The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1892-12-30
GOOD COUNTRY ROADS

Impsssssss for stone or Dirt.
Except in the vicinity Of the largest
ct..ss in this vast country. with its mil.
hons Of agriculturists buried for six
months Of each year in the oblivion q.
winter SHOWS and vsrnal mud. the coun-
nv roads are disgrace and menace to
human life. Our present road system,
a No term it, was never intended 10 be
ANYTHING more than makeshift to cover
shs immediate necessities Of pioneer life.
In the half century covering the period
from 1880 TO 1880 We expanded our gres.
railroad system- II seemed that sooner
- later we should be able to hear the
.eream OF the whistle at our very doou.
and re we're proud Of the praise BE-
slowed by the world ON our railroad.
Lstterly we have been compelled TO hear
with shame-because Of the truth of the
asA-rtion-that our earth roads are the
yer, worst under the SUM- The FAC.
must be apparent to every man that cur
roadmaster system fails 1T every point
20 meet the necessities OF our increased
incubation aud advanced agricultural
;r,avests- The work that Is done l. tE
the most part thrown away from iacs
| ~ knowledge Of the fundamental prin-
ciples Of road construction.
In the United States the almost uni
xsrxal custom Of read building Is iirecs
taxation. A supervisor Is appointed ,of
the year. whose principal QuaihcstiSn
for the Office is his ability to do nothing
hitch entities him to about three collars
aaax for himself and his horse 10 look
.f,er the roads Of his district. de PEI
forms this duty by calling out his neigh
hors 70 work out their tax Usually 10
one among them knows much aoo1'
road building. but every man. being one
Of the sovereign people with VOTE Con
sttutes himself an inspector OF highway
and requires a great deal OF time 20 COM
municate his views to the supervisor.
=. an instance Of lack OF p-acticA
knowledge Of road building. which cha'-
.c,erizes the ordinary supervisor, no
following extract from letter o. NJ
selim II. Peabody. Of the Woria ialf
Eberal arts bureau, to Colonel foIr :
amusing, TO say the least: "A cfussi'S4
!, was required toconnect . hignwas ~e-s
r,ave with the road in the vale! D.
low four miles distant. passing a. lae
{ xav through q primitive forest III
? .,nrorriatiou was barely sufficient "
0 hu,,a one-half the road. and the snIei
: xisor was bent on building tne III
xia,h from the valley half way ~
.,orpins in the midst Of the uninha Que
a timber-a road from scmewhsTe = =
a where. An engineer theorlsf, no"e,s
: .nvue~ted that be build half wiiu
- INNING clear through, with the resu
! th>t- calling out the men VINO NV
- above and wanted to get down. wi
- ,ho~s rom below who sought to rea'
= the ridge. he got useful single Ira
n from the ridge to the river As well
40 the reputation Of being man OF sal
~ nor judgment" D.
. our railway system has abou. ,eAche.
ct economic limit. The iron roads nasecoA
he - near our farms n possible. we ml
IN row 20 TO meet them The real COZ
ma tr~nsro,.ation still remains In hanIn
nj onr crope from the fields to the 50.
bou.e and depot. Whatever we sun
from high tariffs on railroads. 'he 81
trouble Is that as yet we have devised
81 method to cheaply haul our crops cu'
- H.. felds without large waste and W
and delay. Our shame Is tna' w
driving our horses In the Eight
us century while our steam engines run
the Nineteenth j.
,ut The stubbornness Of our farUers II
In ~s.ine = change which will add one-n
10 TO their producing capital in me I
be half century can be overcome oniy "
will thew see that their Losses by the "
to- rvstem far exceed any saving tnstcol
or from working out their taxes
his The goal at which We should an
as our ultimate Is either the macauan
~ The telford stone road. The cost q !, y
- does not materially differ. the ~
Then well laid costing the larger
A The grading. draining and forums
~ ro.dhed Arc Of the same chaTac'e.
ne! reouire about the same amount q
'ous terial. The telford Is ordinarily
lac however. costs about twice a. Trcl
IN ~. r.~adam. The latter Is corsi1
! VI BY most engineers iuiiy
Cas- the needs Of this country. II cons
: roadbed constructed OF stones .
exceed in diameter an inch and d
The harder the rock used the =
u q che rod. The thickness OF the
I n IA should be twelve or fifteen u
larv although much il laid but six n
,,ch The telford is laid on bottom q Y
,;nc stones placed points upward Ma
~. H.. boosted that be could build peIinan
-. rood roads over bogs. and ne y
u 49,, using thickness Of seven 'nches
liver In this country 1t Is not probable !.
a IN : LAYER would suffice on account
place severe freezings in winter oreak,'
with the solidity. The average cos' .. !
d IN mscsdam il about 5000 Tor q Z
mail rosd and half that sum i"r :
Cd ~ fifteen feet. The roads lsr
T. Richardson bill for New
TO be nine feet wide an. \.
1000 per mile. Fifty dolla., =
!. : mile Of good road In repair
find year. .t.
wh;l~ nm inport2nt phase of w