Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1899-07-07
LOCATION OF ROADS.
BETTER GO ROUND A HILL THAN
CLIMB OVER IT.


In the Year Book of the department
Of agriculture is printed an excellent
article ON the construction of country
roads, written by NJ U. Eldridge. as.
sistant in the office of road inquiry
He deals with the present work to be
conducted with view 10 future i'm
provement. location of roads grades,
drainage and other important details of
modern road building Mr. Eldridge
says:
Many roads Of this country were
originally laid out without any atten-
tion to general topography, and in
most cases followed the settlers path
from cabin to cabin or the boundary
lines of farms regardless of grades or
direction. Most of them remain today
as they were originally located and
where untold labor and expense have
been wasted in trying to haul over
them and in endeavoring to improve
their deplorable condition. 1t is a great
error to continue TO follow these primi.
tive paths with public highways The
proper thing TO do is TO call in a good
road engineer and have the location SO
changed as to throw the roads around
the ends or along the sides of the steep
hills and ridges instead of continuing
to go over them. or in raising the road
up in dry. sClid ground instead Of
splashing through the mud and water
of the bogs and creeks in the lowlands
Ii a road goes over hill when 1t
might go around the labor aad expense
put upon it are absolutely wasted, and
the sooner its direction is changed the
better. If road is not rounded mp and
surface drained, it should be- not only
for present use as an earth road but a,
a preliminary for mGcadamizing. If it
is not undertlTained in all wet spots
this should be the first work don,
Nothing indeed will pay better for pres
ent use than putting in tile or stone
drains
In laying ont a road straightness
should always be sacrificed to obtain a
comparatively level surface. Although
this is one of the most important prin-
Ciples connected with road building, il
is one of the most frequently violated
There is no objection to an absolutely
straight road but graceful and nature
curves conforming to the lay of the
land add beauty to the landscape, be-
sides enhancing the value Of property
Good roads should wind around hills
instead of running over them. and in
many cases this would not increase
their length, as it is no farther around
some hills than over them Moreover,
as a general rule, the horizontal length
of road may be advantageOusly in.
creased to avoid an ascent by at least
90 times the perpendicular height thus
saved For instance, to escape hill 100
feet high it would be better for the
road to make such a circuit as would
increase its length 2. 900 feet The
reasons for this are manifold. the prin.
cipal one being that horse can pull
only four -fifths as much on grade Of
feet in 100. and gradually less as the
grade increases, until with a grade OF
| 10 feet in 100 he can draw but one
fourth as much as he can on level
road,
The greatest load that can be hauled
over n road is the load which can be
hauled mp the steepest hill on that
road. The cost of haulage is therefore
necessarily increased in proportion tc
/ liz 40 60 I Il ftY1,Dc Oh
to haul over road having 8 per cent
grade and three times as much over one
having 10 per cent grade rs on leVe
road AS perfectly level road can sci
dom be had, it is well to know the
steepest allowable grade If the hill bt
one of great length, it is best to have
| the lowest part steepest, upon which
the horse is capable Of exerting his full
strength, and to make the slope more
gentle toward the summit to CORE
spond with the continually decreasing
strength of the fatigued animal.
All things being considered, tht
horizontal grade of road should never
be greater than 3 feet to 100
Water being the greatest enemy o.
the road. it should flow freely off til,
surface This is accomplished by pre-
raring the bed so there may be fal
from the center to the sides of inches
never exceeding 8 inches, on IL road 81
feet wide For a road 1S to 20 feet
wide to 4 inches is enough A ditcf
should te constructed on either side O.
the road to carry away easily ant
quickly all water from the road anC
vicinity These bitches should have 1
continuous fall throughout their entir,
length, and their size should depend
upon the amount of water they are ex
pected to carry Water should never b.
allowed to flow across roadway. Cul
verts tile drains, or if nothing bette
can be had hollow log should be pro
vided for that purpose.
In order to have good roads it is jus
as necessary that water should not b.
allowed to attack the substructure from
below as that it should not be per
mitted to percolate through it from
above.
Underdrains are easily and cheapl.
made. and when properly constructed
with the best tools and materials avail
able will last fo- ages. They should b.
about four feet deep and CAREFUL.
graded at the bottom so as to have
fall throughout their entire length o
at least eix inches for each 100 feet
Tile drains should be used If possible
but if they cannot be secured large, fla
stones can be carefully placed SO as +
form an open channel at the bottom
Slim fagots of wood or brush bound to
gether in bundles and laid lengthwis
at the bottom will answer fairly well
The ditch should then be filled witt
field stones or gravel The drain
should be protected by straw, sod o
brush to prevent the soil washing in AM
clogginy them