Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1896-05-30
FARM AND GARDEN.
HIGHWAY LOCATION.
An Important Subject Instructively Treat
ed by an Oregon Man.

An Important Subject Instructively Treat. |
ed by an Oregon Man.
Good roads are being practically and
scientifically considered by the Oregon !
Road club, of Portland, Ore. Itrecently
issued bulletin in which w. b. Chase,
a member of the club, gives some inter-
esting points on "IIighway Location"
The following lines are taken from his
paper:
To locate a wagon road properly is
work requiring no little thought and
careful consideration. TO weigh all the
conditions, giving to each its proper
Importance, and finally to make loca-
tion in which conditions are balanced,
requires much time and thought, and
cannot be done in day. To be sure, it
is easy enough to say that n road over
which a team can haul ton is better
| than a road on which half ton is
limit. But, maybe the people who are
| to use the road have more horsepower
and time TO spare than money. Again,
the traffic of district may be light, SO
that it is cheaper, both at present and in
| the long run, to endure the inconveni-
ence of steep grades than to reduce
| them.
Again, the future development of a
district must be considered. A traffic
OF 20 tons day now may grow to 100
tons. The loss caused by steep grades
might be unimportant to the losers in
the first case, but serious in the latter.
To express it differently, what does
grade cost the users? Or what effect
has grade on the traffic? What would
it be worth to the users of road to have
n lighter grade? How far would you be
justified in spending money to go
around n hill to avoid going over it?
All other things being equal, the farm
line is the place for the road. In the
middle west, especially III the prairie
states, the section line was generally as
good as any other, but in the hill coun-
tries the locator ought not to be re-
quired to locate on division line, SIM
ply because it is some ones farm line.
In the study of grades, the direction
OF the heaviest traffic should be consid-
cred. Most of our market towns are in
the Iowlands, while producing districts
are higher up. Obviously, hill down
which a load must pass is not so objec-
tionable as one which load must as
cend. You would not spend SO much
money nor use so much distance to re
duce a grade which is down for the
most of the traffic, as you would for one
which must be ascended by the loaded
teams. OF course, the subject of direc-
ton of traffic cannot be considered as
closely as in railroad work, but it ought
not to be lost sight of.
| Ern,,prb I,,1, -, , E.
drainage is desirable, but heavy I'M
dulation causes more loss of horsepower
and waste of time than any other one
mistake of the road locator. To go up
a hill just to go down again ought to be
avoided, yet that is what we are doing
on most of our hill roads.
The locator, when laying out roads
connecting places of different attitudes
should endeavor not to lose grade, that
is, when the grade has been brought
down to the desired level, keep it there:
or, if it has reached the desired altitude
do not go down again.
!, We ought to be willing to make con
siderable distance to avoid making al
upgrade in the direction of heaviest
traffic sleeper than five per cent. Grades
, up to ten and twelve feet in one hun
dred are not uncommon in mountain
districts, but they are bad for any light
y traffic. Keep your long grade lines be
low five per cent. if possible, or, if they
, must be sleeper, break the line occa
sionally with short distance of easier
e grade.
: 1t sonnet times occurs that a valley roaC
e miles long, has one or two bad hills il
). it's way. This is the place to spenc
i your money to reduce grade, either b,
d digging down or going around, for thi!
4 one hill determines the hauling ca
d pacity of your teams, which might hau
y two tons over the miles of nearly leve
= valley road, and but half "a ton over tn,
), hill. a road leading from one town t.
/, another, or from a densely populated
d district to market or through manufac
n turing districts, ought to have lowe
II grades than simple neighborhood roads
6 The traffic determines whether it will
p pay to go around n hill or over it. If i
u is poor road, those who use it mus
q suffer for it, either by hauling NOR
Is loads or increasing horsepower. Avoi,
T dead-level roads unless they can be wei
/, drained. Avoid swamps, if possible.
is very expensive to build Il good roa,
= through marsh, and expensive to main
- , tain.
Do not lose sight of the drainage ques
Il ton. 1t is easy enough to drain wher
T grades are, but dead-level valley road
, y are too often little earth thrown u
9 between two long frog ponds. Drai
: these off, if possible, for, depend upo
- it, drainage is the soul of a good road.
% Avoid crossing streams, whenever pos
~ sible. Bridges add much to the cost c
road.
a, In general, keep your grades as low a
4. you can consistently with the purpose
for which the road is built, and tn
n- ability of the people to pay for worl
a. not forgetting that the better the locs
IN tion, the less it will cost to build an
N | maintain the road.