Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-09-21
BETTER ROADS IN MAINE.
A Plea for the General Improvement 81
Our Highways. t&

Mr. Thompson. once remarked that for
eight months in the year there Is no
hetter place in the world to live in
than Maine, and. judging from the
number Of visitors who flock to the old
Pine Tree State during the summer and
autumn we are inclined to think the
statement is not much overdrawn.
Who that has ever lived in the State
docs not love to return for a visit, and
what stranger who has once been
among US does not WISH u GUILE
lagain?
| When strangers visit the State and
speak of it's beautiful scenery and
drives they generally have in mind
only limited portions of 1t, for we must
remember this great northern State OF
ours comprises half of New England
and includes two-thirds as much terri
| tory as England and more than Bel
gium which has population of mil
lions. While we are glad to have these
particular portions well spoken of
those of us who have lived in the rural
| sections feel that many of the most
| charming places are little known out
side of the local precincts and the i'm
pressions they produce upon the
| stranger who visits them for the first
time are much impaired because of the
miserable condition Of the roads and
the unattractive appt ararce of TIL.
roadsides.
| In places frequcnted by automobiles
we often hear the cry for smoother
roads but we see no reason why the
man living in the rural section has not
Just as much right to drive carriage
ever respectable road as the man
who has little more means and rides
in pneumatic tired car. The poor
Icondition Of the roads is very well
known and the question arises "How
lean they be improvcd?" and then comes
the oft-repeated response IF we only
had more money, but We haven't" or
l"They have always been So" and SO
Ithey continue to be scuffed over a little
each year, nobody feels satisfied but
Everybody feels it is as good as they
bad expected and SO they content
themselves with the conditions.
| But little observation seems to
snow that they are not as good as they
SHOULD be and it is quite time we ask
twhy, and how they may be improved.
Last summer an experiment was made
on low muddy piece of road at Oro-
no, similar to what we understand has
been done in several other places in
the State. The middle of the road was
Iploughed up and a trench some four
feet deep and three wide was sunk.
Into this small stones to depth OF
two or three feet were dumped. The
dirt was then scIaped over the trench
land rounded off making rOad-bed
fully a foot higher than the old one.
Last spring the frost came out of this
piece of road early, the neighbors say,
land there were only a few days of mud
while the rest of the road was muddy
for weeks. All through the summer
this was dry while the other part was
muddy for two or three days after
each rain. During the winter there
was little expense in keeping this piece
of road clear while before the snow had
Idrifted with each storm. So success
full was the experiment that about
Quarter of a mile of the road was
treated in similar manner this sum-
mer. Every one could easily think Of
some wet place like what has just been
described which with similar treatment
could probably be made into a dry fine
piece of road. We recall dozen rods
of low road in a certain district where
for several winters we have shoveled
| snow. A low stone wall runs along
| the western side and over this the
snow drift: three or four feet deep and
must be sfovelcd out after every storm
during the winter.
No COubt the amount expended in
che winter in keeping this road clear
would be sufficient to open up the
road. put the old stone wall into it, and
raise it SO that very little expense
would be required to keep it open in
winter. the inconvenience of waiting q
day or two for it to be opened would
be avoided. and it would be greatly
improved for the summer. There are
probably hundrt DIS of miles of such
| roads throughout the state with road
sides FILED with rocks which have been
thrown out of the way of the carriages
and which give an unsightly appear
ance. BY making use of these stones
the roads might be bettercd and the
roadside cleared at the same time.
Since the Introduction of the road
machine great many districts con-
tent themselves with driving a ma
chine over their roads each year,
cases. doing very little good. Now
machine is a fine thing where a ma
chine is needcd-Where the old gutter
must be scraped out and the road
formed over Il new one or where a lit
tie planning is needed. but in too manx
places the work done is of no perma-
nent value and in two or three weekc |
afterward no one would know that |
anything had been done. Where it is |
ledgy or where the bushes and rocks |
extend down to the edge of the gutter |
very little can be done in this way.
Instead OF trying to run over such |
places with the machine and long
team it would be much better and fully
as cheap TO haul gravel, if it can be
had, and dump it into the road.
A case of this kind was noticed in
North Vassalborc. Several years agol
gentleman III that village began to
dump gravel into low muddy place
in the village. The first year it was
soft and hard to drive over and
great deal of dissatisfaction about
this method Of treating the street