Bennington banner and reformer. (Bennington, Vt.) 1903-19??, 1903-09-17
NEW ROADBED.
Chairman Livingston Of Street Committee
Writes About Il.

raised by taxation for highway pur-
poses, about 81 200 has to be held in
the treasury for winter use, leaving
but $1,000 available for the mainte-
nance ofabout seventeen miles of thor
oughfare during the summer months.
1t goes without saying that many
miles of streets must go untouched
save patch here and there-if any
permanent work is to be done, and it
is generally conceded that some work
of permanent nature should be laid
down every year on theprincipal high
ways.
Without entering into details re-
garding the work of the year, which
propose to furnish the people later on,
| may in passing call attention to the
showing made by the street depart
ment this year in comparison with for
mer years, and proceed to explain in
detail the job done on North street for
about 200 feet north from Main street,
since it was designed and executed as
model for future work of perma-
nentcharacter.
The material used, however, was of
an inferior quality, being principally
crushed screenings from the gravel
pit, supplemented with stone from an
old wall contiguous to the pit, while
blue lime stone which we have all
about us in such great abundance and
excellent quality, would have been far
superior. The voteofthe village meet
ing prevented It's use, however, a cir
cumstance that we hope for the good
Of our highways will never occur
again.
The plan and details for the i'm
provement on North street was drawn
by and the work executed under the
supervision of the chairman OF the
street committee, the street commission
er, whose duty it is to perform such
supervision, very kindly and consid-
erately conceding the privilege to graf
lily long cherished desire on the part
of the chairman to put into execution
the results of his study of road mater
ial and permanent road building.
4 working plan of the work and the
details provided that the surface
should be first spiked up and six inch
es of soil removed, the foundation to
be crowned with the road machine to
one inch in sixteen and a half in cross
section. The curbing was taken as be.
ing substantially correct for measure
ments in bothlateral and cross section.
Grade stakes were set and strong
string strung taut from curb to curb,
four inches above the curb level, then
spikes driven six inches below this lev
ell at the center and ten inches below at
a point half way between center and
side lines The foundation was then
filled up or dug down to the level of
the spikes and rolled thoroughly hard, |
being filed as the roller
discovered them.
Grade blocks three and a half inches |
thick were then laid on the foundation
and crushed metal spread to these
guides. Before this coating could be
rolled, however, heavy rain storm
came ON which softened the foundation
aud allowed the coating to sink near
ly an inch deeper than calculated up
on. There should have been no water
on this coating.
After compacting the first coat OF
metal with the roller for about twenty
hours, or until piece Of cracked
stone laid under the roller would be
rushed to powder, the second coating,
d little finer in size, was laid on, the
grade blocks again being brought into
'equisition. 70 compensate for the
sinking of the first coating,
However, about four inches in thick
less was laid in the second course.
As soon as the second course was
partially rolled. rolling in every in
tance beginning at side and working
o center, imperiections being noted
md corrected, stone dust was sifted
IN and water applied to carry the fine
Material into the voids of the coarser
METAL, then rolling and wetting wass
ontnued until it flushed that is, till
he water Travelled in a wave ahead Of
he roller.
The length Of this piece of work is
10 feet, width 25 feet, depth of metal.
tx inches, cost, sl79, which includes
Material and labor, coal for the road
oller, Russell Dunn's time at 81 per 7
ay, the village team at 80, the labor
rs at $3.50, the metal at Toe per ton, r
r $3.50 a load.
The cost is equal to about 4 cents a
quare foot, or 80 cents square yard, |
r trihe over $4,000 per mile. Rain
elayed the work materially and added 4