The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-12-05

| Maine winds have a decided fOndn ess I0T
sweeping the snow into cuts ana Oh lroDi
ON bankments and on road where mnon
grading has been done it is not certain
that the dlasadyantage for four months
OF winter may not partly counterbalanoe
the gain during the other eight months.
| Truth S ornamental hedge oan safely
| lie disregarded.
Who can patiently wade through the
account of the macadam millennium in
the country districts following the intro
| ducflon OF tile state road-children al
ways at school, never TOO cold for young
children to be ont ii only q firm coating
of stoue lie buried up far under the snow
| to keep their dear little feet warm
paths always open no matter when tile
snow fails-no cold winus, no drifts
clothes never wet SO long as the shoes are
| dry.
People ought to see also what much
of the Good Road literature is worth
practically. Henry G. Irwin, engineer of
the Canadian Pacific railway and winner
of tie first Of the three prizes offered by
the University Of Pennsylvania, says in
his essay: ''No high-arade Inacadam
road should cost more than $4,000 ger
mile. Sucn road should be sixteen
fest wide and twelve ID fourteen inches
thick. "
MT. Pope, described as a prominent
civil engineer, is quoted as estimating
the expense Of road eighteen fees wide
and nine inches at the center but falling
TO four and IA half inches Mt the sides at
$500 per mile. Mr.. E. p. Powell, the
g Probably the average cost of macada-
mixed stone roads will he $4,000 per
mile - Representatives of this sort flood
the country.
Two sections of the state road in Mas
saeh usetts cost each about $50, 600 per
Il Al.
worst roads either. Simply the broken
stone laid down on the road of one level
section one and one third miles long
referred to above cost 81, 209 So and the
stone could not have been hauled from
the c3rs su average distance Of more
than thres fourths of a mile. OF course
the COST increases Rapidly Us the road
leaves the railway. The cost of stone for
d section of road six or seven miles from
the railway was at the rate OF about IS,
900 per mile. Prof. Shaler, one Of the
Massachusetts, comm isSiOnerS, expresses
the hopa or belief that this expense of
construction may in the future be con-
siderably reduced because the worst seq
tions have been built first, but it is not
easy to see how the cost OF country road
is to be reduced below the present aver
age. By building great deal of road in
the suburbs OF cities aud towns which
own cruSherS, the cost can undou btedly
be reduced, but those conditions can not
be found IN Maine. Heavy repairs, too,
may be needed on these roads from
causes which.eah not be foreseen or con-
trolled. Some sections OF Massachusetts,
roads have required such repairs already. |
Prof. Smaller says, too, that they will
need TO be practically rebuilt once in |
fifteen years.
Truth points Us to what has already |
been done. Union county, New jersey, |
stands out as a noble example. Could |
the fact that Union county lies hard by |
New York city have had anything to do I
with the result. Would the same results |
follow in Aroostook?
Canandaigna county, New York, also
Will ttruth' tell us more about that
case? Aud will he explain first where
he got his authority for saying that there
is Canandaigua county in New York?
And why is tho riss In value not noted
of land along Massachusetts magnificent
system of roads? Is 1T because that state
is SO near that any one interested can
find out for him self?
Are we quite in a condition to have a
appointed, MIR. EditorP
Wouldn't it be better first to get some in
formation about good roads that has not
been manufactured with a selfish OBJ
iect in views Wouldn't it be well TO
wait until statesmen" can vote for suoh
a com mission because they zee its utility
and not because they have "promised ?'
And meanwhile isn't it ''safe'' ito call
down" with something louder than tele-
phone whispers the men who are exalt-
ing suoh pledges?
Let me quote in closing a sentence
from Prof. Shsler's hook on American
Highways. He says, ""hose who have
the beteerment of our American high
ways at heart should do all in their
power to guide, direct and even restrain
the present movement toward their i'm
provemeut, SO that enthusiasm may be
guided By business sense TO the end
hat we may attain a system of ways
properly related to the needs of the
Before closing let me correct state
lnent OF a former article. One short
gravel road has been constructed in Mas
among about eighty of macad
am. L overlooked 1T. But no intimation
a bout constr uoting others is given and
The infere nee I drew is not affected.
CITIZEN.