The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1895-07-25


A roller.
A sprinkler.
4 crusher.
Some screens.
A plow or two.
some scrapers, picks and shovels.
And in the omen country, q grader
iThn road engineer should be the county
surveyor, In these days this office should
he magnifed. The incumbent should be
a civil engineer something OF geologlst,
n man yersed in the value OF things, and
all tbs in addition to his knowledge OF
lands and land lines, thing of itself not
TO be decried, important as 1t Is an the
settling of neighbOrs' disputes and the
quoting of titles.
Unfortunately, hitherto private land
lines have had more than their talr Welght
i'm controlling the alignment OF county
roads, to the neglect of physician sultaDl-
iitv and the convenience of the travelling
public.
A road should, as far as possible, be
scientifically located with due regard to
direction drainage and grace;
Having the contour, of the country
thoroughly in view, u Vine involving the
minimum work consistent with econO-
micoI service and maintenance should be
established. This should be DONG as a
whole between governing points, with no
Matching or makeshifts. These are al-
WAYS expensive, and a road may be ever
so GOOD in places that is just as bad a Its
hogpipst part. Grades IN Texas present
very few difficulties, especially in the
more steeled districts, and for that reason
If is we'll to make the most of the situa-
fion. which can be generally done at a
comparatively trihing expense. That it
is worth doing, is clear enough from the
following table dedrced from Mr.. Her
schelTs able paper on this subject. 1t
presents very different problem from the
same question on railroads, Tor reason
too long to 90 into here, but some or
which are indicated by the simple
fact that it is easier to walk up gravel
roof ait, say, Nn angle of ~ degrees, IMAM
% tin one of the same inclination.
IL we say that on a given road ON a
level a horse can move q total load OF d
tons then on u rise of l per cent he can
pull only go toms. On a rise OF per
cent he can pull only 2.40 toms. On rise
of 3 per cent he can pull only 1.SO tons.
On a rise of 4 per cent he can pull only
1 80 tons. On a rise of 10 per cent he cam
pull only 10 of ton. These figures are
worh considering in Naying out road,
and particularly so at river crossings
The eminent authority, Gen. Roy Stone,
writes as follows ON this subject, speak
ing of New Jersey:
'Your roads We're laid out as is the Gus
tom in this country, withOut any attention
to the general topography, and generally
by following the settlers paths from cabin
to cabin or by running along their farm
lines. regardless of grades or direction,
and most of them still remain where they
were laid and where unfold labor has been
wasted in trying to improve them. 1t
would have been worth millions to you to
have had them Systematically and skill
fully laid out in the beginning"
And Mr.. Shaler says:
"The difference between we'll aligned
ways and those which are placed hap
hazard in the country is as far as the
commercial interests of the people are
concerned, of very great Importance. In
several counties we'll known ito me in r.his
/ am satisfied THAT the differ
ence which could have been effected by
the exercise of little skill would have
amounted iii the tax upon the community
to saving of many thousand dollars
per annum."
The natural condition of our present
roads in the various soils is simply this:
In dry weather the clay and black band
roads are tolerable. In wet weather they
are impossible.
I'm dry weather our sandy roads are
abOminable. In wet weather they be-
come scrvceable enough.
In parts of the State, notably in the
west are limestone and other rock sur
faced roads which make good travelling
in level places all the year round. In
other districts, and | remember many
such in the post oaks" is a mixture of
sand and gravel that forms excellent
natural roads. Upon THE black lands and
tho sandy loans, ON the red loans and the
sandy lands we have to graftanew surface
and maintain it in condition. Let us def
ritey Throw aside plank roads, straw
roads, Excelsior" roads and similar con-
trivances as among the Things that
perish. Some form of macadam is what
we want, and as this is costly, we must
make up our minds to improve only
PORTION of the width of recorded road for
a long time to come. For main roads inter
secting at the county seat or other impOr-
vant points, | would suggest IS feet as a
desirable width for the track, and in
byways 10 or IL feet.
"A road THAT has given excellent results
is built as follows: Width 80 feet, CEN
ter & inches higher than the sides; an
S-inch bottom layer of rock broken to pass
through a ID inch ring. and II inches
of 'metal'' TO clear 1-2 inch ring. The
whole rolled i'm two layers with a slight
binder which last should preferably not be
clayey, but acts better if it is as hard as
the road material itself. Soft binders are
apt to become lubricatOrs i'm wet weather
and tend to make the stones move upon
each other. If the rock be broken by
hand it is in better shape than if broken
by a Crusher, but THE process does not
form a sufficient proportion of chips and
screenings to compact the metal readily
under the roller. 1t has been suggested
that cOnvicts might break the stone al
suitable points along the line of work
that those who have worked the State ar
injury in one way Should be made to re
pair it in another.
In North Carolina ithe State lets Hht
convicts to the counties. and our owl
recent local laws contemplate the employ
ment of county cOnviclS in this work. ant
indeed many counties have done so in tn
past.
The specification given above is too eE
lpenSive for amy district where rock i
not Immediately available, and gravel viii
generally have to take its place. and tn
width must he reduced. In the coaS
counties she'll makes an excellent roa'
surface, and mixed with sand forms
sort of concrete, as may be seen to ad
vantage in Corpus Christi. where tn
streets made of this material are Yer
good. There are rumOrS of the pOSSibilit
IOf burning black land ITO 4 sort of adOb