Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1902-03-14

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asts and public officials, but also among
several of the great trunk line rail-
ways.
The tour of good roads special"
which concluded recently it's first run
over the Southern railway system
through the south, making ten stops at
important centers, including Birming-
ham, Montgomery, Atlanta, Greenville,
Charleston and other points, was the
outgrowth Of the first international
good roads congress which was held at
Port Huron, Mich, late last year. This
important congress of good roads peo-
pie was called together at the sugges-
ton of the good roads, senator of
Michigan, II. S. Earle of Detroit. Del
egateS from a score of states and near
ly every province of Canada were pres
ent. Here is where the good roads
train" had it's birth, and soon after
President W. II. Moore of the National
Good Roads association of Chicago be-
gan his arrangements for the opera
tons of the special. This train start
ed from New Orleans early last spring
and worked its way north to Chicago,
making a dozen stops by the way for
the purpose of constructing q sample
of good roads and showing how essen
tial to their building is the use of mod
ern roadmaking machinery, with which
the train was completely equipped.
One of the most remarkable pieces of
apparatus was the earth excavator
and elevator. This machine was drawn
by eight pairs of mules and would take
dirt from the side of the road and
move it and spread it in the middle Of
the proposed road at the rate of four
cubic yards per minute under favora-
bic conditions. By means of this ma
chine and several gangs of men, to-
gether with road rollers, stone cnushers
and other apparatus, the expert road
builders on this trip at one point made
half Il mile of good road in ten hours.
The work of this first good roads
special was so successful and the Hi
nois Central railroad was so well
pleased with the results that President
Moore had several opportunities to take
charge of good roads trains to be run
over other large railroad systems in
different parts of the country and final
ly accepted the invitation of the South
ern railroad to take train through the
south. The success of the train was
more than assured from the beginning,
for before it started from Washington
on Nov. l requests had been received
from more than 200 cities and towns
to build a sample of road within their
limits, but only ten stops We're made on
the trip.
The train, with its load of modern
roadmaking machinery and corps Of
expert roadbulders, was received with
the greatest enthusiasm, and no less
than seven state good roads associa-
tons. as many county organizations
and ten samples of good roads have re-
suited. The value of the instruction
given and the interest awakened will
be felt in this section of the country
for twenty years to come. Another
trip was planned under the same man.
agement. The train will pass through
different part of the southland.
The local soil conditions met with
during the two good roads tours varied
to such an extent that it was impossi-
BILE to follow any specified rule for the
construction of the roadbed Where
materials were to be found the founda-
ton was made of five inches of coarse
crushed stone, which was thoroughly
rolled before the second course was ap-
piled. Next came two or three inch
course of stone about one and a half
inches in thickness which was careful
ly spread sprinkled and thoroughly
rolled. On top was placed a fine dress
ing of much smaller stone in a thin
layer. This was also sprinkled and
rolled. The final layer acted as a
"binder" and made the road hard.
smooth and even in surface. The road |
bed was given about a twelve inch
crown, and the bitches were as care
fully made as the roadbed itself.