The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1894-12-22
FARM AND GARDEN.
TRoLLEYs AND ROADS. y
why Car Tracks Should BE Kept on Inn
proved Highways.

II I ~ l. - 81
why Car Tracks should Be Kept on Inn
proved Highways.
For several years past there has
been jealous agitation in favor OF
the Improvement of country roads. As
pointed out from time TO time in this
paper, this agitation, this movement,
ia now resulting in practical better
ment of the highways In many locali-
ties, and aFeneral discussion Of ways
and means to such ends in almost
every enlightened neighborhood In the
But the road-improvers and the
makers of road laws need to be on
their guard; for it has teen demon.
strated time and again in the near
neighborhood OF large cities that so
soon as country roads In populous
neighborhoods or between prosperous
villages have been graded and paved,
the builders of trolley railroads pounce
upon them and divert them almost
completely from the purpose for which
they were intended. The extension of
trolley lines into the country should
be encouraged in all proper ways. but
the public authorities, the lawmakers
and the people should insist that these
trolleys should be located in proper
places. Such proper places are not
upon paved roadbeds. nor yet on the
spaces between the pavements and the
bitches.
The pavement of . macadamizcd
| roadway is meant to drive on; it is in
jured very seriously by having horse
car track on it; for driving purposes ii
Is ruined by having q trolley track
upon it-ruined as completely as
though an ordinary railroad track were
placed over the pavement. Nor should
the spaces between the pavement and
the bitches be used for railway tracks,
for these spaces are admirable driving
roads more than half the time. and the
rest of the time are needed for drain
age purposes in taking the rainfall
from the pavement to the bitches. A
railway track of any kind would in
terrupt this drainage, which is of the
greatest possible Importance, as the
macadam pavement is, after all, as
much in the nature of roof as any
thing else. Tho inventor of this sys-
tenn of road-building maintained that
If road-bed were made dry by drain
age, .and kept dry by an impervious
covering, it would carry any load that
could be placed upon it And the ex-
perience of four generations has
proved that Macadam was right In his
theory. But If we break this roof for
a railway track, or if we interrupt the
surface flow of water by a railway
track on the side, then the whole pur-
pose of the road construction has
been defeated.
1t is desirable, however, that trolley
lines should be located near to the
roads. for then they are easily accessi-
BILE. The natural place for them is ON
the roadside beyond the bitches This
location involves the expense of grad
ing for the railway roadbed, and
hence the builders of trolleys endeavor
to secure permission to put their lines
on the roadbed, where everything has
been prepared in advance. This is as
wrong as it can be, for such locations
not only ruin the roadway, but make
it dangerous to life. There should be
incorporated in. every road law that
no permission should be given to place
railroad on the roadway without re-
ferring the question to the popular
vote of, the township, and requiring
that the railroad should then pay a
rental of not less than ten per ceut.
per annum on the first cost of the
roadway Such a provision of the. law
would compel trolley roads to seek and
find other locations for their lines; and
would leave the common roads for tae
uninterrupted use for which they were
intended.
When the railroad came into exis-
tence, two generations ago, the effort
to secure good commonxoads in Amer
lea was abandoned, because it was fan
cied that with the development of the
railroad the common road would not
be needed. But experience has. shown
that the greater the travel on the rail
roads the greater the travel on the
common roads, and hence that the lat
ter are really a greater necessity than
ever. And we will learn the same les
son from the extension of the trolley
system, for travel begets travel. How
unwise it will be, therefore, just as
we are on the eve, of securing for our
selves and our children a-good system
of country highways to give them
over to these private corporations for
use quite foreignsto that fer (which
we improved 4hem Harper $ Weekly.
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