Troy weekly news. (Troy, Idaho) 1897-1933, 1907-08-23
Making Good Roads Of Earth.

the worlds road builders. There was
no other acceptable means of internal
travel than by road and the military
needs of the empire demanded good
highways. Some Of these, built CEN
turies before Christ's appearance on
earth are still serviceable. How puny
in comparison are our efforts to build
roads as good, even to build roads that
will stand the wear not for a thousand
years but for mere twenty years!
The art of road building, like the
Egyptian art of embalming is lost to
present day civilization.
The most famous of Roman high
ways was the Appian Way which led
from Rome to Capua. 1t was made by
Appius Claudius Crassus Caecus when
he was censor, 313 B. c., and after
ward was extended to Brundusium.
1t was paved with hexagonal blocks Of
lava, exactly fitted to one another, rest
ing on an admirable substructure Of
considerable depth, and there may
still be seen, particularly at Tenacina,
important remains which prove its ex-
cellent workmanship.
Here, in a country of wretched rural
highways, we have not solved-at least
have not accepted any solution OF the
problem Of constructing highways. 1t
is of interest withal, to read the result
OF an experiment made with an earth
roadway between Council Bluffs and
Omaha. Omaha freight for shipment
east from Council Bluffs, and Council
Bluffs freight for shipment west from
Omaha, is carted in wagons which
weigh two tons, have ID inch tires,
and carry loads averaging five tons.
Describing the experiment and its re-
suits, w. F. Baker says in a commun-
ication to the Des Moines Capital:
In the past it has been considered
impossible to build a dirt road that
would support this immense traffic;
but we have been able to do so with
very satisfactory results. This road has
been built over the bottoms, where
drainage for most Of the way is I'M
possible, the water now standing in
bitches for more than one-third of the
distance.
This result has been obtained by
finding a smooth level surface, rolling
it thoroughly, then spreading upon the
surface not to exceed two inches oI
dirt at time, thoroughly rolling unit
it is built up not to exceed two feet in
height from the natural ground, and
some thirty feet in width from the out
side of the bitches and raised to the
center about one and one-half inches
per foot. This road bed is not effected
by very heavy rains. and but little BY
alternate rains while the travel contin
ues. and then in very few hours th'
surface is perfectly dry and is exceed
ingly smooth.
If these wagons bearing such heav.
loads had five or six-inch tires as the,
should have, the crowning Of the road
bed could be reduced to three-fourth
Of an inch per foot, which would pre-
vent sliding and would absolutely keel
itself in repair.
1t is mistake nat dirt road can
not be built successfully without thor
ough drainage, About one-fourth Q
the three miles mentioned is cinder
mixed with dirt; but it is not on tn
average in the lowest and wettest G
the road.
1T has been said by good judges
that this road has the heaviest traffic c
any road of like distance in the Unite'
States, and I am inclined to believe tina
this is true"
Here is a set of rules for road build
ing which merit trial at a time whel
all road construction is more or les
experimental. Dubuque Iowa Tele
| graph-Herald.