The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-11-01
DISCUSSED ROAD BUILDING.
Vermont Society of Engineers Heard
Several Speakers Last Evening.


The semi.annual meeting of the Ver-
mont Society of Engineers was held at
Montpelier yesterday, with a good at
tendance. The morning session. which
opened at 10 o'clock in the memorial
room of the city hall, was devoted large
ly to the transaction of business. En-
bems were decided on and committee
is to report later on watch fob en-
blematic of the soriety which the mem
bers may wear. The officers are elected
at the annual meeting in March and a
committee was appointed to nominate
them, consisting Of c. S. Carleton of
Northheld, II. N. Mcintosh of Burling-
ton and w. IL. Vorce of st. Albans.
The address of the morning was by
Prof A. +. Winslow OF Northfeld, who
considered the need of the appointment
of state engineer, whose business it
should he to prepare means for the de-
yelopment Of the resources of eVrmont,
her water power, timber land, etc,
whose possibilities have not yet been
realized from the lack of some one to
lead. Mr. Winslow favored the appoint
ment of a committee to act with the
legislature in behalf of the engineers
association, and George A. Reed of
Barre, A. Il. Winsow of Mortified and
i. A. Walker of Barre We're appointed
to serve in this capacity.
Yesterday afternoon was given up to
a trip to the Barre granite quarres and
in the evening banquet was served, at
which the members of the association !
and their ladies We're present.
The evening session of the associa. !
tion was held in the Senate chamber I
and was presided over by State Highway /
Commissioner Gates, in the absence Of I
the president The first speaker of the /
evening was S. Percy Hooker, state
highway commissioner of New Hamp-
shire His idea had been that the en-
gineer was indispensable 10 good roads,
but he has changed his mind he has
learned much from men who 'atc ig
norant and had no knowledge q i
neering. New Hampshire has ca 1
the mileage which New York haa, but
has one.tenth the grand list. So, for
Vermont and New Hampshire, we must
get the drainage. The country engineer
usually gets the water out of the road
into the the bitches, but not out OF the
bitches
The three great things about good
roads are drainage twice repeated. A
thousand dollars viii not build much
good road, but it will keep lot of road
repair. Crushed stone costs less than
gravel hauled three miles. Knock off the
humps in the road before you go far for /,
as here you may find the ma !
terial you desire Men who are sue !
'essful road builders are men who have l
observation and tact. The best type of
'oad is the one which has every dollar q
,ut in judciously.
A gravel road with a patrolman, is G
letter than concrete or any other kind n
which can be built, all things considered.
Iigh cost roads must carry their inter 1
st charge Our roads were all right b
nee, but not to-day They must be n
yidened to carry the travel of to-day. d
lake your corners so you can see be-
rond; the old corner was all right for OK Q
cams, but not to-day. Get it so one can d
ee ahead and you will save accidents. q
u. II. Winslow, from the office of pub
ie roads, Washington. ID. G.. was the II
ext speaker, lie said in part; You ask p
vhat is the best road. The one which Il
est meets conditions imposed upon it. "
Conditions change; law is satisfactory p
7hen it meets the conditions imposed
pom it, Roads in Florida would not do O
or Maine. 1t is the fundamental policy al
0 use the material at hand. In Ben OF
ington county we inaugurated system
( drainage. Culverts only handle or q
mary surface drainage. In New York it
! 1910, it cost ST 600 per mile to keep II
p macadam roads; in Massachusetts,, II
cost 5000 to 500 per mile per annum. Sc
o highway law is perfect, and reforms ia
re necessary.
Personally the speaker favored pay "
Ig road commissioners from state OF
lnds, and the state highway commits m
oner should have more authority. The III
,mbination of state money and local WI
aterial is good one. Towns should ha
, required to set aside certain sums for nc
aintenanee of roads to be used by the II
ate.
MIR Winslow said: We have made great b
'ogress in Bennington county this year to
, using the split drag. Roads are porus; mi
e drag closes the pores keep it going WI
hen the road is in a moist condition Tt
ID make it water tight. The drags
st from 50 to $3.50 each; the cost of
inning a drag in one town is "a to 40
nts per mile. Highways are our only ~
features--they are here to pc
ay. They are permanent features and nc
We got to be reckoned with. There are ne'
e essentials to good roads: Drainage. r'
grade line and surface. The me
rface is the only essential which is AT
eessarily changeable, and the more one OF
IS of the needs Of the people and their Gu,
nd material, the more one is convinced
'rmont has the best system in the an
untry. OF
ure