Asheville daily citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1890-1900, 1894-10-10
NOW FOR BETTER COUNTY ROADS
ANOTHER STEP TOWARD \ MOST
DESIRABLE END.

Report OF the Committee sent out to
Inspect Good Roads.
The following is one section OF the
report of the Buncombe Good Roads
committee, as submitted to the Board of
Commissioners at their meeting Mon
day:
Acting under authority from you, we
attended the North Carolina Road con-
vention, held at Charlotte, n, c., Sept.
10Th aud 13tE.
This was the largest road conve ntion
ever held in the South, and Prof. Holmes
says surpassed in its personnel the AS
bury Park convention. Your committee
attended the 5, ,ssions of this convention
and participated in its deliberations. On
the alternoon of the 10Th we visited the
city quarri,s aud crushcr and saw the
construction of MacAdamzed roads in
the CITY. They are using 12X3O inch
IIoagland crusher with guaranteed
capacity of $50 tons every 10 hours.
This is run by 3O.horse power engine
The cost Of the Clusher was Sl,75O,
complete with screens. rhe engine cost
about $500. There is a very fine quarry
near the center OF the CITY. They hoist
the stone by steam power from the
quarry into the Crushcr. From the
crusher the stone goes into wagons. The
cost of crushed stone spread on the
streets is about 70 cents per cubic yard.
On the morning of the 18th your COM
mittee, under the care of the citizens of
Charlotte and Mccklcnburg county,
went on tour OF inspection over the
country roads. The trip was over the
old Statesvlllc road, once famous as the
worst road i'll North Carolina.
This is now one of the best
roads in the State 1t is laid off
about 80 feet with good bitches on each
side. On one side about Is feet is Mac
Adamzcd This is put down in four
courses. The first course is laid with
common field stone which are dumped
into the road and packed down with
hammers On this is spread the Mac
Adam, then top dressing of crushed
stone, all being well rolled The drain
age is thorough. all drain pipes and
bitches being below the level of the bot.
tom of the MacAdam, On this road is
located the convict camp and quarry
Here they use 1Oxi5 Blake crusher
with capacity Of 100 cubic yards every
10 houts. The power is furnished bv a
15-horsc power Erie City engine. The
cost OF this plant is about 81 400
Returning we drove over the Tucka
seegcc Ford road which is of similar con
stiuctiou to the Statesv,lle road. These
roads have been built about five years
and show no signs Of wear. The cost i:
about $4,000 per mile.
Meckcnburg now has about 40 miles
of MacAdamizcd road, and no place w
have visited shows more signs o
material growth than Charlotte an'
MCcklenburg county. Good roads hav'
placed them tar ia advance of thei
neighbors, and every citizen Ct tn
county is an enthusiastic advocate o
good roads.
At Washington.
From Charlotte we went direct t,
Washington where we were joined b.
: Gen. Roy Stone and Mr.. Frank Hume
with whom we went over the Noun
Vernon road in Alexandria county. Thi
is section of road three miles long ant
has been in use over three years. 1t i
MacAdamized with field stone crushe,
and laid down four inches deep on
roadway 0 feet wide, and upon this
course OF gravel is spread. The roa,
showed no Slgrs OF wear although tn
traffic is very heavy. This road cos
about 5000 per mile.
From Washington your committc
went to Camden county, \. e, where W
were joined bv State commissioner c
public roads, Edward Burroughs an
Nr. l., G. Harrison, engineer in charge c
construction. With these gentlemen "
drove over the roads i'll Camden an
Burlington counties. These are Mac
Adamizcd 10 to l5 feet in the cente'
from to 10 inches in depth. Some SCI
tions are TclIord foundations with thre
to four inches MacAdam on top. Otht
foundations are made by sprcadin
large stones for foundation and bcatin
down with hammers. upon this placin
the MacAdam, while other sections al
constructed entirely Of MacAdam.
In building these roads they are Go'
crncd entirtl ly bv the conditions OF tt
soil. II the road is through low w
place Tcliord foundation is used. Ii
good clay foundation where good dra
age can be had, only MacAdam is use
These are probably the best roads SCI
by the committee. The greatest ca
and attention is given to drainage.
! To Build Good Roads.
The process of construction is as tt
lows: The road is laid out about 90 fc
wide. 1t is well ditchcd on both side
with drain pipes wherever nccessar
After being properly graded, rolled at
crowncd, the preparation for MacAda
is made by cxcayatlng a bed in the ce
ter OF 10 to Is feet wide, and about
inches deep. Upon this is placed t
MacAdam in layers, being now sprinkl
= and thoroughly rolled. (Horse role
are used hcrc) When this is finish
ready for the top dressing, a layer
one half inch OF red clay is spread oy
the surface upon which the top dress
oil one luCn OF llHc CTuSuSu StOHS - piuSS
all being we'll rolled. The clay acts as
binder and it is claimed makes nj
road MS solid and compact as one vii
out the clay would be at the end OF
months. In the construction of th'
- roads. the greatest care and attention
il, paid to the top course, this being
material that must stand all the wear
Your committee was greatly impress
with the manner in which the spi
between the MacAdam and the ditch "
treated, lnstcad of keeping this clear
j. is allowed to grow over with era
thus keeping the sides from wash
out, and acting as Il binder to hold
the MacAdam on the edges. This gri
is kept well iertilzcd from the washil
of the road. In passing, vehicles nee
sarilv have to drive out on the gra
? and We were very much surprised
find that this passing was so little
any given point (cven on the main tn