The Gainesville star. [volume] (Gainesville, Fla.) 1903-19??, 1904-05-31

study of the best methods OF road
building o
While to the general public the Idea
Of building permanent roads is to use
broken stone after the system first en-.
ployed by John McAdam, about tbs
year 1855; other methods Should Gj
GRATEFULLY studied In order to build tba
pest and most durable roads 1t i6s
lowest cost.
1t seems remarkable fact in Wow
Of the great improvements in every.
thing connected with modern life. that
we are still building our roads the
same way they were built oyer IOd
| years, ago. This resulted from the UNI.
tersal introduction OF the railroad
which caused the Improvement Of
our common roads 10 be sadly neg.
lected, as well as advancement in the
art OF building them!
A great obstacle in. the way of build.
ing durable roads Of crushed stone a
found in the lack Of suitable stone in
most localities where good road stone
Is found. In New York State, for in.
stance, where road building has been
very active In recent years, stone has
been shipped btef 800 miles id some
instances In order to obtain stone Of
good quality.
The lack Of good road material has
caused careful study of various heth:
Obs Of road building by experts, with
the result that for general use a mod.
i0cation Of the old stone wheel track
or tramway roads, which have been IN
constant use for over 100 years with!
bit Material wear or cost, has been
highly commended. The old tramway
roads could only be built at reasona.
BILE cost In a few localities having suit.
able stone, but by substituting paving
brick for the stone slabs this supefiof
form Of foad can be eheapIy built ia
every locality.
In fact, even in the favored localities,
where good road stone is abundant
the use Of these brick wheel tfdckI
considerably decreases the first cost
Of roads, while they practically do
away with all reTalr expenses, as well
as the dust and mud, and at the sams
time enable three OF four times the
load to be handled with the same team
force.
This improved method of road build.
ing has been adopted by a number Of
localities and the cost has been found
to be from $1,000 to $4,000 d mile ac.
cording to the relative cost Of mate.
flals, labor. ETC. while the average cost
Of crushed stone fddds has been about
$4,000 o mile in New York, where the
greatest amount Of road building has
recently been done.
A section Of this brick track road
In the United States Department Of
Agriculture grounds during the last
four seasons shows no material wear
and has been uniformly free from dust
mid and futs during that time, while
an adjacent section of crushed stone
road has been nearly ruined during the
same time, partly by the washing Of
water,
For hllly roads these brick wheel
tracks are especially adapted, as BY
depressing the tracks below the adds
cent road surface the water is sue.
cessfully carried down the hills on
them without the use of the objection.
able water breaks, besides enabling
three times the grade to be used with
out disadvantage.
Government road officials recon-
mend that long term convlcts be EN-
Dloyed in penitentlarles In making the
brick, cement. ETC., for these roads,
md short term convicts be used in
making the roads, to the moral and
physical betterment OF the cohvlcts,
md claim that In this way the build
ng OF these superior and most durable
u roads should cost but $500 to $1,000
mile In many localities. This makes
In Interesting comparison with the
'ost OF $4,000 mile in New York State
or crushed stone roads, some OF which
ave been nearly ruined by two or
hree years OF use, while wheel tracks
lmllar to the brick tracks, built OF
tone, near Albany. N. Y, in 1888, at
cost OF $500 mile, show very lit
lie wear In more than seventy years
4 constant and heavy traffic.
Ii convlcts were thus employed In
uch penitentlarles as Sing Sing, New
ORR, for instance, where the best OF
rick clays could be delivered at very
wv cost by boat, and from which the
rick, etc, could be cheaply shipped by
oat TO nearly every point along the
roposed New York and Chicago road
lat road could probably be built for
SIS than one-fifth Of the cost Of build
lg 1t Of crushed stone, have three
mes the smoothness and more than
N times the durability OF a crushed
one road, and at the same time DO
early dustless and mudless.
Brick made at Sing Sing could also
cheaply delivered at all points in
ew York State, and also be shipped
all points along Lake Erie by boat
us enabling the greater part Of the
opposed New York and Chicago ROAD
be built by this superior system
"a at cost so low as to be lnsg'
hcant when compared with its sub
intial and lasting benefits.-Waynes'
70 pa Herald