Asheville daily citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1890-1900, 1892-04-13
OF ROADS
THELYCEUM MsOcIETY's MEET
ING LAST NIGHT.
Col. l.. NJ. Hatch Leads the Discus.
sion of the Question of the Ret
terment of Roads in the County
and streets In the City.


terment of Roads in the County
and streets In the City.
"The Improvement of roads" was the
subject of discussion at the regular
weekly meeting OF the Lyceum last
night. Col. L. NJ. Hatch was the lead
ing speaker.
Thanking several friends for books and
newspaper clippings showing the inter
est the people of every part of the coun-
try are taking in their dirt roads, Col.
Hatch quickly went over the Importance
of good roads and almost as quickly
came to the fact that in the mountains
straight roads are impossible They
must curve with the valleys and ridges
or up and down over the hills. A civl-
lized community wants roads on which
light vehicles can move rapidly and the
heaviest loads be carried. The CONNER
cial value of road depends on its power
to save time and money in transporta-
ton. The speaker instanced Battery
Park as showing the Importance OF
curves in ascent and for avoiding the
waste of washouts.
The destructive force of rushing water
as shown on many of Asheville's streets,
saw, for one, South Main north of the
bridge, and just south Of it, as offering
an example of what water coming in
from side cuts and rising from springs can
do for roads left in the hands OF men who
do not know how to drain or why they
should drain. Men may learn from
books that macadam is the best road
and how to build it, but may never learn
Just where bit of road must be made
perfect to be of any account, and where
| for miles the merest attention to super
fetal drainage and the slightest grave
covering may suffice. Not in books will
they find that for covering of walks anc
the surface of roads in Buncombe, ou1
quartz rock, ground, would furnish per
haps our best material. Nor may they
be told to go to Bitmore Tor few
drainage tile for the desperate places.
Improvement in roads must come, a
so much improvement in other thing
does. from above. The men who wall
the dirt road from necessity are not tn
ones who will ask for sidewalks. Fo
years the suggestion has fallen on dea
ears, and will until men OF e'ucatio
plan and do for the walkers.
The speaker asked if it would not hav
been better to have laid out a perfect
new street from the depot rathe
than plow up fairly good stree
like Depot street. This would have bee
more satisfactory to some of the pcop
than to have their trees taken up, fence
removed and houses injured. Ii Il glane
of the eye counts for anything bette
grade, shorter line could have been toun
: going through lands more like countr
than town, where streets must be CT
some day. When half built up oth'
= things beside the best route to the dcp'
= will come in, and so Ashevllle Will new
= have "best" route.
Col. Hatch's ideas summed up wer
First, good grades. Next. direction t'
shortness. As all important, dralnag
A wet road connot be a good one. /
would make perfect the well known bf
places and improve at least cost the be
ter parts; advising the use OF quar-
rock tor surface dressing of roads al
sidewalks which should go with eve
road. The cost of the roads should
paid by all interested in having thel
Lastly, brains must go into all and ov
, all that belongs to road.
Col. Thos. b. Long made a torcll
speech, showing the Importance OF al
the necessity for good roads. Havi
closely studied the subject whilst journ(
ing over six of the southern states in t
IF discharge of his duties in the postotf
department he instanced several fl
roads, the result of the influence of W
s, and public spirited new comcrs in Il
western mountain country. He regaI
ed the question as of morcimportance
/ the people OF Buncombe and Ashev
than any of the national questions.
Mai. T. c. Westall advocated bet
arrangement for the construction
roads. The burden should not be on
back of labor alone but on the should
II. of all who would be benefited by 60
roads.
DR.. G. II. Mayer and others m;
short but interesting talks on the $
ject. :,
T. X. Ransom, esq, has consented
= read a paper before the Lyceum II
J Tuesday night, on a subject to be
nounccd later.