The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-11-30
ROAD CONSTRUCTION.
To BE Successful, the Work Must 10
Placed In Competent Hands.

Placed In Corupctcnt Hands.
The only way in which we can hope
to deal with the matter of our high
ways without disastrous laundering is
by securing men to guide the work who
have been wcll-traincd for the task.
We are at present, as regards our COM
mon roads, in the position in which we
were when the rapid expansion of our
railway system began, some fifty years
ago. Then, as now, there were but Il very
few engineers who had studied the art
of building the new ways, and were
thus fitted to train noviceS for the en-
ploymcnt. A few of these masters i'll
the new art were retained in the
schools of engineering which began ut
that time to be founded i'll this country
In the course of two decades these
schools provided Il corps of young men
who were competent to deal with the
business of railway building, aided by
the accumulated learning which could
be brought to bear on the subject.
They were at graduation not masters of
their art, but were SO far trained that
with n little practical experience they
could be trusted to attain to that sta
ton; such are indeed the uses of school
ing in the science and art of subject;
Il man is thereby made ready to profit
from his apprenticeship in his chosen
work. At the present time our tech
meal institutions provide even more
railway engineers than the vast system
of iron roads of this country can we'll
employ.
The need of men by training made
competent to take charge of our com
mon roads is So immediate and press
ing that our technical schools should at
once begin the task of educating them;
this they will doubtless at once pro-
coed TO do, for our institutions of this
nature arc quick and effective in their
endeavorS to meet the economic needs
of this country. 1t is less than twenty
years since it became evident that there
was to be Il new and important profess
sion, that of the electrical engineer; al
ready there are dozens of places in this
country where men can be admirably
fitted for this calling: not only the in
situations which have been established
for the development Of tho mechanic
arts, but the older universities, such as
Harvard, have added laboratories of
applied electricity to their resources,
and have provided the detailed instruc-
ton which the expert needs.
1t is a matter of much Importance
that the men who arc to take charge of
our highways should have broad
training. 1t may seem at first sight that
the railway engineer, because the work
he has to do is far more costly than our
common roads, should have longer
preparation for his tasks than the road
master. The fact is, however, that the
apparently simpler employment de-
mands the broader preparation. 1t has
fallen to me, as dean of the scientific
school of Harvard university, to consid-
er in a careful way what the needs of
this preparation really are. Fortunate
~ for the inquiry, my services in the
Massachusetts highway commission has
given the basis for a judgment on this
point The Investigations of that com
mission have shown it's members not
only the state of the roads in the com
monwealth, but have very clearly re-
vealcd the kind of knowledge and skill
which will be demanded of the men
who are to improve their condition On
the basis of the knowledge thus OBJ
tanned the plan of the instruction for
those who are to be made ready for tho
| occupation of the road-builder is sub
There is a certain common founda-
ton of pure and applied mathematics
which has to be acquired by engineers,
whichever part OF that great field of
knowledge they may intend to till;
whether they may propose to devote
themselves to railway construction, to
architecture, to mechanical engineer
ing, to sanitation, to applied elcctrci-
| ty, or to the construction of highways,
much of the requirement is the same.
TO this wcll-acccptcd educational foun-
dation the road-mastcr will need to add
| special training in the following de-
| partments: In field surveying he must
| pay special attention to the art of dc
| lineating the surface of a country by
means of contour maps. These are
necessary as the first step in planning
or demonstrating a route He must
know enough of geology to be able TO
pass a critical judgment on the char
acter of the materials with which he
has to deal. He must know the com
moner rocks by sight and be informed
as to their properties; he must more
| over, know when to doubt his own
| opinion and how to obtain a correct
answer to such questions He must
| know so much at least of the chemistry
| of the rocks as pertains to his needs =
! Prof. n. S. Shaler, in Frank Leslic's
| Weekly.