Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1904-03-17
MACADAM ROADS.
State Highway Commissioner Sanford
Discusses the Question whether
Vermont Country Roads should
lie Mncadn mixed,
written for the Free Press. }

The road known as macadam, taking It's
name from its originator. John l.. Mac
Adam, Scotchman of fame, Is more
often mentioned and has been built to
greater extent in permanent road i'm
prOvcmcnt tnan any other pavement
Its cost OF construction as compared
with other pavements the case of con-
ktruction with modern tools, and the
firm appearance of the smooth even,
finished surface commends it. On the
score of economy and service IL is well
adopted for city and village streets or
on country roads where there is constant
and heavy traffic. and where the road
can have proper care and treatment.
The history of broken stone roads in this
country dates back to 1911. when the con-
tract was let for the first ten miles of the
famous Cumberland road. This called for
stone road twenty feet wide. eighteen
inches deep in the middle and twelve
Inches on the sides. The upper stratum
OF six inches being broken so as not to
exceed three inches in diameter and COW
cred with ground. Many millions of dol
lars were expended upon this road, but
since railroads have hc"n constructed it
has become thing Of the past
About ls}2 a road known as The Maca-
dam Road was build from Bennington
to Troy. y. y, thirty-onc miles This
was built by corporation and supported
by toll gate collections. The surface
WIS clSll If mes or more OF broken
stone. The Hon. II. n Hall. lately de-
ceased. informed me that when a boy
he worked upon that road breaking stone
10 earn money to help pay the mortgage
On his fathers farm. This father was
the Hon. Inland Hall. Normonts governor
and historian. Tie farm is the present
home of Governor Mccullough After
The railroad was built and in operation
this nacadlm road was not kept up and
soon ran down.
Nj stone breaking for road-making
purposes was done by hand hammers until
about 1Si0. The first rock crusher was in
vented and patented by a Connecticut
man in lN., and first US ,c in street paving
work in the city of Hartford IN 1860
While tho people of this country were
building railroads England ana France
were constructing highways. MacAdam
began his work i'm 1910 and Tclford fol-
lowed with an additional idea in 1920.
Extensive systems of fine stone road s
followed which are admired by people
from all countries,
orr people after constructing the grand
est sNStt of railroads on earth. began
tie corkidoration of better highways
some twelve or fifteen years ago. The
good features of macadam roads were
apparent. The hard smooth roads of
France and England afforded an object
lesson and with the development of road
making machinery it was natural that the
macadm road should be the standard.
and the progress made is creditable.
We hear from the critics that the maca-
,. a,,,n;a .t. ,h, ,,
hu;,, ,r ~ ~. o.. u.tito 80 nh,r,a
~. 49,. .s,.. e . ~, 49,. -
not he laid TO the manner of building.
for MacAdam himself never built as good
roads as are laid down at the present
.;"a,, ,ao,,;n, ~ o,., So
.nr;,,,,alr,~,. ,,,,t r,,,nr;o, a,sro,
fan,i;.;S ,,r ro, u I,;ii;,, 49, 49, r-,i,aa
C,n,os ,,d r.,,h;,, = fa,,. ,.a,r. va oo,,nt, :.
~, =, a, i,, a.'',, ,, 1890 80 '
g. '',. ,orL e. -, ,o'e',,,rso, co, ,hoir
c,,.' i;,i ,rh , .,o.,,.oa -.
~ ,,,,,i,r, o,5 ,ra a.;,,, .oa, ~,
,ho b,1 no,rts ara fou,,, out H.. ,rac,inoi
use T, sho,,,d bo trour ,b3t - is ,
d.lica,o road ,.r,. o.sil,. aud hodI,. or,oc,
e., la, ,rf.,.or.hio oo,Ii,in,. oc ,,i,no+o
in treaIment or no,Ioct
7, is coneiderod one ~ tho mos, dim
c,I, or4 co,,l,. ,,.,,,a,oo,,s g.. r,,i,. tn;,,
T., tba nl1 co,,,,trin, rho,n Ia bor nerrni,s
nrorn,,iyod rood ,,,oroca,oort rh fnro,
,,,',, oi,ana,o,, ~, ,,-'ii ,,,
vcu orcani1ed az an army Rood. oro
,o, Mi, ava lat, alo,'a ,,b.r. &c no
a;,.isi,,, ,i,,, ha,- .o,,, ~ ,.,1at,n ,1
naintai,nice rho work &c contn,uoue
o,d without ston
yUha,, thn rnod h,,udi,, ,ri,oi, ~.
,,sna ,d ,roi. r,,' ,,' ', ~, oo
80 - ,his co,,,.r, W. di,iran, a,t
acoro,ric nractices for ro,a p,aintninanc.
were ,'nt nnnliod rhcir hunoid ntmos
,,bora and no ,.ntIo n,,nner 90 ,hoe.
vain storms acts TO ureservo rather tbor
ia destroy the roads
What could he evoeotod If ,bosa doll
cote and costly roads I'm our rountr,
districts whore iretead of coro ard GOO,
treatment. roads arc neglected. worke,
oncc , Xoar and . ,voIl cetohljebod bohi
of never ropatrng damaged road unti