on the improved
road.
Once we have good road, what meas
ures are most likely to keep it in good
condition? Good drainage being once
secured, no great care need be taken ex-
cept to clear away those drifts which
force the road to one side, and further,
to prevent the use of heavily loaded
wagons with small tires. Even the best
roads will be damaged by the use of
large loads on narrow tires,