The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-05-30
GOOD COUNTY ROADS.


deeply interested in the subject of road
improvement, and has already started
series of experiments at the New Jersey
Agriculture College in New Brunswick,
which it is believed will result in the con.
structon of better highways than have
heretofore existed. Hehas long recognized
the necessity for the improvement of the
common roads of the country. and, with
many others who have looked into this
matter, he has concluded that there is n
vast amount of wasted energy resulting
from bad roads which have to be fire.
quently traversed by farmers.
Shortly after coming into Office he
asked General Stone, in charge of the
office of road inquiry Of the department
of agriculture, to examine the subject
and report upon the hest methods for
road improvement. General Stones
report concludes that macadam or all
broken stone construction is generally
preferable to the Tilford system, which
consists of foundation CT large stones
set on edge with covering of broken
stone, and that narrow roads are better
than wide ones, except where the traffic
is veIy heavy.
A sin gle track of stone, it is concluded
serves all the purposes of an ordinary
country road and saves all the advantages
of smooth earth track along the side
for travel..in dry weather. The side road
being only used when it is dry or as
turn out when it is wet, is always in a
condition for such purposes, while the
cost of the stone road is reduced one half.
1t is also believed that thin coating of
stone we'll laid is better than thick one
badly laid. Four inches of stone ell com
pacted on good road,bed are worth more
than eight inches loosely laid and left for
the "travel' to finish. Fine stones are
better than coarse ones for the construc-
ton, and too much stress cannot be laid
upon having good quality of stone for
surfacing. The system of continual re-
pairs is regarded also as very much more
satisfactory and economical than the
waiting one.
Experiments with steel roads have also
serviceable, while ut the same time there
is muterial reduction in the pulling
power necessary of from forty to eighty
pounds per ton, rs compared with ma
cadam. The obstacle of original expense
in the construction of steel roads is over
come by the reduced price of material. and
the anticipated high cost of maintenance
is avoided by doing away entirely with
wood in construction. The form of steel
rails proposed is an inverted trough with
slightly raised bead on the inside The
rail is bedded in gravel laid in trench
which is well drained, and little gravel
is spread between the rails for Il horse
path.
1t is the purpose of Secretary Wilson
to have roads TO he regarded as models
built at the agricultural colleges and eX-
perimental stations, and, in order to en-.
courage practical work in this direction
in any part of the country, it is proposed
that the director of road inquiry furnish
the necessary plant fer building model
roads free Of charge, while the county or
city authorities provide the necessary
material and labor of men and teams for
the work, the government furnishing an
engineer TO oversee the work and instruct
students and visitors. In this manner
the secretary of agriculture believes that
very small outlay on the part of the
general government will result in n large
amount of instructive work in road con.
structon, and that when this important
subject is better understood great i'm.
petus will be given to the making of such
improvements throughout the country.
He certainly deserves the thanks Of the
people and of the farmers especially for
the efforts he is making to improve the
thoronghfares and the country and that
thew will lead to great improvement in
the roads there is every reason to believe.
TAIIrADT DID CcrDrnurCNr