Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1894-04-07
Public Roads.


EDfroR JOURNAL: - The roads OF
Marion county have all been greatly
injured by the way they have been
worked. 1t has been the practice by
nearly all the supervisors Of this coun-
ty for the last three or four years, to
grade up the roads as high as they
could during each year and then leave
them to the mercy of the travelling
public, until the next year, without, in
many instances, digging any bitches
or drains to lead the water away from
them. The result of this practice has
been and always will be muddy roads,
for the reason that the sub-soil thus
thrown up is not good material to make
road bed. 1t would have been better
to have ditched along the side of the
road and left the middle untouched,
for the virgin soil in its natural state, is
much better material to make road,
than any sub-sOil material that can be
had. Thus we have proceeded from
year to year, grading up our roads, in
the vain hope of making them better,
until they have become almost an
impossible mud hole from eud to end.
The above practice will have to cease,
aud we will have to adopt some more
substantial plan Of building our roads in
the future. AS the roads are all graded
up now my plan would be to commence
aud haul gravel on the middle of the
road, (it might be. well to fill up all the
bad holes first)and then commence and
dump the gravel one load deep over as
% lch ground as you can and have
soma one to follow with a shovel and
spread it on in the regular manner.
| This will make road bed about 8 or 10
feet 10 width aud will answer TO travel
over during the winter season, but will
not be a very pleasant road to travel
over during the summer season; yet II
will ans Ger a good purpose and be
found Of good service to all who may
travel over it with loaded teams at
least. This kind of road bed will not
interfere with the travel during the
sum mer months, for there will be ample
space left on either side of a track thus
made to make good summer track, SO
the gravel part of road need only be
| u ,ed in the winter. If this plan is
a1opted there need not be any more
grading done for several years only in
extremity low places or where the road
bsd has been cut out by the travel dur
ing the wet season. 1 would suggest
that good substant al drains be put in
wherever they can be to drain the water
off from the road bed wherever it stands
along the side OF the road, 81 as to not
let it soak through and make a mud
hole at every low place. This would
greatly improve the present practice of
road making.
While 1 sm not entirely opposed to
grading our roads up, yet would sug-
gest that If it is necessary in the judge
ment of the road builder to grade up
some portions of our county roads, let
him do so, but let 1t be done in system
attic way, by plowIng along the sides of
the road and then using a grader, If
they have one; If not, then use a scrap.
er aud scrape the soil up to a reasonable
rounded surface and then harrow down,
level and roll with a heavy roller until
the loose earth becomes as solid as be-
fore il was removed from its former
bed at least. 1t now being ready for
gravel, crushed rock or any other solid
substance that may be used, let the
same be spread over the center of the
road as directed above, aud you will
have q proper foundation to make 4
/ good road when finished. would not
ajvise the breaking up Of the middle
OF the road as some supervisors have
been in the habit of doing from year TO
year, but let as much Of the soil remain
as will be needed for road bed, 80 as
10 nave a solid foundation TO build up
on.
IL this plan of building roads had
been adopted many years ago by our
supervisors OF those persons having
charge of building the roads OF this
county, We might today have many
miles Of good roads to travel over
where We now have mud holes to pull
through. There is no instance to my
\ knowledge where gravel has haan