Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1908-06-11
SPECIAL MEETING TOPICS.
Purchase Of Steam Roller and Change
in Water Rates Proposed.


highway on Main street from the depot
to the covered bridge is such as to make
the subject of steam roller one of vital
interest. 1t is a rocky stretch of village
highway bestrewn with loose stones al
most big enough to tip wagon over and
fully as comfortable to ride on as a wood
road in a back hill pasture.
In accordance with the instructions OF
the last village meeting, the trustees have
investigated the merits, respectively, of
steam and horse rollers and find the con-
sensus of opinion, expressed by those
who have used both, greatly in favor of
the steam roller, as regards economy and
satisfactory results. A report of the in
vestigation will be made at the special
village meeting June Is, when the matter
will be discussed.
Tie deputy street commissioner of
Lynn, Mass, writes:-
"Replying to your query as to our ex-
perience with horse rollers, will state
that some years ago the city purchased
one of these machines, paying therefor in
the vicinity of $500. After several years
of iisuse, we considered ourselves fortu-
nate in obtaining $3.50 for the roller. To
our way of thinking, the two types of
machines admit of no comparison one
with the other, although a small town
might find horse roller useful. At the
present time, our 'sroliing stock" consists
OF five machines manufactured by the
Buffalo Steam Roller Co. of Boston and
Buffalo, and if we were to add to our
equipment, you may be assured il would
not be another horse roller that we should
purchase.
The superintendent of streets in Leom-
mister, Mass, recommends steam roller
on account of its cheapness; for to run a
horse roller costs 50 day. while steam
roller costs but So day.
The mayor OF Belfast, Me-, writes:-
'sThe city of Belfast purchased large
iron horse roller, requiring four to six
good horses to handle it. We found that
it was not only expensive to operate, as
we pay "a day for pair of horses, but
it was not heavy enough to do work sat
isfactorily. We were very glad to get rid
of it and we purchased Buffalo Pitts 10
ton steam roller, which we can operate
for about one-third the cost per day, and
does work that is every way desirable.
We have found our steam roller to be a
great rock pulIer. With picks in the
wheels. and stout chains we have rolled
out some tremendous boulders that could
not have been drawn out with horses.
We made exhaustive Investigation before
buying our steam roller and we are per-
fectly satisfied in every way, and il we
were going to buy another roller we
should buy lotion Buffalo Pitts
A trustee of Fair Haven, VT, states
that his town sold its horse roller sitter
five or six years of use, because it did not
give good results, and then bought a
steam affair of the Buffalo company for
$4,000 and used it last year on crushed
stone roads very satisfactorily.
Houlton, Me-, has horse roller that it
wants to sell; because it is expensive to
run, is not heavy enough to do good
work and because the four horses it takes
to haul it will pick up more material
with their shoes than the roller will roll
down. Houlton has also Buffalo Pitts
steam roller that it considers a well put
up machine and uses for excavating, pull
ing stumps, digging out rocks and as
power for concrete mixer. In three
years the town has been TO no expense
for repairs on the machine except for cast
ings broken by a careless engineer.
Rumford Falls, Me-, tried to lay ma
cadam road with horse roller, and the
attempt ended in failure. The horse ma
NAAhC was hob hcaNs anu to0e
from IS to S12 day to operate, while
the steam roller costs that town only
$3.50 day, including coal and oil.
The superintendent of streets estimates
that Rumford Falls saves with its $4,000
steam roller about $500 a year in horse
hire alone.
w. Fl. Foster, superintendent of streets
in Boston, gives the experience of that
city as follows.-
s'We have had experience with both
rollers, and while the cost of horse roll
er may be cheaper, the steam roller will
cost less to operate. Our steam roller
costs us about S3.65 per day. This in
cIudes engineer, oil, fuel, etc. With a
horse roller we used three pairs of horses
and two men, costing $3.50 per day and
did not get one-half the results.
"When we began making crushed rock
roads, we used horse roller and had
what we considered a good road when
done, but when we came to the repairs we
were up against it, as the old macadam
surface had to be all broken before a new
covering would bind. We know this
from experience. having put new top on
an old surface and have the same slide
away and break up the next season.
"Another point we have in favor of the
steam roller is its use on dirt roads. We
have 81 miles of road to keep up. One of
our main roads Ga dirt and gravel road),
about ten miles long, was practically
worn out. We had the road hipped
turning the hips into the gutter and
then hauling them away, and then rolled
it. We did not have to use any gravel
and had hard, smooth surface we'll
crowned that has stood up finely. ! sup
pose you understand that the wheels on
the steam roller are so cut that they give
a natural crown to the road.
'sSome of the hardest kickers against
the steam roller are now its best friends.
The Buffalo Pitts is the machine we swear
by"
The village of Woodstock has just pur-
chased a new steam roller, of the Buffalo
make, weighing Ia tons. 1t is fitted with
fly wheel with which to run a stone
crusher if desired. The engine is of IS
l.