Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1899-12-20
INDIANA GOOD ROADS.
THEIR IMPORTANCE IN THE DEVELOP
MENT OF THE STATE.

ernOr Mount to Make n Display NJ
the Paris Exposition.
Governor Mounts determination to
make pretentious display of In
diana roads at the Paris exposition
and the work which he has already
begun in collecting pictures from ev-
cry section of the state have occasion
ed a great deal of comment Of an ad-
verse nature from the people OF his
own and of adjoining states. They
take the ground that the display will
not only subject Indiana to adverse
criticism, but will give the skilled road
builders Of European countries poor
opinion Of the Mississippi valley Sec
ton.
The display which Governor Mount
is arranging under his own personal
direction will, however, be interesting
not only to the expert road builders OF
European countries, but of special In
terest at present to the people or In
diana and surrounding states. 1t Is
not Governor Mounts intentions to
give the European countries new
wrinkles" in road construction, but
rather show them what community
can do with swampy, DOGGY, wild
territory in a short space Of less than a
century. He will show the old wood
en- bridges and the old miller going to
market on his horse, which sank belly
deep many times. He will show how.
less than a half century ago, doctors
had to carry saddlebags and the mail
was transported on horseback for the
reason that that was the only way OF
reaching points located in boys. With
these pictures as an introduction he
can show some stretches of Indiana's
so 1000 miles Of graded and gravel high
way and 1888 miles Of pike, which
will compare favorably with the roads
of southern France and Italy and ex-
Gel those Of some European countries.
The whole central section Of Indiana
| Is now covered by network Of free
pixies and graded gravel roads. The
| farmers can reach their markets any
season Of the year. Northern Indiana
has made wonderful strides in the last
few years in building graded and
gravel roads. The eastern section Is
! practically free of poor roads. In
| Wayne county alone there are over
| $50 miles of as good roads as can be
found in the Mississippi section. The
| most notable pike in the nation, the
great National road running from
| Washington to st. Louis. passes the
Al 90 Nd ixytd
the Hoosier community into two equal
| parts. 1t is apropos that the display
| be made in 1900, for it marks the close
! Of about 100 years Of Indiana's devel-
opment, in which roads have been the
| greatest factor.
| The men who laid the foundation for
Indiana by blazing their way through
| forests and brambles, who felled logs
across the streams and made the first
| temporary crossings, who pushed their
| horses to boys and then threw brush
| over the deepest holes that their AMI
| mails might not sink beyond the con-
troll of their legs, had little to work
with while they were laying this foun-
dalton. That, however, for the most
part, was a great deal less than CEN
fury ago. After making these first
blazings, bridges and foundations they
| found that they must have more per-
| manent roads, and this necessity was
the mother of the old plank road
regime.
| While these plank roads lasted they
were good, but they were found to be
defective because Of their short life.
| Gravel had been found in the mean
time, and the building Of gravel roads
began. Finding this load too great,
the landowners turned the highways
over to "road companies" and they
inaugurated the toll road system. The
state recently passed laws which en-,
abled the counties to purchase these
toll systems, and today there are less
than 200 of a total Of 50O00of Indiana's
graded and gravel roads that are un-
der levy of tollgates. A fraction over
1O7 Of these 200 miles are in one coun-
ty-Fountain. The tollgate In Indiana,
except in this one county and a few
communities, is a faint outline of the
past.
In connection with Indiana roads,
Lake county. lying adjacent to Chica-
60, made some experiments last sum-
mer which will attract attention OF SCI
entific road builders. In their construc-
ton draintile is made one of the most
important Of the materials. The coun-
ty is building 125 miles of these high.
ways at a cost of $1.4OO per mile. They
are probably the only roads Of the kind
in the world. They have 3S foot
right of way. The road proper. how
ever, is but II feet wide. Three feet
under the regular grade and nine feet
each side of the center Of the road are
run two lines Of inch draintile. Over
them the road proper is built.
The road proper is IL feet In width
and is boxed. There is foot Of crush.
ed stone In this boxed section, and on
top Of 1t is a 3 inch surfacing of
screenings. which, in fact, makes a
macadamized road. Rounded from the
bitches at the extreme Of the right of
way is a bank Of clay, well banked to
the screenings. The clay Is baked by
the sun. 1t joins the screenings flush.
thus making a widened roadbed of
probably IS feet. The grade Is well
pitched, so all water drains readily to