Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1912-09-20
COST OF POOR ROADS
Single Defect or Steep Hin Means
Smaller Loads.
Prevailing Notion That All Highway
Must Be Built on Sectional LISes
10 Often ResponslbIe Tor
Poor Condition.

Poor Condition.
(by II. M. DOLVE. North Dakota AEri-
cultural College.)
The old saying that "a chain is no
stronger than its weakest link" would
lose none Of its force II 1t were
changed to "a country road is no bet
ter than Its poorest mile" 1t matters
not how good road may be II it con-
tains single defective spot or steep
grade, for no larger loads can be
hauled over 1t than the horses can
pull through the defective place or up
the high hill. This statement Is so
self-evident that most people will read
ny accept 1t as an axiom, and yet they
are seemingly contented to haul frac.
tional loads to market because of
some often slight local defect in q
road that could be permanently re-
paired at a nominal cost The pre-
va1ling notion that the only place for
highway Is on the section line Is
often responsible for this condition. II
section line passes through slough
that cannot be easily drained a good
road cannot be built through it except
at an expense for first cost and sub
sequent maintenance far exceeding
the cost of purchasing a right of way
around the slough. The same is true
Of hills, for if hill cannot be easily
reduced to less than seven per cent
grade it should be circumvented.
The writer recalls road tributary
to small town in the Red River val
ley, where the entire road is level
with the exception of one place where
1t makes turn at a section corner
near river. The section corner is
close to the river and at least sixty
feet lower than the rest of the road,
and yet scores of farmers, who use
this road in marketing their produce.
haul their loads down this sixty-foot
drop, turn the corner and haul them
up again. At certain seasons Of the
year small loads have to be hauled
because OF this hill and often horses
are permanently injured by the
heavy pull up the hill. Still nothing
has so far been done, though, at a
nominal expense, right of way could
be secured above the hill, thus entire
ly obviating the grade and at the same
time shortening the distance to town.
Examples Of this kind are common
and force one to the conclusion that
section lines are the proper place for
roads only when good road can be
built over them; otherwise the road
should be located SO as to secure the
best route consistent with such fac
tors as distance, cost, drainage and
grade.
In new community the best time
to locate the roads where they should
be Is while the land is cheap, when
right of way may be secured over
private property with but little diff
Guilty and slight expense. In this con-
nection 1t should be remembered that
a grade which may not be objection
able when the roads are uniformly
poor SO that large loads cannot be
hauled any way may become serious
obstacles when the roads are i'm
proved so that they will sustain heavy
hauling.
In Illustration Of this point may be
cited that while 1t requires a pull of
40 pounds on the traces to haul a
ton over an average earth road 1t re.
quires pull Of only 60 pounds to haul
a ton over a good macadam road. A
six or seven per cent. grade that
would be permissible in an earth road
would be impossible with the loads
that could be hauled on a good mac
adam road. In other words, the bet
ter and more improved a road be.
comes the more Objectionable becomes
the grade. Further illustration of this
fact may be drawn from the expert
ence of our railroads. In the early
days of railroading, with it's small To-
comotiVes, small boxcars and light
trains, grade were permitted which
since the advent Of the large modern
locomotive with its heavy trains. high
speed and improved track have be-
come practically impossible so that
the companies have been, forced to
spend millions In reducing these
grades.