The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1892-04-16
GOOD ROADS.
For The pemoeratic Advocate. J


The finest roads ever known were those OF
the ancient Romans Some oil these, whicI
were built AS early as 800 B. c., are still used
for all kinds of traffic, and rank among the
hest i'm the countries where they are tound.
We now have many improvements IN ma
,hinery. ETC., which these people kne"
nothing about, but their plans for construc-
ton cannot well be improved upon. lhey
were as follows:
lst To run the roads as straight as post
HE have Them made Of the best materials
ob,ainable and sufficiently wide for easy pas
sage t., tho
ID. To have the grades as uniform as tne
country would permit, which would SOMETIMES ne
necessitate the leveling OF small hills ana MI
ing up OF valleys. ,.,.
ID. TO keep all drains aud water Outle's
clear and to have the hedges OF shrubbery at
a proper height TO allow the sun ana VIM 10
ACT on the surface OF the road.
For the amount of money expended on It's
roads the United States makes very poor
abo,y;ng II is estimated, that IN the last
CIV wears one state has alone spent szoO,-
900. 600 on roads, and the result is not sans
factory at that high figure. Good roads are
a bene6t to everybody, but especially to the
farmers. who have so much hauling to DO;
II has been found that in Illinois tuil LOAD
can be carried on the state roads only thres
months during the year, two-thlrds OF Ioau
three months, and one-half OF a load the re-
naming six months From this one cause
,La yalne of land is deprecated about $780,.
900 900. and the cost of hauling increased
abont one third The roads here are little II
any better Many farmers have come TO tne
conclusion that bad roads are one oil the eViis
that cannot be cured and must be endured.
The sooner this idea is abandoned, the better,
for good roads will give them the advantage
of easy transportation to the markets all the
Gear round greatly reduce the wear anu tear
on wagons and harness aud enhance Tue
value of property to large extent mere
are two very well known facts:
list. That no improvements can be maze
without money, and second, that farms Will
not stand too heavy taxes nowadays, SO that
il wonld not do TO increase them TO obtain the
necessary funds. We think if the states and
counties would give little more attention 20
the roads, they could be greatly improved IN
a short time with the same amount OF money
that is now wasted on good for nothing roads.
The cause of much of the present bad condl,
ton of the roads is due TO the so'calied
good road laws. In each county, a ROAD
supervisor is annually elected, regardless oil
whether he knows anything about roads ana
their maintenance. He must of course try to
place his political friends, and we hnd that
he soon neglects the Bost of his work to look
after them. TO remedy this, let each county
appoint, not elect, supervisor VINO Is a
Good civil engineer and whom they may EN-
ploy as long as his services are satisfactory
Give him entire charge over all the roads IN
that COUNT. and power to appoint his assis-
tan:s and to hire all labor needed. In TINS
way we may have some one who knows ms
business and can attend strictly to IT, u
would also be u good move II the states would
buy out all turnpike companies. as they are
:. nuisance, paying large dlvidends TO he
stockholders. and letting the road take care
of itself.
What is the best road?
The first important step in road making rs
the location. In making this selection all
large hills, swampy and clayey soils should be
avoided AS much as possible. In very hlliy
country it will be found advantageous to
follow along rivers or large creeks, as is often
done in rairoading. As water is the greatest
enemy of good roads, the next important step
is the drainage of the road bed. Every road
should have drain or ditch about four feet
deep on each side and where the soil is very
damp underdrains should be constructed:
A dead level should be avoided, as it will
keep the water from draining off the surface I
and in that way help to soften ii. All road /
beds should be cleared of any loose dirt or
sticks that may be upon it, and be thoroughly
rolled before any stone is put on. The rolled
road-bed should have the same transverse
slope that the metaled surface is to have
when finished Next comes the 70 proper.
IL has been question TO road en- ineers Tor
some time which Of the two great rival sys- /
tens. the ''relford' and "Macadam, is the
better. The majority have decided in favor
of the ''Telford." which, though the first cost
Iii aM.nnb,,,, - - fnuud
TO present better surface at all times aud
not wear out as quickly. The "1elford'
system is to construct the road on rough
foundation of large broken stone, over which
the layers of small stone are spread. The
cost of a road like this varies from "a, 900 to
& 900 per mile, and the cost Of maintenance
is about SIS per mile, annually. The Mae
adam has no foundation, the stone beng
spread on the road bed of earth. Although
no better surface for road can be found
than one made up of these small stones. it is
often found to wear very rutty II composed
entirely of them, this is caused by the stones
sinking into the earth. This sinking Is
prevented in the ''Telford' system by the
foundation of large stones. Of course where
"A road is constructed over rocky ground,
hardpan or very compact gravel, this tounda-
ton is unnecessary. In making a road no
stone is spread it should be well watered and
rolled with steam roller from 10 TO 20 tons
in weight. On top should be spread layer
of stone clippings, about one inch deep, to
helm the other stone to bind well together.
This also should be thoroughly watered and
rolled. The whole road when finished should
be about 20 inches deep, from 10 to 80 feet in
width and have slope from the center
toward the sides of one inch in thirty. The
best quality of stone should always be used
and the only varieties admissible are the dlt-
ferent kinds of greensboro and basalt, and
good trap rock. These all stand great strain
IN crushing, are tough and generally break
into cubical or angular pieces. After Road
is finished, its maintenance is the next great
feature Many road tenders seem to think
chat the faeness of IA road depends upon the
amount of dirt and ditch scrapings put on;
this is entirely wrong and nothing will inlure
4 road more. The following are few rules
which will hold good in most cases:
list. Keep the road as free from dirt and
dust, and in this way free of mud. rs possible.
I'd. Keep all drains and water outlets
clear of rubbish, so that the water may flow
freely.
I'd. Repair the surface as soon as u flaw
appears, and never put on new material until
all mud and water has been removed from
ahe rut 1t will be found well in repairing
roads to loosen the stones around the part to
be fixed, so that the new material will bind
well with the old. 1t would save great deal
of time and expense II each township yes
provided with steam roller and portable
stone crusher.
If the farmers wish to let them work out
their road tax by hauling stone. or for the
use Of teams, but in no case let them work
on the road, es il takes an experienced hand
to do that nightly. The use of broad tired
wheels should also be encouraged.
II