The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1894-10-17
The Highway Problem,

Mr. Edtor:-Three fourths of the highway
tax expended in the average hill towns of
the state, not including winter expenses is
as bad as utterly wasted, because the work
Is not followed up by proper oversight, and
because the science Of road drainage seems
to be one of the lost or undiscovered arts
Many of the lawmakers, being residents of
! villages and not having an intimate knowl-
/ edge of the hill roads may not believe this
statement, but have been watching condi-
! lions and methods for over thirty years,
and am confident 1 am right. A few towns
| have model roads, that are well cared for;
many have made progress; but very many
are about as they were, or are moving back
ward and all the difference is measured by
| the intelligence and faithfulness of those
who have or had the work in charge. 1t
matters little what system we have, If our
officers are capable and reliable. III they
are not, any plan will be a failure; but
there are so few really efficient, that the
fewer managers we have the better will be
the management, il they are the right men
| for the place The highway laws were
never strict enough to bind A man down to
do his whole duty as road officer. He may
by gross negligence cause large losses TO
the town, but there is no penalty. | esti-
mate the annual amount Of such losses in
the state at over 100000, and | think it can
be verified.
1t may be best to affix penalties, but we
should at least use much more wisdom in
selecting commissioners. These should be
|
tics, religion, social position, at times
even character. Let fitness for the work be
the sole criterion. The commissioners
ought to be graduates of a much-needed
short-course department in the state college,
devoted to the construction and preserva-
ton Of the common and specially the hill
roads. They should, soon elected,
set about the selection of the best possible
men to have oversight, through the wheel
ing season, of different sections of the high
way, not necessarily the old highway dis
tricts The chief may have special care of a
large portion OF the town. Ea IN subordi-
nate should be required to keep close watch
of his beat, keep the water guards in condi-
ton to turn the heaviest freshet, and re-
move loose stones of troublesome size.
When the general repair team is working in
his section, he should be with it, His pay
should be fixed by the commissioners for
the highest skill cannot often be had on de-
mand at the rate fixed by law. The COM
missioner should hold frequent counsel with
his section men, and not be above adopting
valuable suggestions from any one. lie
should pass over his roads often, and satisfy
himself that they are receiving proper care,
and are in shape to resist the hardest and
least expected test. He should closely
superintend general repairs, and never do
unnecessary work for his own profit or that
of his gang. He should be very careful in
selecting the tinshers for on this perma-
hence largely depends.
Now about road drainage. The old-style
water bars are the most senseess means
that could be devised. They are not with
out merit, for they could be used as rifle
pits if the tide of war should ever flow this
way; but think the ideal man Of the far
future will invite nervous prostration II he
persists in finding their original use. /
drive over mile of them every week, in
one of our most highly civilized farming
towns. These are fair type OF the species;
team could draw up load fifty per cent
heavier il they were out of the way. When
HnndG IN at
them, there is check in the current, for
they lie square across the road and unless
they are insutferaby high, the deposit of
sediment soon enables the water to go over
them and have good time in the outlying
line. The machine, when it can have its
way, will quickly reform these monstrosi-
ties. When the read has been " turnpiked
, up in the best manner, it will be all right
for awhile; but the heavily loaded wheels
will soon form cutters, which the water
will begin TO follow. Without prompt at
tention, this will result in ruin to the road.
: Within short time have seen many
; places that were finished last spring by the
machine corps; they have not since been
] touched and are fast going to the bad, from
the neglect of laying out a few dimes, at
time when it would have saved as many
3 dollars. Usually, the only water guards
needed are shallow diagonal depressions,
| dug into the hard soil, and running at an
angle of twenty TO forty degrees from the
Q direction Of the road When the water can
escape on each side, they may go only TO
9 the middle of the road, but if all the water
I has to 90 one way, they should extend to
: the other side, and take what would run in
+. the ditch on that side, and they should be
80 near each other that no large amount of
g water can gather at any place, in the
heaviest storms. Whenever it is possible,
the outlets should extend beyond the limits
! Of the highway, otherwise back bitches
should be put in, as far as possible, from
! the road track, and leading to the field at
! the first opportunity These diagonals are
I very effective in clearing the roads of water
They can be quickly made with stout hoe.
! A buggy or bicycle can go over them at
4 good speed without any uncomfortable jolt.
a Their direction serves to makes them self
clearing as there is no check in the cur
, rent; and heavy loads can so over without
4 damaging them, as they are sunk into the
| hard surface OF the road. This work needs
frequent attention, but not much time is re-
quired when once put in order. | have
found by a thoroughly practical test that an
: average hill road in fair order can be kept
: free from washouts and stones through a
! wheeling season of unusual freshets at
cost of dollar and half mile This Is
exclusive of water courses, but these would
/ be in much less danger under this treat
ment; and road on which the machine
, gang has done its best is good for many
: years il thus cared for, at cost OF not over
a dollar and quarter a mile annually.
r This cannot be done by employing mere
: time-killeTs but those who have principle
enough to do honest work, ana brains
enough to make every stroke effective.
3 1t NAV be best to hold the commissioner
responsible for loss through his evident
, neglect. This would be just, and would
] frighten away sinecure hunters, while it
: would not discourage those of the best tai
0 emit confident of their ability from taking
: the office. In case such risk is shouldered,
9 the nav should be increased to correspond
I with the ideal managers estimate of the
extra risk which fancy would be much
) less than that of tue incompetent ones.
( But whether the commissioner is held re-
+. sponsibe or not, the selectmen must ex-
= pect 10 pay a good price for the best man;
3 and II he fails, they ought to have the power
9 TO displace him. The first six weeks would
: determine his qualifications. If he did not
; in that time make sure provision for the
protection of every rod of road against
, early spring floods, he ought to go out at
t once But in this case he would be helpless
If he could not fix the rate per hour for Sec
: ton men; for the chances are that the farm
! ers would not leave their driving spring
} work for short job at the present legal
| rate. An addition of fifty per cent for an