The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1912-09-20
COST Of POOR RoAl
Single Defect or Steep Hin M.,l
Smaller Loads.
Prevailing Notion That Al, H..
Must Be Built on sectlon,, ,,"s]
'' Often Responsible. 70,
Poor Condition.

T0or condition.
(By r. M. DOLvE. Nc,th
The old saying that .. ch,,.
stronger than it's weakest lipt...l
lose none Of it, force y Wy
changed to q country road IA M
ter than its poorest mile" T. ms..]
not how good a road may BE- n y ).
tains . single defective spot or ~
grade. for no larger loads c.n
hauled over It than the hor.s.
pull through the defective place A.
the high hill. This statement =.
self-evident that most people will =.
lily accept 1t al an axiom, and vet
are seemingly contented to bsn, :,
tional loads to market because
some often slight local defect N
road that could be permanently
paired at a nominal cost. Tho J
vailing notion that the only place
. highway IL on the section linz
often responsible for this condition.
q section line passes through a slo1
that cannot be easily drained a =
road cannot be built through It exc
at an expense for first cost and ]
sequent maintenance far exceed
the cost of purchasing a right Of !
around the slough. The same ia n
OF hills, for II a hill cannot be cal
reduced to less than a seven per \
grade it should be circumvented.
The writer recalls a road tribut]
to a small town in the Red River
ley, where the entire road is ID
with the exception Of n place vii
1t makes a turn at 4 section cor
near a river. The section corner
close to the river and at least 81
feet lower than the rest Of the I'd
and yet scores Of farmers, who
this road in marketing their prod1
haul their loads down this sixty.i
drop. turn the corner and haul ID
up again. At certain seasons Of
year small loads have to be had
because Of this hill and often hoj
are permanently injured by
heavy pull up the hill. Still moth
has 30 far been done, though, d
nominal expense, a right Of way q
be secured above the hill. thus emf
" obviating the grade and at the 81
time shortening the distance to I'd
Examples Of this kind are com1
and, force one to the conclusion
section lines are the proper place.
roads only when a good road can|
built over them; otherwise the 1
should be located so as to secure
best route consistent with such
tors a. distance. cost, drainage
grade.
In a new community the best |
to locate the roads where they shl
be is while the land Is cheap, n
a right Of way may be secured
private property with but little
Guilty and slight expense. In this
nection 1t should be remembered
a grade which may not be Object
able when the roads are unifo1
poor so that large loads cannot
hauled any way may become ser
obstacles when the roads are
proved so that they will sustain h
hauling.
In illustration Of this point maj
cited that while 1t requires a puI
40 pounds on the traces to hal
ton over an average earth road \,
quires q pull Of only 80 pounds to
q ton over a good macadam road
six or seven per cent. grade
would be permissible In an earth
would be impossible with the \
that could be hauled on a good
adam road. In other words. the
ter and more improved a road
comes the more Objectionable becd
the grade. Further illustration OF
fact may be drawn from the e1l
ence Of our railroads. In the 5
days of railroading, with Its SINAI
comotives, small boxcars ana
trains, grade we're permitted VI
since the advent Of the large mo-
locomotive with its heavy trains
speed and improved track nave
come practically impossible SO
the companies have been force|
spend millions in reducing \
grades.