Lancaster enterprise. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1891-1905, 1897-10-20

pOrCanC ST tteS OF the MISSISSIPPI
valley.
The Material Here Found for Use.
Limestones, drift and stream
gravels, constitute the principal
road material in this broad agri-
cultural region. These must be
used 1T the roads here now calling
for repairs and construction. are
TO be made worthy Of the civillza
ton and wealth of the great
states including in this area.
Fortunately, many of these states
lie wholly or in part, in the area
of the northern drift. and can
hence utilize the gravels left by
the receeding ice.
These gravels, although not all
equally valuable, vet, if well
selected, do make, as do the
gravels of the streams, valua.
bic road covering, which is hard
and smooth especially when they
are tOlied to smooth surface
upon well constructed road bed
and with care and the use of the
roller, thew can be without much
expense. kept in fairly good
condition. But the chief depen-
| dence for the material to supply
the many miles of road here soon
to he built, must he upon the
limestones so abundantly found
in this vallv.
Selections Necessary.
These limestoneS are of many
grades, aud the best must be
selected Their resistance 10
fracture under crushing force {;
their toughness and cementing
qualities, which they often pos
sess In remarkable degree. are
the qualities to be sought.
Limestones contain many i'm
purities, some of which increase
their value for road purposes.
Iron is frequently found in the
limestones of the coal measures,
and when in proper quantities
assists with other impurities in
forming cement to hold the
larger bSNken fragments in place.
But the substance most common
with lime in the rocks called
limestOnes, is magnesia. Lime
stone rocks are in some localities
composed almost equally of car.
Donates of lime and magnesia !;
they are. then technically called
dOlomites. although commonly
called limestones. Many of the
layers of the NIagas group have
this character. and when of this
cOmposition, the more compact
of them offer great resistance to
crushing. and when used for roads
and we'll broken and rolled with
heavy rollers constitute firm
and we'll cemanted road. For.
tunately, these impure dolomites
are rather abundant and easy of
access; many heavy beds lying
contiguous to railroads on which
they can be moved easily to wide
areas where roads are to made.
These peculiar limestones will
prove to be very valuable for
road material over the great Miss
issippl valley, and may vet prove
to he the very material needed
for the constructing Of the prin.
cipal roadways. Llmestones, and
especially these magnetism hme-
stones, have never yet had suf.
iiclent test to determine their
real value. Whatever they have
been subjected TO crushing test, ,
they have surprised the expert
menters by their power of re.
sistance, and their toughness.
Since the steam roller of fifteen
or twenty tons weight, has been
brought into use in producing a
compact and even surface, as the
stones are spread over the bed,
these limestoneS have come into
great favor, because they pack
we'll, AMI when they have re
ceived on the surface. the smaller
broken stones with frequent
rolings with the application Of
water, they form in few days, "a
4. 4