The Jamesburg record., 1900-04-21
THE STATES NEW ROADS.
Report of State Road Commits
sioner Henry I. Budd.

USEFUL STONES FOR ROAD BUILDING.
Silceous materials. those composed Of
flint or quartz. although hard, are brittle
and deficient in toughness. Granite is
not desirable because it is composed OF
three materials of different natures. viz
quartz, feldspar and mica. the first Of
which is brittle. the second liable to de-
compose rapidly. and the third laminable
or OF a scay or layerlike nature. Some
GRANTEES which contain hornblende in
stead of feldspar are desirable. The dark
er the variety the better. Gneiss. which
is composed of quartz. feldspar and mica.
more or less distinctly slaty, is inferior to
granite. Mica-slate stones are altogether
useless. The argillaceous slate or clayeys
states. make a smooth surface but one
which is easily destroyed when wet. The
sandstones are utterly useless for road
building. The tougher limestones are
very good. but the softer ones, though
they bind and make a smooth surface
very quickly. are to weak for heavy loads;
rapidly.
The materials employed for surfacing
roads should be both bard and tough, and
should possess by all means cementing
and recementing qualities. For the
Southern States, where there are no
frosts to contend with. the best qualities
of limestone are considered quite satisfac.
tory so far as the cementing and rece-
menting qualities are concerned, but in
most cases roads built of this class of
material do not stand the wear and tear
of traffic like those built of trap rock,
and when exposed to the severe Northern
winters such material disintegrates very
rapidly. In fact, trap rock, "nigger
heads" technically known as disbase and
diorites, are considered by most road
engineers OF long experience to be the
very best stones for road building. Trap
rocks as rule possess all the qualities
most desired for road stones. They are
hard and tough, and when properly
broken to small sizes and rolled thorough.
ly. cement and consolidate into a smooth.
hard crust which is mpervious to water.
and the broken particles are so heavy that
they are not readily blown or washed
away.
Unfortunately the most useful stones
for road building are the most difficult to
prepare, and as trap rocks are harder to
break than any other stones they usually
cost more. The foundation or lower
courses may be formed of some of the
softer stones. like gDeiss or limestone, but
trap rock should be used for the wearing
surface. if possible. even if it has to be
brought from a distance.
BRICK PAVING VERSUS MACADAM.
Our observation on the comparative
qualities Of macadam and brick in the
several towns where both plans of build
ing are followed is in favor of tie brick
pavement. and as we have so many peti.
tions for macadam roads through towns
Of considerable size we always advise the
construction of brick pavements on the
business streets in the place of macadam.
To meet the conditions of the city or
town pavement the pavement should be
cheap, easily maintained, cleanly. as
nolseless AS possible. smooth and lasting.
In small place it must be cheap. Ma
cadam and telford pavements are cheap
in the first cost. They can be laid in this
country from thirty to seventy-five cents
per square yard. But macadam requires
to be kept in the very best condition in
order to give the service required of it in
town. They are only kept in high con-
dition by the constant service of the re-
pair men, the water cart and the steam
roller. This can be done in large cities
but in small towns vigilance comes by
spurts. Cobble stones and granite blocks
are noisy and dirty and offer considerable
resistance to traction owing to the rough
surface which they possess. Asphalt
pavement in some localities is ideal, but
it is difficult to lay one that will stand the
extreme climatic variations. It s apt TO
decay from the ammonia of the droppings
and requires constant attention to keen
in healthy condition. Paving brick seems
to answer more useful purpose than any
other material that is offered, and has
long been in use. In Holland il has been
in use for more than century and bas
always given excellent satisfaction where
properly prepared. Its foundation can
be constructed of cinders four inches
thick, rolled thoroughly; over the cnders
spread thin cushion of sand, then
cover this with layer OF brick laid fiat
| The length parallel with the stlest