Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-07-24
ANCIENT ROMAN ROADS.
Great Difference of Methods Between
Road Building There and Here.

that in this he has reached the pima
Gle of his ambition, and no one VINO
knows him can doubt that he will give
the best of his energies to not only
build roads, but build them honestly
and in accordance with the best
methods known in all the world for
the construction of fine enduring high
ways. He will have millions to
spend.
Much as has been accomplished
within the last few years in American
roadbuidiug much of the result has
proved that a vast deal more in the
way of perfection and permanence
might have been learned from the
manner in which the splendid roads
of Europe have been brought into be-
ing. 1t may be that the methods
there employed were not thought to
be good for highways in the United
States. 1t may be that the builders
of most of the scientific" highways
in this country were ignorant of the
secret of the European builders. 1t
may be that the contractors and
supervisors shirked their job, or built
nothing but to make superficial
| their money.
Certain it is that many of the
American new roads which looked
| we'll for a short time have proved a
| lamentable lack of the virtue of dura-
| bilty and permanence. Frequent
| renewals had to be made and in the
| aggregate the cost was often more
| than the value. The methods were
in error from the beginning. as no
| enduring base was laid upon which to
| impose the succeeding layers of pull
verified or pebble and sand. or pessi-
| bly, of concrete. Take for instance.
| the macadamized Viaduct road. ex-
tending from West Washington. or
| old Georgetown, in the District of CO.
| lumbia. by way Of the great arch of
| Cabin John bridge. under the road
| way of which the Washington water
| supply flows, on to the Great Falls OF
| the Potomac, the source of the sup
| ply. the entire distance being II
| miles. During a residence of II
| years in Washington this was my ia
| vorite road for driving and cycling
| and the frequency with which stretch
es of it were torn up for renewal or
| reconstruction were aggrayating to an
extreme.
Whether through ignorance or in
| tention the builders started wrong
| The basic stone was left so large that
| the sand and pebble spread over It
which should have packed close and
almost as firm and smooth as con-
crete under the impress of vehicle
traffic. sifted into the crevices of the
rocks and these came to the surface
to invite the objurgation of every
driver and eycler After the road
was declared finished" no further at.
tention was given it, ruts and holes
became ever larger ruts and holes
and the second condition of that road
was worse than the first. From worse
to worse the evil would increase, and
one day Congress would make an APP
preparation for another example OF
how not to build good road.
have driven. eycled and walked
thousands of miles in Great Britain.
Ireland. Switzerland. France and
Italy, plain table land. mountain and
dale, and rarely did come upon a
stretch of highway that was NOT as
fine as concrete. The Romans SET
the pace. gave the example. soldiers
doing most of the work. as originally
these great highways were military
roads. A civilization spread and the Ro-
mans were routed from countries thew
had invaded. the natives continued build
ing the perfect road after the manner of
their former conquerors, and most of the
highways of Europe to this dav are con-
structed after the methods of those ar
| lists with stone and sand and cement
whose mosaic floors in the ruined baths
and palaces and amphitheaters hold to-
gether tenacously after 1000 or more
years
Their ancient roads were the forerunner
of what are now called macadamized
roads. but the European imitation is far
superior to any macadamized road ever
constructed. in America.
The manner of building roads in Europe
today is that of the ancient Romans.
The softer surface clay is taken away
and heavier layer of stone is made the
basis of the new road; but 1t is not such
stone as that of the Viaduct road at
Washington and of hundreds of other So
called macadamized roads the basic work
of which would seem to be unfulfiIled
contracts or graft. In Europe the basic
stone is broken evenly small. hardly
larger than the dimensions of one of our
American black walnuts without the hull
This is spread over the roadway to a
depth according to the nature of the clay
beneath. the upper layers being nicely
fitted by hand. Upon this is spread top
coating of ground stone such as is used
here in the making of concrete. or sand
and fine gravel which, when wetted by
rain or artifcially packs as close and
firm as cement
Here comes an important difference be-
tween the European and the American
way. On the other side the road is care
fully watched from the moment it is
completed, and when the least indenta-
ton is made by heavy vehicles men are
ready to replace the stones and top dress
ing pushed aside and if necessary to
fetch fresh stone with barrows from piles
numerously scattered along the wayside
holes. If dust should gather in undue
quantity it is taken off by light scrapers
of long plank drawn over the surface at
an angle, and if the dust be mud by rea-
son of wet weather it is taken away all