Arizona republican., 1904-02-29
AS TO ROAD MAKING
Ideas Suggested by Frequent Jour-
 neys Along Grand Avenue.

Glendale. Feb. 2S Especial COrre-
 spondence of The Republican,.
 Where ere the roads of yesterday? | The wind has blown them all away" | Frequent faring on the avenue called | Grand prompts some reflections on | roads and the making of them. The | building of highways worthy the name
 is at once the most modern and most 1 historic of arts. From the days of the ' Appian Way men have added but little
 to the Knowledge of the subject. There
 have been long periods of forgetfulness,
 and then "a slow reaching upward to | the light of other days. With the bi- cycle and the automobile has latterly | come a revival that in this century 1 should produce important results. But
 what interests us here and now is the
 sad fact that we haven't even begun to learn. To date, our experiments in
 road making simply go to show that large sums of money can be spent in very short time with minimum Of practical benefit. I wish I could state this in stronger terms. Take Grand lavenue, for instance. Improving that | road cost probably S2,0C0 per mile at | least. Of the whole nine miles to Phoenix there are only three miles that have proved of any substantial value.
 That is the stretch from here to Jacks
 ranch, and this could be bettered. with out any material increase in initial eX pense. From Jacks ranch to Alham- bra mourtaineer would hardly call it
 good. and from the latter point to the city limits, with few exceptions, one is reminded continually of the sad refrain I started with. What we need is a lit tie scientific study of materials and little more horse sense in making a road after we find the best. One fact is demonstrated to my mind beyond peradventure. and that is worthless ness of decomposed granite for per manent road and the futility of its con
 tirued use for that purpose. It is fit only for sidewalks, bicycle paths or roads from which heavy traffic is ta- booed. It simply won't wear, Mes sieurs. This material has been chosen in most cases. I take it. because from it a smooth roadway can SO readily b. made. And that same adaptability Is its greatest shortcomiug. It grinds up and presses down easily and then it keeps on grinding up, and after bit your beautiful granite highway is a perforation of ruts and chuck holes. Of course by piling on more material you may increase the life of such a road, but there you butt up against Charybdis. In building roads expense is, after durability, the most important consideration. There are plenty of materials that would make perfect roads. but the Harrison act still looms and the beet crop is short. So far as our experience goes the rock used on the avenue from Glendale to Jacks ranch is the best available. It is kind of slaty porphyry. wears like iron and of such structure as tC be easily Quarried. The rock used on the road from Jeck's to Alhambra is of a simi- lar nature, end would probably be as good if properly prepared and placed. This rock should have been crushed to the size If a walnut and then pressed down with roller of sufficient weight to make a smooth surface. Most rocks in this country contain certaiTf- pre- portion of lime Such material would be valuable for surfacing a foundation of other rock in some cases. The Santl Fe has used for it's crossings a con- glomerate of waterworn material from the so called caleche hills near the Agua Fria 1t is of importance to note that this material when properly placed has worn away but slightly in years under the heaviest traffic. Good roads are the cheapest works a municipality can undertake if only modicum of brains go into the making of them.
 Alex. Silva is seriously i'll with an attack of pneumonia.
 The fans all hiked out to the woods today There's a game scheduled with c Toh where the Saltzburger don't flow. They took Algy along for mascot.
 Superintendent Hamlin of the Re lief came down from the mine Satur- day. enroute to Phoenix.
 Miss Lulu Eyer and Miss Ellingson of Phoenix are spending a few days with Miss Belle Eyer.
 There is a marked renaissance of in- terest in the enterprise being promoted by the Verde Water & Power Go. This was caused primarily by the arrival last week of several men from Kansas, who came to look over the ground. On Tuesday party started for the Horse shoe damsite on the Verde river, in charge of Major s. C. Symonds, one of the officials of the company. Included in the party were A. R. Taylor of Burton, Kas., J. Y. Shelly of Hutchi- son, Kas., MT. Arice of Sterling, Kas.
 Wm. Smith of Winfield, Kas., J. w. Forney, A. T. EnlOe, Harry Barber and Ray Lehman. w. D. Turnam, of Eskridge Kansas, who has been so- journing here most of the winter, ac- companied the party as official report CT and photographer. They drove fifty miles the first day and camped at Camp Creek. The next morning they went fifteen miles to the damsite and returned to their camping place Wednesday night, returning the next day along the route of the Verde canal. Of the main canal P 1-2 miles has been completed and a tunnel to
 tap the reservoir. This tunnel is 900 feet through the granite and is about twelve feet in diameter. MT. Truman secured some interesting pictures of sights and scenery en route. Among them is a giant cactus which is most fearfully shaped. It is the oldest specimen I ever recall maving seen. A curious phenomenon was observed at the Verde one and one-half miles
 below the Horseshoe damsite The river at this point runs enough water at the present low stage to keep this side of the river evergreen, and leave