The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-05-22

'heht which tended to lessen the grades and
make the track smooth and hard; and the
oebt engineering talent In the world has been
employed to bring these railroads 10 their
present condition OF excellence. Twenty
I'VE years ago. before the general adoption Of
the long, solid-faced steel rail. the power re-
CURED 10 move the rolling stock was conside-
iaoiy greater than At present. In 1870 It cost
tne New York Central Railroad Company
about one and one-sixth cents to move each
ton OF freight over one mile OF railroad. This
seems very small sum, but as small az IL
may appear il was reduced in 1889 to about
hve mills. Other railroad lines show cor
responding decrease in running expenses. all
que 10 the Improvement OF the tracks and
roadbed
The practical conclusion is this: A good
roadbed pays: 1t saves power. shoriens dis
lance ana time, increases speed. insnres COM
fort and safety, and is. in whatever way you
stale II. good investment. Now, the wagon
by Which you haul your loads 10 market bears
tle same relation 10 the road that the railroad
ear bears TO the steel track; the car and tne
wagon are both vehicles, and IN the earlier
days Of railway traffic railway cars were
Drawn by horses lust a. wagons are drawn
upon the common road. and Just as street cars
are now drawn in the cities. The ordinary
street car. drawn by two horses, weighs J,OOj
pounds; the open car used in summer VIII
seat nifty passengers, weighing I,OOC pounds;
total, $4,000 pounds, or net tons, and this
load Is drawn by team at the rate OF miles
an hour without difficulty. The wheels of
your wagon are made round and true. they
turn upon aIles as smooth and well lubri-
Gated As those Of a car; your horses are as
good as those employed in the street car
service, and you have every facility for
moving large loads quickly and cheaply. eX-
cept the single requirement of good road.
Ol course / so not intend 10 argue that wagon
loads cea be hauled upon high-class road As
cneapiy a. upon the steel railroad track, but
| nave shown you enough 10 convince you
that ile ordinary dirt road is in no way fitted
Tor your business and that a wonderful con-
tra-t exists between such "A road and the we'll
made highways OF other countries.
Another thing which your engineer will
teach YOU is that work 20 be done cheapy
must be done in a systematic way; that the
cheapest way 10 care for road and 70 keep
It IN repair IS TO place it in charge Of some
person who will be held responsible for its
condition throughout the entire year. In your
township the roads are mended or 'worked'
once, or ~ the most, twice, year. and Tor the
balance OF the season are neglected. Even
wuen the warm weather Of spring mas dried
up considerable portion OF the road so as 10
make 10 tariy pass1ble great mud holes are
found mere and there. in which the farmers
frequently become stuck with heavy loads,
causIng no end Of delay and trouble. chain
is no stronger than its weakest link and a
road is little better than it, deepest mud hole.
Won might be able 10 haul ton OF hay over
that dirt road for mile on either side of THIS
mud hole. aud your team would be stuck at
this point with q load OF halt that size.
And so you see that this is. after all an
important QUE sti0n, and one which most Of
all concerns the farmer.