The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-02-01
UTILIZING THE CONVICT
GEOLOGIST BLATCHLEY FURTHER
ELABORATES HIS SCHEME.
Comparatively Small Cost of Paving
Brick Plant - Need of Good
Roads in state.

tlOn OItcOHVlcl TABOR IN Improving the roads
of the State has attracted much attention.
A brief outline of Mr.. Blatchleys idea is
all that has been published and many in
quiries have been made Of him for more de-
tailed information concerning the cost of a
paving brick plant, the relative cost and en-
durance of roads constructed of brick and
other matters In an interview yesterday
Mr.. Blatchley went into detail about his
plan In discussion of the question, he
said, the following conditions were met at
the outset:
''First-The presence in western Indiana
of vast undeveloped deposits of shale
which. by practical tests have been proven
suitable in every respect for the making OF
the best grades of paving brick and sewer
pipe. In many localities there exists i'm
mediately beneath these shale deposits coal
sufficient in quantity to burn the brick and
pipe.
especially in the northern part of the State
of stone, gravel or other material suitable
for road improvement
'Third-The ever-increasing demand for
better roads, due to ansincrease in popula-
ton, in civilization. in the competition of
farm products for the best markets, and TO
an Improvement in methods of travel and of
transportation.
"Fourth-The acknowledged superiority i'll
length of life and cost of maintenance of
roads made of paving brick over those of
either stone or gravel, making the ultimate
cost of the brick road much less than one of
either of the other materials, though the
nominal first cost may be greater.
Fifth-The presence i'll the Northern
Prison of $50 or more able-bodied convicts,
supported by the taxpayers of the State,
because the product of the convict labor
under the contract system comes in compe-
tition with the product of paid labor outside
of the prison.
that will furnish these convcts labor. the
product of which will aid in their mainte-
nance, and at the same time furnish min
imum amount of competition with the prod
ucts of free labor.
WHERE THE SHALES ARE FOUND.
Taking up each of these conditions Mr..
Blatchley treated them more fully. He said,
respecting the first condition:
That shale suitable for making paving
brick and sewer pipe, the latter a necessity
in the construction of good roads, exists in
all the coal-bearing counties of the State,
as shown in my report for 1885. 1t also oc-
ours in Jackson, Brown and Morgan cOun-
ties, but not in the vicinity of the prison at
Michigan City. The largest and best depos-
its which overlie, the coal necessary for the
burning of the prepared product are i'll Clay,
Vigo, Sullivan, Parke, VeImillion and Foun-
tain counties.
ing the products mentioned is proven not
only by the analyses and tests given in the
report cited and in the one now in press,
but also by the fact that from them five
large factories are now making paving brick
and three. sewer pipe; one Of the former.
located at Veedersburg having produced. in
1897, ten million PAYERS, which were sold for
SO per thousand at the plant.
The fact that coal lies under the shale
and that Just beneath the coal there Is. in
used in the making of paving brick and
sewer pipe is also point of great advan-
tage. reducing the cost of manufacture of
the clay products to the lowest possible
sum-
THE cost of paving-brick plant COM
pleted for work, which has q capacity of
forty thousand output per day, is about
$4,000. One with double the capacity costs
about 600. The greater amount of this
expense is for buildings and kilns which
could, by convict labor, be constructed OF
brick made on the spot, so that the cost to
the State would be less than half this sum.
After the plant is once in operation. with
fuel and raw material both at hand. the
only outlay is for labor. Where the daily
output is eighty thousand brick, and the
fuel is mined in conrectiOn with the shale,
the number Of hands necessary is about l25
These. at $3.50 each per day, would make
the cost of the brick about $2.35 per thou
sand With convict labor, the actual cost OF
the brick would be only the sum paid out
for the maintenance of the prisoners. Al
80 cents per capita this would amount to
about 50 cents per thousand.
Enlarging on the second condition Mr.
Blatchley said. THE majority. OF the coun-
ties north of the center of the State are
so deeply covered with drift that no out
crop Of rock suitable for road material
them, it is true. possess banks of drift
gravel, but in most distances this is dis
tant from tie points where il is desired for
Use. In Lake, Porter. Starke and Jasper
counties, all road material has to be ship
ped in by rail am 1897 a number of miles
Of road in Lake and Porter counties Were
constructed at cost of about 81. 1000 mile
from an inferior grade of gravel shipped IN
from Joliet. Ill. All the counties lying south
of the National road are, for the most part
devoid of gravel, and their roads, where i'm
proved of broken stone.
NEED OF GOOD ROADS.
The geologist then took up the third con-
dition He said: THE question of good
roads is at present one of the most vital
with which the farming community of In
diana has to deal Many of the better coun-
ties of the State long age, realized the i'm
portance of this question and where road
material was conveniently located. con-
structed gravel or macadam roads radiating
in all directions from their county towns.
In other counties, possessing plentiful sup
ply of road material, the importance of the
question has not yet been fully realized
and for five months of the year the farmers
are practically isolated from market. or II
they manage to reach II once a week, can
only haul thereto q fraction of a load. Such
counties are readily recognized as far below
the average in wealth. prosperity and the
public spirit of their citizens.
Professor Latta, of Purdue University,
has for some time been making a careful
study of the good roads question in the
State, and has received reports from hun
dredS of farmers some of whom live or
good roads once bad, and others on roads
still bad From these reports he has COM
puted statistics showing that the difference
between good and bad roads amounts to "a
cents an acre annually on the farms. APP
plying this amount to the entire State-36, 3o(
square miles. or % 264 600 acres-we have the
sum of SIS 145,980 OF this amount fully two
thirds is lost every year in the State. in the
loss of time, and in the loss of opportunity
in securing the best market for the produce
Moreover. our vehicles for rapid country
travel are more numerous and of an en-
tirely different style from what they We're
twenty years ago. Almost every farmer
now owns his own buggy and carriage. The
bicycle by countless thousands has come tc
stay. and the horseless carriage and motto
cycle will ere long make their appearance
upon the scene. The owners of all these
lighter forms of vehicles are demanding
and will continue to demand better roads
and the legislator will soon learn that the
question is one of the most important which
he has to face.
Regarding the fourth condition Mr.
Blatchley said "That brick roads will last
much longer and require d much less out
lay for repairs than either those of grave
or stone there can be no denial The aver
age gravel road in the State, where properly
built. costs more than $500 mile and is in
constant need of repair. In the Clay Work
er for December Thomas S. McClanahan
an experienced engineer of Monmouth, Ill.
has given in detail the methods of construc-
ton and comparative cost of mile OF
macadam road and a mile of brick road neal
that city. where both kinds have been re
Gently built.
''Of the macadam road, he says: First
large flat stones are laid on their fiat sides
to a width of eight feet, this covered with
screenings to fill the interstices completely
then this covered with crushed stone to q
depth of eight inches and extending six
inches over each side of fiat stone, now
making a roadway of nine feet wide; Their
Ia nm n with earth