The Republican., 1897-07-08
Whether any


purposes is not known at this remote
period So far as the records show
no corruption was charged and no
investigation ordered. The cOnclu-
sion may be charitably indulged that
it cost more to build highways then
than it would now, and contractors
and congressman must be presumed
to have been as honest then as they
are now.
Whatever may be said as to the
extravagant cost of this early i'm
provement, it must be conceded that
it had many influences for the good
of the whole country. The great
Mississippi valley was then undevel-
oped, and comparatively unknown.
! Its millions of fertile acres were wait
| ing for the plow, the sickle and the
hoe, and its billions of undevelOped
wealth needed only the presence of
man to startle the world with their
extent The building of this highway
set in motion and turned a vast flood
of immigration into this wonderful
valley, which still continues, and its
overflow reaches even to the Pacific
coast Great cities and commercial
centers have sprung up that rival in
importance and far exceed in prog
ress the more ancient cities of the
older world
''Who can say that it was not the
Legitimate sire of the famous Santa
Fe trail and the forerunner of the
great overland mail route? 1t was
the pioneer and pathfinder, the en-
tering wedge to open the way for
exploration and development. In
Ohio it was known as the National
Pike" ," crossing the state from near
Wheeling on the east through Spring
field on the west, distance of about
two hundred miles. Congress appro~
priated nearly $780, coo for its con
struction in that state, where it is
still used, and is now maintained as a
free country road. In Indiana it was
called the "National Road, and was
built directly across the state from
Richmond on the east to Terra Haute
on the west, distance of $50 miles,
passing over what was and still is the
principal business street OF Indianap
oils. More than S1,000,000 was spe-
ciaIly appropriated by Congress for
{ the work in Indiana, where it is still
: maintained as a free country road,
T. said to be the best in the state. In
; Illinois it was only extended from
= Terra Haute as far west as Nandalia,
= about ninety miles, the state receiv-
; ing about $3.50, GOO to encourage the
work. 1t is still maintained there as
t a free public road by the local road
districts through which it passes. In
; PENNSYLVANIA it is still kept as state
toll road under the supervision of u
l superintendent and two commission
1 ers appointed by the governor, and
1 the tolls are used to keep it in repair.
: "Although the Cumberland road is
l not often called as such, its influences
, live after it, and are silently attested
. in many enduring monuments. Its
= location was so skillfully laid by the
= government engineers that several of
; the leading railroads i'll different
/ states have paralleled it as closely as
e they could. In fact, it helped to
, create the demand for better and more
I rapid transportation facilities, result
I ing in ourpresent magnificent system
I of railroads. They have been built
= along the line of the Cumberland
e road, the Santa Fe trail and the over
e land route, and have destroyed or
1 localized the Importance of those
e thoroughfares. They have even par
: alleled the rivers and driven into
1 obscurity the proud traffic of which
they once so triumphantly boasted.
e Many roads are built so wide that
e the travel forms trough III the cen
e ter, which catches and holds the
0 water, and this is churned and mixed
with the earth by passing teams until
+ the road becomes a yeritable slough
: of despond Surface cOatings OF
= gravel or broken stones are of little
+ use without ample surface and under
= drainage, for they are soon sunken
+ out of sight, and the soft and lighter
i earth comes to the top. With good
t surface and under drainage and we'll
1 rounded top the road will nearly al
y ways be dry and smooth. Then a
+ surface coating of gravel or finely
= broken stone or vitrifed clay will
e make on excellent and lasting road
{ way.
, "These seem to have been the prin-
I ciples adopted by the government in
; the construction OF the old Cumber-
/ land road. The initial act of Con
5 gress made abundant drainage q
l leading feature, and provided that
2 the road should be built with stone,
l earth Gravel or sand And the wis