The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1907-08-23

The first settler who built a road
followed the most convenient lndlan
trail, except that he must needs blaze
mark on tree trunks to guide the
next traveller. The Indian needed no
mark Of the kind, the bark on the
tree, the bend of the leaves, the tilt
of grass blades being sufficient sign
for him. The first road maker was
too anxious to get to the promised
land beyond the hills to take much
pains with the new thorougnfare. He
built temporary bridges, z1g-zagged
across the plains, threw down a cor
duroy foundation where the marshes
hindered him, and plunged on. The
next wagon cut the roads deeper.
When settlements sprang UP along
this route the old road became a
public thoroughfare over which pro-
duce must be taken to market and
supplies brought home. When the
road became impossible, there was
a problem to be met. Road building
soon rose from a matter of neighbor-
hood interest to one of national i'm
portance.
A good or bad road determines the
price of farm products, and the values
of farms have fuctuated in many
states with the condition of the roads.
The rapid growth of cities and the
consequent depopulation of rural COM
munities can be traced directly or in
directly to the country roads that
nave prevented intercourse with the
world. In New York the shrInKage in
value of farm property in 1890 was
estimated to be SIS, 100000, and in
connection with this it may be stated
that this state has only per cent
of her country roads improved ny sur
face dressings and proper grading
jim Maryland the shrinkage in farm
values is estimated at $500, 900 year,
and Maryland has only 3 per cent of
her roads improved. The nations bill
for wagoning farm produce is at least
a billion dollars year, $500, 900, 900
OF this is a useless waste anG is at
tributable to bad roads. North Caro-
lima alone IS said to lose $4,000, 900
year in this fashion.
America had many thousands of
years OF historic rOad-making back of
her when she started to build her own
thoroughfares, and in some belated in
stances profited by them. To-Day one
may travel on Roman roads from
Northern Scotland to Malatia near
THE Euphrates, a distance of nearly
1000 miles, exclusive of the water
crossings. Those roads were quilt in
the time of ROme's greatness when
commercial power, order and law
were to be Kept supreme and she
knew that roads were her best civil
lzers. She spent from $50, 600 to $780,
600 mile On these roads, and the bed
is from three to seven feet oeep. Our
most costly American roads have cost
from $4,000 to $4,000 a mile The
greatness of old Peru is = tale of long
| ago, yet the massive stone highways
OF the lncaS today defy time and dy-
nasty and DEATH and stand as a mem
orfal to the people wlis- oulIt them I'M
der SO much discomfort centuries be-
fore the coming. of Pizarro. The de-
cay of China is said to De in a great
measure due to her lack Of good
roads.
When the western migrations be-
gan and the newly-made states real
lied that dirt roads could not bear
heavy travel at all seasons of the year,
the study OF bodybuilding became a
serious matter. Une JOln l.. Maca-
dam of England had demonstrated
the efficiency of q gravel dressing on
a leveled clay surface. In 1892 this
was tried in the United States for
the first time on the pike running
from Lancaster to Philadelphia, sixty
two miles being completed in two
years at cost of s465,0Oo. Ioll-gates
were set along the way, and the era
of good roads in America had dawned.
1t was a slow and expensive process,
however, for the gravel was not al
ways available in all the states, and
the only method of transportation was
by wagon. New York turned her ex-
periments in another line, anu in 1ooI
built the first plank roads in Lnis
country. This idea took readily and
spread like wildfire. Timber in those
days was not only plentiful but an
annoying superf1uity, and road-making
seemed a good way in which to use