The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1892-05-12

@N "M bsteam engines we
have unaccounta.
s bly, allowed ou,
5 AA> =. wagon roads to
s, fall into neglect
EyHS-< Indeed, but few
Ez3sA,. ee of the road over
'1A872& seers, who are ap-
EsA. pointed to see to
TsNUS the general well
fare in thrs particular, have even an
intelligent idea of what road ought
to be. An ideal road should be per-
fectly straight, perfectly level, per
fectly dry, perfectly hard and per-
fectly smooth; but, like all ideals, this
is perfectly unattainable, and it is an
open question if ii would be best even
if it were. However, these five re-
quirements, in practical work and
under natural circumstances, are very
conflicting, and must be modified to
suit1he exegencies of each particular
case.
A road should be perfectly straigh,
in order to be the shortest distance
between the points which it is to con
meet. But it is also important that a
road should be as level as possible
and in hilly countries these two re-
uuirements conflict. A road should
be level in order that the least posi-
bic amount af force may be expended
!; in traction; and, on the principle that
"straightness should always be sacri
feed for the sake of obtaining 9
. level" good road, instead of climb
ing every hill and descending into
every valley, will avoid. as much a.
possible, any change of level oy wind
,, ing around the hillsides. Besides
this can often be done without mate
: rally increasing the distance. 1r
; miny cases a level and curved roaC
around a hill is but little, if any
r longer than the so-called straight ont
! over it, considering both vertical anc
! horizontal straightness. But even i
the distance should be much greater
, the level road would still be the bes
+ since horse can draw heavier LOAD
and travel much faster over it.
In ascending steep hill the force
, of gravity tends to increase greatly
the weight of a load, the increase be
Ing to the weight Of the load as th'
height of the plane is to the length
travelled. Thus a road ascending
one foot in twenty-five will increas'
, the load one twenty-fifth of its origi
. nal weight. This theory fully accord
with the results of experience, and i
r has been practically demonstrated
i, , that, representing load as to what ;
a horse can draw on a dead level, HI
can draw but 90 per cent. of that loae
g on a slope of one foot in a hundred
and but IS per cent. on slope O
! one foot in ten.
4 The popular theory that gentl'
undulating road is much less fatiguinl
to horses than level one has givel
license for the construction OF road
r that have rise in toto of many fee
$ more than is necessary. This, how
: ever, is disproved by the statement O
/, DR.. Barclay, an eminent professor o
t comparative anatomy of Edinburgh
: Scotland, that it is "demonstrably
false idea that the muscles can alter
+ nately rest and come into action un
n der these conditions So we fint
true the principle that road shoult
!; never be allowed to ascend or de
/ scend single foot more than is abso
: lutely necessary.
While a perfectly level road is de
! sirable, YET it is not advisable unless
as along a hillside, the land slope
= away from it, thus giving good drain
n age, for dryness in a road is eve
more essential than levelness. No,
5 the maximum slope in road in as
|. cending concerns the draught, and il
$ descending it concerns the safety c
= rapid transit. 1t is found to be abou
$ one foot in thirty to thirtyfive, &C
9 cording to the nature Of the roadbeC
g But the minimum slope is wholly cor
=, cerned in the drainage, and tn
q should never be less than one foot i
II 125. If a road were a dead level th
J. water would stand in the bitches an
T. undermine the road bed, or i
the road bed itself, SO that it woul
i always be muddy during wet weathe
+ and this should be carefully avoided.
" We have now considered the thre
,e primal requisites for a good road, b,
1t there are still two which are of cor
Is siderable moment. They are hare
i ness and smoothness. On soft roac
j. bed the wheel Of the ordinary wago
h will be continually cutting ruts an
leaving depressions in which watt
~ ~ may gather, and the road will becon
IN muddy. 1t is also impossible to kee
n such bed in the proper shape f
% proper drainage, for the vehicles col
n n tinually passing over its wi wear
st away, and it will tend to become fla
Is. Besides this, the softer the road Il
ne greater the traction. \ rough 70:
- also tends 10 increase the tractio
&C. and should be made as smooth as pc
sible.
The width of a road will, Of cour.
9a depend upon the amount Of travel
ct is to accommodate. This shou
~ never he less than sixteen and a h: