The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1894-08-11
LoADKD WAGON on MAcADAM ROAD, AT
JUScTIoNwITH ORDINARY DIRT ROAD.

JUScJIoNwITH ORDINARY DIRT ROAD.
sportsmen. But the bicycle-riders
spoke words of wisdom and truth, and
these in time found Judgement in the
minds OF the men who were at first in
clined to scoff. The great argument
that has always been used TO encour-
age practical action has been that IL
any neighborhood once had even a
small section OF good roadway, the
people would quickly realize the ben
efits Of good roads, and see TO IL that
the whole neighborhood was supplied.
Now this was a good argument, and
the prophecy II contained has been full.
filled In several instances.
In 1888 the New Jersey Legislature
passed an act authorizing the inhab-
itants of townships TO place all roads
and streets within the township under
the management of the township com
mittee, and 20 raise money by bonds
for grading, macadamizing and i'm
proving the same" Under this law
several townships of Union county
took action very quickly. Indeed, the
law was passed at the instance of en-
terprising Union county men. When
a good system OF roads had been com
pleted in parts of that county the So
cial and economical conditions were at
once changed. Property-owners who
could not find purchasers for lands
that were then Improbable were now
unwilling 20 sell at prices fifty and
one hundred per cent larger than
those at which the lands had gone beg
ging. Building sites were in great de-
mand for country places for city men,
and the farmers were happy in an un-
accustomed prosperity. The example
OF Union county was followed in that
immediate part OF the state, but now
a more liberal law with state aid has
for a time put stop 90 this kind OF
improvement by townships But in
another part OF the state there has
been a more striking and more inter
esting instance of how much better
roads will be demanded so soon as the
people know what better roads are.
Moorestown, In Chester township OF
Burlington county, Is about ten miles
from Philadelphia. IL is Quaker
neighborhood. and the Friends are n
notably conservative body OF men.
The section is admirably adapted to
the growth OF vegetables and small
fruits, and the excellent markets In
Philadelphia are 10 great extent sup
piled from there. The soil is sandy
where IL Is not clayey, and sometimes
IL Is both. Till within three years
past the country roads have been as
bad as roads could be. In summer and
autumn they were more than fetlocS
deep I'm heavy dust through which
wagons were drawn with toilsome
WEAKNESS; In the winter and spring
many OF these roads were almost i'm
passable. and the farmer who sent a
loaded wagon away entered upon rs
hazardous n venture as the merchant
who despatched ships 20 unknown
seas When the team would return
was only n matter OF onjecture, and II
the load weighed two tons, four horses
were needed 20 drag IL through the
sand and mire. and even then the
wagons often stuck. The conservative
people OF Moorestown several years
ago lost patience with some OF these
bad and dangerous pieces OF road, and
the township OF Chester appropriated
81. 900 TO macadamize such places. The
township OF Cinnaminson, adjoining
did likewise, and during the summer
several little stretches Of good stone
road we're laid. For the first time In their
lives many of the people OF the neigh
borhood saw piece OF good road. II
IS true there were turnpilxes In the
township coated with gravel, and one
or two with n rubble-stone pavement
on them. but these were not good
good roads NJ all except when com