The Republican journal., 1906-04-26
GOOD. ROADS.
An Instructive Address on How to Make
hem and How to Keep Them in Repair.

$1,000
hem and How to Keep Them in Repair.
There was a good attendance at the
court house April 10th to listen to an
address by Hon. Paul ID. Sargent, State
Highway Commissioner. There were
present the county commissioners,
highway surveyors and selectmen from
many of the towns, our present street
commissioner, J. F. Wilson, ex-street
commissioners, Levi ID. Robbins and
II. NJ. Bennett. and interested citizens.
Mr.. Sargent is a young man but thor
oughly understands lis work and IS
evidently much interested in it. lie is
a graduate from the University OF
Maine in civil engineering, and after
graduating was employed on the Wash
ington county railway, holding his posi-
ton there until he received his present
appointment He has made thorough
study of the road question and has
visited other States to inform hlmselI
as to their methods. He is now making
a -FOUR OF lllt SIdle anu ehu' A"A W
visited and held meetings i'll eight coun-
ties. Later he may hold another meet
ing in this county at some place TO be
decided upon. and we would here sug-
eest the town of Brooks, as central
and easily reached. Mr.. Sargent IN his
address said, in part:
.If | was elected ighWay com
missioner of town | would remember
first of ali that | held very important
office because the result OF the ex-
Dpnditure of money for good roads IS
FELT by every inhabltant. You should
study the roads of your town as sys-
fem and AS to their particular needs.
Give consideration to the following
noints of the administration; organlza.,
Zion of forces, the proper time or
prosecuting work, and the keeping OF
records of the work done.
s.Retter road work can be done dur
ing the months of May and June than
during any other time of the year. DO
Won realize the value to yourself OF
Leeping a record of the work which
you do These records should be de.
nosited in the town office at the end OF
each wear as they are valuable 1or
future reference
- ct ms see what a study of the roads
As to their needs will develop. Inc
over present need OF drainage VIII AT
tirst be observed and proper drainage
will do more towards good ROADS IMAM
any other thing. Good ROADS are nov
ne work of nature but of the ingenuity
~ MN surface drainage is the most
easily taken care of. Great damage
NAV result from the drainage of ADA
Int land into the road. This water
should be turned into surface bitches
haforp if reaches the road. Go over
vou1 roads while il is raining and you
will find plenty of work ahead. Beside
surface work. need will be found tor
subsoll drainage. Wherever the roads
break up and mire, you VIII know that
there is too much water III them.
Mr.. Sargent had with him, and PLACED
IN exhibition, a drawing to scale OF a
standard cross section Of State road,
of which he gave this explanation: This
road is u feet wide aud there are no
dpen bitches. The gravel or broken
stone occupies the central part of the
road. She remainder being composed OF
natural earth. The crown is at the rate
of one inch per foot on the hard part OF
the road or six inches IN SIX feet from
the center towards the sizes.
sDid it ever occur to you that our
roads are either too fat so that the
water stands in them and cannot
get to the ditch, or so rounded
that they are dangerous to teams?
is thjs section fat enough to hold
yater2 Is any part of it-dltches IN
cjnded-dangerou to passing teams?
Has it ever occurred to you that many
of the bitches are great deal deeper
and larger than necessary? Just call to
YOUR minds eye, if you can, some tile
ar iron pipe, stone or wooden box cul-
vert. laid in the ditch under the crossing
from street, or country road INTO
some city lot, or farm. Is it not fact
that in majority of cases the opening
is not larger than SIX lncA pipe: is
it not good logic that a ditch large
enough to accommodate as much water
as these pipes will vent is sufficient?
This dltct and cross section is the
standard adopted by most of the States
that have made any systematic progress
IN road work. The other factors in sur
face drainage are crown, longitudinal
grade. ard ability of the wearing sur
face to shed water. No piece of road
should be built perfectly level. A slight
grade should be provided to remove the
surface water.
"Sub-drains should be laid below the
frost. A blind drain will afford means
of venting sub-soil water and drying
the soil immediately under the road
surface. Next, after drainage is taken
care of. it will be seen that some sur
face work is to be done. Gravel is used
extensively and care should be taken to
use only the best.
1--WE come next to the consideration
of surfacing material as effecting sur
face drainage and it is only necessary
TO state that any material which will
thoroughly bind and compact, offering
a surface which cannot become rutted,
or, in other words, one that will hold
its crown, will be the best adapted to
turn water from the surface of the road
into the bitches. Undoubtedly a crush
4d stone macadam road is best suited to
do this, but few communities are pre-
pared for this class of work. Let us
Il !, o,, w O bar We can h9Vp this