Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1912-09-27
continued from First Page.

Continued from First Page.
matter, and that the best interests OF
American agriculture and the American
people as a whole demand the construc-
ton Of good roads. and that money
wisely expended for this purpose is sure
to return
"Road-making is perfected by practice,
experience, and labor. Soils and clays,
sand and ores. gravels and rocks, are
transformed into beautiful roads, streets
and boulevards, by methods which CON
form with their great varieties of char
acters and with natures law. The art
of bodybuilding depends largely for its
success upon being carried ON in con-
formity with certain general principles.
1T is necessary that roads should be
hard, smooth, comparatively level, and
iit for use at all seasons Of the year
that they should be properly located, or
laid out on the ground, so that their
grades may be such that animate or in
animate power may be applied upon
them TO the best advantage and without
great loss of energy, that they should
be properly constructed, the ground well
drained the roadbed graded. shaped, and
rolled, and that they should be surfaced
with the best material procurable; that
they should be properly maintained or
kept constantly in good repair. This is
the most essential point.
"All the important roads in the United
States can be and doubtless will be
macadamized or othwerise improved in
the not distant future. This expectation
should govern their present location and
treatment everywhere. Unless changes
are made in the location OF the roads in
many parts of this country IL would be
worse than folly to macadamize them
Any costly resurfacing OF the existing
roads viii fasten them where they are
for generations. The chief difficulty in
some countries is not with the surface
but with the sharp turns, many of which
are too short 10 be improved on the pres
ent lines and If this could be done il
would cost more in many cases than re.
locating them.
MANY or our roads were originally
laid out without any attention TO gen
eral topography and in most cases fol-
lowed the settlers path from cabin to
cabin. the pig trail. or ran along the
boundary lines of the farms regardless
of grades. angles or direction. Most OF
them remain today where they were To-
Gated years ago, and where untold labor
expense. and energy have been wasted IN
trying to haul over them and in cndeav-
ors to improve their dcplorable condition.
Against "Pig- Track" Surveys.
"Ihe great error is made in continuing
10 follow these primitive paths with
our public highways. The right course is
TO call in an engineer aud straighten the
road, or to pull the road up on dry
solid ground instead of splashing through
the mud and water Of the creek or
swamp, and abandon the sharp and dan
gerOus turns. Far more time aud money
have been wasted in trying to keep up a
single mile of one of these pig track
surveys than il would to build and keep
in repair two miles OF good road.
In the prairie state of Iowa, for ex-
ample where roads are no worse than
in many other states, there is a greater
number OF roads having much sleeper
grades than are found in the mountain
GUS republic of Switzerland In Mary
land the old stagecoach road or turn
pike running from Washington TO Balh-
more makes almost bee line regard
less OF hills or valleys, and the grades
at places are as steep rs ten or twelve
per cent, whore by making little detours
the road might have been made perfect.
~ level on by running IL up the hill.
less abruptly the grade might have beer
reduced 90 three or four per cent, as q
done in the billy regions of many parti
of this and other countries Straight
roads are the proper kind to have. but
in hlly countries their straightness
shonld always be sacrificed to obtain a