Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-08-31
kENNEBEC.
MOUNT VERNON.

Dr. II. +. Shaw gave very INTEREST,"
ing and instructive lecture under the
auspices OF Mt. Vernon Grange, Satur-
day evening, Aug. q. He spoke upon
Rural Life in New England" dwell
ing on the manners, customs. ana par
ticularly the roads of England and 9TH
er countries which he has visited. The
doctor showed among other views de-
vice used in France for separating sand
from gravel used in road construction.
He described it as piece of as-1nch
wire screen about three or four feet
long. set up on legs so as to make an IN
cline plane, with boards to keep the
gravel from falling over the sides. The
gravel is shovelled on to the top of this
and allowed to run down over the
screen Just as coal is screened. The
doctor has learned that this same thing
is used in some localities in Maine to
sift gravel to put on top OF clay ROADS.
He says: Gravel should be put on to
the roads when they are wet and never
when they are dry. There is differ
ence In gravel. That which is most
valuable for road construction being
sharp, or irregular in form, and that
which is of least value is composed of
pebbles smoothed and rounded by mu-
tual attrition while exposed to the ac-
ton of water in prehistoric ages. Those
geological formations known as morse
backs" are always made up largely or
gravel, and where the pebbles are not
too smooth it makes good road materi-
al, but should have the sand screened
out of it." Eben Leighton, SO years OF
age, sat directly in front of the lee
turer and, by the way, Uncle Eben had
macademized about two rods OF road
that day alone, by pounding up fiat
stone and spreading it several inches
deep. DR.. Shaw said: "Much of the
macademized road in Europe is made
from stone broken up by hand and this
is said to be better than stone crushed
by machinery. Costly machinery Is not
necessary to make good stone roads. "A
heavy roller is desirable, but is not alb
soutely essential. Put the crushed
stone or sifted gravel on top of the road
in October or November, and by the
time the mud season of the next year is
over the stone will have been very well
trodden in. Stone roads have to he
looked after and kept clean, all dress
ing being removed and depressions
filled up as fast as they are formed.
The proper way to deal with mud holes
in the road is to fill them with crushed
rock The soil in this part of Maine
is well adapted to road building, being
full of small stones. When stones are
raked out of our roads they should be
placed back, either directly into de-
pressions which may exist in the road
bed. or placed in piles beside the road,
to be put back into the middle of the
road in October. The use Of the road
machine has probably prevented our
people from keeping abreast Of other
civilized nations in road construction
This machine has made it so easy to
scrape mud into the roads that people
| have kept right along in the old ruts.
The month of April is the time to study
a road. A good road will not heave and
settle. No road can be good which Is
not well drained. or is built on dead
level, or which is not rounded up high
er in the middle than at the sides. Peo-
pie thought one while that bicycle rid
ers were going to revolutioniZe the art
of road making. but they did not ac-
complish much. Now the Grange has
taken it up and in the course Of 10
years the roads are likely to be better"
EAST READFIELD.
| Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Mace. Wayne,
visited relatives in this place. Sunday.
MIR. Mace has charge of Wayne town
farm and is giving good satisfaction.
Mr.. and Mrs. E. E. Richardson.
Lewiston, visited at W. T. Mace's and