Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1906-08-10


be 80 feet wide between fences, 30 feet
between bitches, and have a 16-foot road
way at the centre, Of a material that will
pack down hard and firm. The browning
should be one inch to the foot under
ordinary circumstances--less with sand
and more with clay. Where grades are
not over three per cent. and the soil
Is not rocky, a traction engine. or road
roller and a scraper can be used to great
advantage In grading. At an operating
| expense of $40 a day the scraper can be
made to grade from one half to a mile
day, this being in addition, of course.
to teams and other expenses required to
run the scraper and engine. A roller or
engine Weighing eight or ten tons is as
| heavy as should be used, since one of this
weight is effective and will usually pass
safely over bridges. On hilly roads the
shovel pick and cart must be used, as
| heretofore. Always grade from outside to
| centre, but get rid of all leaves, grass
| and rubbish first. The centre Of the
road should not be filled with such mate
rial. The great essential in road making
is proper drainage. Keep the roadway
crowned and the bitches clear. Get rid
OF the water, for earth without water is
| never muddy and never freezes: It is the
water that freezes. Culverts should in
variably be of concrete, stone tile,
and placed at an angle instead Of square
across the road, and at a slope Of two
| per cent.
After an earth road has been properly
| graded, the next improvement win be to
| give II a gravel covering 16 feet wide
| The soil at the centre or top of the crown
should be sliced or scraped off and four
inches Of large gravel put on first, to
be covered by fine gravel and rolled.
The first layer, however, should not con-
| tain too large stones, sizes of three to
three and one half inches in diameter
being sufficient.
In making mountain roads. which fol-
low along the slope OF a hill, the road
way should be built up with gravel,
higher on the outside than on the inside,
| so as to drain toward the HILL into a
ditch or the inner or hill side OF the road.
Tile or culverts placed under the road
| at frequent intervals will carry of the
water from this ditch. In cases where
there is a long. steep slope above the
road, there should be another ditch
dug a short distance above the road to
prevent washing out during heavy rains.
The speaker did not advocate water
bars and recommended the use Of petro-
leum with tar or asphalt base-not with
parafne base-for spraying roadways
where the soil is Of such a composition
that II would not pack down.
Col. Moore was followed by the national
organizer, wellington E. Loucks, who
is also an expert in road making, and is
conducting the campaign for good roads
association. In New England. where the
town is the unit some form of local
option should be allowed in road making.
with a state law OF, say, Is cents on the
hundred as a minimum and 30 cents as
| n maximum. This is what is done in
Colorado where copditions are similar.
Roads can be built more cheaply in YER
mont than in New York or Massachu-
sets, because there are plenty of gravel
pits. with good grade Of gravel for
road construction. Flat and sharp gravel,
with a stone foundation is what is re-
quired He called attention. in par
ticular. to the uselessness of spending
large sums Of money from year to year
for poor construction, when, by intelli-
gent supervision, so much better and
more permanent results are to be Sc
cured. In Virginia there are three paid en-
, gineers in state employ. and every road to
receive state aid must first be sur
veyed. plans made to indicate the cor
rect form of construction under the con-
ditions, and blueprints filed at the COM
missioner's headquarters. He also out
( | lined methods adopted by some Other
> states including New Jersey, where Sc
, many miles OF macadam roads have beer
5 built from funds received from corpora
4 | ton registration fees.
I Mr.. Loucks spoke at length upon tn,
( | advantages of good roads to all inter.
Y ests, showing how it enabled merchants
. to deal largely at home instead OF draw
. ing on supplies at a distance. He said
h further. Col. Moore, the president. woulS
be glad to arrange with the proper au
= thorities of the county to build a mode
0 road for short distance, under the ex
e pert direction of their engineers, II sucl
should be desired.
Following came reports from count,
l. representatives upon local conditions.
o NJ. Nutting of Westminster said his tow
d had S5 miles of roads, and expended las
| Il,, Co.. r1,Nlr
= OF their road tax. 1884 went to the state
= and they drew $644 from the state, thu
4 receiving additional help that was OF ma
70 terial assistance. He advocated more su
n pervision.
A J. H. Merrifield OF Newfane reported s
e miles of highway in his town, and thre
It miles Of state road constructed. The
Is had employed the same road commission
e err ten years and intended to continu
making the position a permanent one
" Each year one or more stone or stet
t bridges was contracted. He advocated
d 80 per cent. compulsory tax.
y f. b. Pier, Jamaica, said there were
n large number of mountain brooks in ia
: maica to contend with, and the tow
It owned over a mile of plank bridges. The
lie receive $500 more of the highway ia
r, from the state than they pay out.
lie At this juncture the program was de
N parted from by the entrance OF Winsto
lie Churchill who is seeking the independ
e ent nomination for governor in NeV
N Hampshire. and his party. en- route I
-e Hinsdale, where Churchill was to spea
IF in the evening. Col. Churchill was es
s. corted to the front and gave clean-cU
e. five-minute talk, in his characteristicall
le simple, but direct and forceful manne
10 He spoke of the attractions of Vernon
Of and New Hampshire, not only as a sum
" mer home but as a year-round resdenC
> place, which led him to secure a home 6
lie Cornish. This is the garden spot of tn
re country. Why not exploit the scenery
lg No agent could bring this attraction be
he fore the public so effectively as good road
ID Men who made their money in the Yves
he in the ffties are now ready to come heI
t. to spend It, Churchill was chairman
Id the public improvements committee
lie the New Hampshire legislature when II
he state road bill was passed, and was in
err strumental in bringing it about, and h
err alluded briefly to this measure.
he Hon. d. c. Remick, n member o
OF Churchills party, spoke In bright vel
for FIVE minutes. He is a native OF Vel
as mont, now lives in New Hampshire, an
Of he dressed down the Green Mountai
ne state in a mastery fashion for its negle'
I'd Of its roads, to the great profit of Ne
ne Hampshire.
he recess Of five minutes was then take
is to give the audience an opportunity
On meet the visitors. and the hour was 1
r. late that the meeting finally adjourned.
40 EuaaInd Saaaion