Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1907-06-08
WIDE AWAKE MADISON
A Tennessee County Building
Many Miles of Good 7oads.
HOW THE START WAS MADE.
1t Took an Old Farmer to Make the
Authorities Realize What Cad Roads
Were Costing Them - MovacuIite
Used In Constructing the Highways.

HOW M'NhlNoh toln y. ! e 4, secured
good roads is nm int"rc t,i.- story told
by writer in Brcc 'rr'S C'Zr;tr. Chi
caEo, and may offer n :, .yc ton to
other communities hur,lr.rl with I'M
paSiablc highways. Sr.r'Hl vars ago
sam Lancaster. city engineer of Jack
SON Tenn, turned his attention to the
condition of the streets of jackson and
the roads of tn" Surroun III: country.
He found Tho county commissioners
p'anliing some of the rpAGS and began
by showing them that tn wood cost
a much rs good stone wpTll cost.
1t took Il lot of c"fDrt 20 ,lp"r the au-
thoriti"S. but ut 1t Il lie beginning
was made and SDn.c stone laid down
There was much opposition. vet the
people liked the road ANA the seed
sprouted, the yeast workcl In 1903
til" roadS In winter became impISSahlc.
Men came In for groceries afoct \
great meeting WAS called to discus
roads and ways and means. Sam Ian
caster back of il all lie hal Il bill
drawn empowc"iu'; the issuing of
bonds for road bull lin: f. the amount
Of $15O,oO0 and put in care of II friend
Shrcwd In such matters. The meeting
WAS warm one, and the discussion
took varied sides. Most of the con
Sc"vativeS" were opposed to bonds.
TAX and pay as we 20" was their ar
gumoIt. That meant nothing doing"
After weary arguments and no appar-
en- progress IN ol nan "ro @. Il tired
Old man, Splattr"cl with rel mud from
head to foot. ii; boz; cak@d with mud
his trousers pai"tcl with it, In a
feeble voice and With deprecating
manner this cid man said
My. Chlirm N, | I've out Il few miles
from town. | lave Il rite farm and Il
LITTLE Sawmil. | cant come to town
now in any other Way than afoot.
came to this merchants store turning
to one of the Stro Z st opponents of
the bond issue and bought about 81
worth of groceries today. | will carry
them home on my back. 1t is the only
way | can take them home Now,
need more than So: worth of things
from his store. and if | could get to
town with my team could bring
enough stuff that | have for sale in
wOul like to scH Il good road before
die. Mr.. Chairman must be going
soon, for it Is a long walk through the
mud to my place"
A silence fell upon the assembly. The
merchant was abaSh"l. Then he him
self arose and offered Il resolution call
ing for the drafting of bill to bond
the county. And the committee re
tired for five minutes. when they came
back, and the spokesman. to LancaS-
ter'S aStoniShmcnt. reaG the draft of n
bill issuing bonds to the amount Of
$500, 900
The psychological moment had arriv-
ed; he was Shrewd enough to know it
and had doubled the agreed upon fig
urcS. With no dissenting voice the res
olutiOn carried, the bin went to the lc;;
iSlature, the bonds We're issued. and the
good roads movement was ON.
Next came the matter of materials
Madison county Is without stone. Ian
caster hunted for the best and found it
in Illinois Freight rates We're impoSsi-
bic. He saw" the Men who manage
the Illno.S Central railway and show
c1 them that it would pay them to haul
the stone cheapiy and help him to de-
velop the country there. They made a
low rate, and work began. This stone
they use Is called novaculite 1t Is as
hard as flint and as sharp. 1t bonds
easily and wears exceedingly well.
When the work of road building be-
gan Lancaster determined to relocate
much of the old way. that grades
should be made light that direct
ness could be considered. Naturally
he encountered much opposition in
this, but being patient and persistent
and conclliatory as well he generally
accomplished that point. Many ram
bling old hill roads were abandoned
and direct lines built in their stead
The aim was that as one hill deter
mines what load may be drawn to
Jackson there should be no hill any
where. Seldom can one see as good
grades rs he has given these roads.
They balk at neither cut nor I'LL. They
are like the ineXorable roads of the
Romans and have the same signiti-
cance.
Not that there is money wasted; no.
rot II penny is wasted, and the utmost
efficiency Is sought from labOrerS from
tcamsters, from materials. They first
make the grade. then they follow and
make what they call IL Sub@radc, or
led for the stone. This i; rolled down
hard with the steam roller. 1t has a
sharp shoulder of &C. to receive and
we'll wetted. And as it i; lIil down
and spread 1t Is we'll rolled ,.pwn; then
the road Is complete. v .lege there
are culvertS to be put in tAcI are often
built of re-enforced con .ete, with
wings of the same material 1t is all
vDod. thorough work.
They have now finished sixty miles
of road. The aim was at first to build
all the main roads out from town for
Il distance of five miles. There were
nine principal roads. which with their
branches made seventeen miles. Later
they will tend these roads to nine
miles. Do not imagine that this has
been done with poorly paid labor. The
men get S1,25 per day. and the teams
are paid hy the mile, so that they
must earn their money, but the basis
Is 50 per day for man and team.