Potosi journal. (Potosi, Mo.) 1894-1929, 1895-02-20
Good Roads.
Mr.. EDITOR:

Mr.. EDITOR:
/ As it should be the duty of every
one to say good word in favor of
the Improvement of our county
roads. | wish to say Il word or two.
In the first place. our county
court Is not strict enough in com
pcllinG the road Ovcr>ccrS to ad-
here to, and work the roads more
in conformity with the road laws,
which require that half Of the work
must be done hy the first of July.
when The most OF them don't bcyin
work until August. If all the
plowing and ditching were done
soon in the spring the roads would
settle and oct solid in the summer
Not Only that. but one man can die
4 ditch as far through gravel bar
IN May a. three men can III August
within the same length of time.
! IN cutting the ditcile, in spring
and throwing the dirt up in piles it
. keeps loose until mid -Summcr, and
can be shoveled easy at a time
when the farmer can spare his
I team after harvest
suppose ell the road over~ser>'
have been appointed by this time,
and il is more than likely that they
don't know all there is to be known
about road making. viii. there
fore, give my experience. whicl.
may be If use to them.
There is one rule IN working the
road that never fails 10 turn the
water off and permit the road to
work itself smooth. This is the
way | work the road on q hillside: ::
| ditch the upper side, put in &
culyc,t To pass the water under the
road instead Of over il. Straight
down hill, ditch both sides.
Here is where the particular work
comes in, to keep the water out of
the WAGON rutS. This is nearly the
whole secret of maxim" good roads.
Here is the way ! make water
break that never fails to make the
water leave the road and turns it
into the side bitches. Dig Il ditch
in the shape of Il new moon. bow
up hill. Iii" the hard ground six
inches deep and three feet or moro
wide. Get big rock, eight inches
/ thick. place them in the ditch. like
& hearth. they will stick up two
inches out of the ground; if YOU
have no large rock, pound the
ditch full of small stones. and if
they are not available. straig ight
limbs placed in the ditch and Gov
cred will last two years. You will
notice that this raises the road. and
as water will not run up hill. it
will not follow. If the elevation
is made a little FOUNDED and being
only two inches high. it will hardly
jolt a vehicle passing over it.
These breaks ! place from 80 to 1oO
yards apart. according to the grade.
There are Il few questions !
would like to put before the people
Of this county. |, is. or has been.
the custom OF the county courts to
let the road OvcrSccrs hire theil
own teams and work out in eight
hours. the money it has taken us.
aS farmers. from ten to siNteel
hours to earn. 1t may be right
b,t It don't look that way to me
u bat i, the Use of Congress TRYING
to make eight hours a legal days
. work. when the county court
seems to have the power to do so
As the road question Is becoming
! an important subject, | would like
to hear the views of Others on III.
the duties Of road overscer.
don't think IN oversecr ought to b.
allowed to hire his own team. OK
cept in case Of emergency. Wild
the extra money he gets TO worl
= ont he should hire men to worl
: ten hours. and not work them 4
! poll tax hands. If these Suggcs
: tons We're carried out. !, think w
would soon see quite an improve
ment in our roads.
4 To be continued.
TAXPAYER.