New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-07-05
np MERRILLON GOOD ROADS
!. TEST OF ROAD MATERIAL FROM THREE
THOUSAND oUARRIEs.

,,,r,cq1rrrs TO BE NET IN NETWORK STATE
Az ,s1-xpANcE OF SUITABLE STONE.
.,n,. 1,lv 1 lspeciaD.-Dr. F. J. Merrill. d.
-so,or of the state Museum. has lately Done
80 ,,.or,, which ought to carry the State Tor
80, -, or so in the Iath Of road improve
,Y has caused collection to be mace
- o,,o,-;ss in all parts Of the State OF stone
80, might be used as road material stone
49,, .nrea thousand qaarries has thus been COL
lec.ed by him.
.,r,hsss different kinds OF stone" he SAID TOO
- have sent TO the Massachusetts Roau
commission 10 be tested in machine WHICH
tso,, have for that purpose. 1t is steer oarrei
go, road ma eria is rolled in it for a time' un'i
,,al.ies arc disclosed I intend after l re-
COW. o. report from the Massachusetts au'hori-
,i.s on each Kind of stone to prepare a h''ie
,a4puti,t Tor general circulation IN this S'a'e'
r,eea roadmasters and Boards OF Supervisors
sill know where TO procure road material Vi
~ least they Will know the nearest quarry anu
,t,~. .astsnce Of transportation is one of the
fac,ors Of expense they VIII understand where
,b,v can probably procure road material at the
last cost.
THE DIFFICULTIES PRESENTED.
Have YOU had any experience in road-build-
lus?"
"ves" replied Dr. Merrill, II have been road
master out in the Heidelberg Mountain region
ana think understand the difficulties Of the
s,hiect And | confess that / sometimes feel
discouraged. our present system Of working out
6 road tax IS abominable, and yet it does seem as
If the cost of improving all the roads or New
York which need Improvement is appalling and
since farmers feel poor it is perhaps rot to be
wondered at that in the Legislature they OPP
pose any bill which requires them 10 pay any
ialee proportion Of the cost OF improving roads
Massachusetts now eXpends S6OOUO annual
II. in the improvement Of her roads. We have
one hundred and twenty five thousand miles OF
rad. Massachusetts, fifty thousand miles. ii
costs 81. 600 a mile in Massachusetts TO improve
3 road The millions Of dollars required TO I'M
nroye the roads of NewYork State, therefore
are obvious We should have TO expend S3OOo.-
600 a year 10 compare in any degree with Mas
eocbusatts That is one-fourth of the amount
now raised by direct taxation. Can we per-
suade the Legislature 10 make such an ex-
nenditure such a large addition to the States
expenses That is the question. and the sole
question 70 be considered
WHERE MONEY Is SPENT ON ROADS.
an Queens County, n. Y. and Bergen and Es-
sex counties. n. j.. they have expended hundreds
n thousands Of dollars in macadamzing the
roads
ayes" answered Dr. Merrill, but it is to be
observed that wealthy men Of New-York live
IN those counties, who will have good roads-who
think it a necessity of modern life and modern
luxury to have good roads. Possibly the exam
pie Of these counties will be followed: but only
where wealthy men live and the land Is ricn IN
the poorer counties of the State the State Itself
must build and maintain the roads.
And il is as important to keep road In good
condition as to build II originally. 1t Will rap
IDLY fall into ruin II work is not put upon II.
In Austria old men and old women and chill
dren sweep the roads, and receive small COM
pensation. The dust must be removed IN order
Eoar, rbav de in
and England and France, also, they are all the
time at work repairing roads. In this country
five build fine roads we must also expect 10 pay
out a large amount yearly in keeping them in
good condition.
PROFITABLE EXPENDITURE.
"But the investment will be profitable one;
the experience of England shows that her
roads were as bad as at the beginning Of
This century or until Telford and Macadam got
TO work"
"Where can the best road material be found?"
ION the Palisades" answered DR.. Merrill. The
trap rock of the Palisades extending from Gran
iteyille on Staten Island to Haverstraw is the
best road material in the neighborhood There
Is also good road material % be found in the
granite quarries at Merose, Fordham, in the
Highlands at Breakneck Mountain and on the
island below Iona Island in the Hudson River.
In the Adirondack region, also. there is a good
deal Of granite, and ii crops out at Little
Falls on the Mohawk. Along the New-York
Central Railroad there Is also gOod zeal OF
limestone which makes excellent road material
The Medina sandstone is pretty good road
material. although 1t lacks cementing power
Along the southern tier of counties there is
a lack OF road materials. and think the popu-
lation there will have to transport road ma
terial from some distance. There is good
deal OF shale rock in that vicinity. Watkins
Glen is a specimen of the kind OF rock that
abounds II is Of no value road ma
terial But, speaking generally, the State is
very well supplied with road material. In Onon-
daga County they are sending rock-breaking
machines along the roads Of the county, and
thus preparing road material. think 1t good
idea"