The Pickens sentinel-journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1903-1906, 1905-10-04
Goop nAnru ReAna.

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The problem VI how to secure good
dirt roads Is Of so much Importance to
tho country at large that 1t justlfies a
somewhat lengthy presentation in this
department Of plan whereby the
common earth road may be wonderful.
ly improved at very small outlay, a
plan adaptable to all states and all
soils save sandy ones.
| 1t goes without saying that bad roads
intiict q fearful tax upon the country
| ut large, burden which should be re-
moved to rs great an extent as posi-.
bic. Bad roads depreciate the value of
farm land, Interfere with tho postal
service, cause yluts and famines in the
produce markets aud are a perennial
disturber OF the agricultural and com.
mcrciai interests Of tho whole country.
The roads are the worst wherever
the soil Is most productive. Fertility
of soil means mud. Mud means money,
and It also means misery. Where the
soil Is sterile and stony good roads are
a natural sequence. Where big crops
can be raised there Il man gets stuck
hauling them to market.
| The vast agricultural empire Of tho
| great west and northwest Is q country
Of bad roads, heretofore presenting an
almost unsolvnble problem and one
which In the rapid development Of tho
country becomes yearly Of more urgent
| Importance.
It IL conceded without argument that
al earth road is the best road in the
world when 1t is dry and smooth and
that when 1t is wet 1t 10 the worst road
In the world. If the earth road could
be kept free from water 1t would thus
| become the ideal road.
1t has heretofore been assumed that
this thing was an impossibility, and 80
all lines Of road Improvement have
been based upon the theory that the
earth must be covered with some sub
stancc-grayel or stone or burned clay
to make 1t impervious to water or at
| least resistant to it's effects, no atten-
tion being given to the possibility Of so
treating tho earth Itself that 1t should
become practically waterproof. Fol-
lowing this assumption we have the
various methods Of road building
macadamiSing, paving and Sraveling--
all OF which arc very expensive,
slow Of construction, costly to main
tain, and which because Of the ex-
cessiva cost Of construction and the
difficulty Of obtaining suitable mate
rial were only pessih.e Oh main high.
ways between cities IN thickly settled
sections Of the country. Mt least for
the present generation. Such highways
cost from $4,000 to $4,000 per mile to
build. There are about eighty miles Of
highway In each civil township, or, say, ;
an average Of one-haf mile to each
farm. Taking even the lowest estimate
Of cost-$2,500 per mile-the construc-
ton OF such roads bonded debt prin-
cipal and interest, would mean bank
ruptcy and confsoation, and thus 1t
comes that the maeadamized road Is
not solution for the existing problem
Of bad roads. !
Thore are Just three things which are !
Indispensable to the securing of good |
earth road. which. as we have said, is
the best Of roads when It is good. and
these are-lt must be smooth, 1t must
be oval, and 1t must be hard. Given
these three conditions In conjunction
and We have the good earth road The
object Of writing this article is to show
how this thing may be accomplished.
To make 1t plain and eaay to be un-
derstood we will take d stretch Of gum.
DO soil, soil notorious as the begetter
Of the worst roads 8a earth. We are
going to assume that such highway
has been graded Wy aRd dttched 80 far
as possible to seeuro tiio escape Of the
surface water. Ynis much done, we
dnd tho following condition: The track :
all cut up during a wet time, bottom
less chuck holes ahd ruts, q ridge Of
earth between the w3seol traoks and |
other ridges at eithar side. When It |
finally dries Of, fer the water which |
falls Oh It cannet possibly escape, It Is |
80 baked and so rough that 1t is almost |
as bad dry as wet; the travel is forced |
into tha ruts, making them more deep
and water tight. II dry season comes
constant travel will finally smooth the
road down until It becomes fairly
good road, but the Irregularities Of the
surface Insure a bad road just as soon
as rain falls, and 80 1t but rarely Is
ever good road either wet or dry.
Every man is familiar with this condl-
ton OF the highways At it's best this
road is possessed Of but ono Of the
three essentlals-t was hard, but nei-
ther oval nor smooth.
Now. supposlng that this gumbo road
could be 80 treated that the other two
factors, ovality and smoothness. could
be secured. 1t will at once become clear
that the problem Of tho earth road Is
aOlvah