Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1913-11-20
DISCUSS BEST
METHODS FOR
ROAD MAKING
Farmers Believe II Is Their
Economical 70 Build Roads
Around Hills
Avoid Cutting Through More
Fertile Fields and Rich
Orchards
Robt. McWade.


Washington. Nov. 19.-That the
longest way around Is sometimes the
most economical way home in road
building is something that Uncle Sam
thinks the people of the whole cOun-
try ought to know, and with that idea
in view he advises the cutting out OF
grades on highways, even at the ex-
pense of tillable land. That's some.
thing to learn and to know.
According to the practical expert
ence of the Office of Public Roads,
the average life of horses. and auto
mobiles, as well, may be increased
and the cost Of hauling reduced by
relocating many old roads, and the
more scientific laying out OF new
ones. AS everybody knows, the nat
ural tendency is to bui'd straight
road, whether 1t goes over steep
grades or hills, or not: and pulling
over these grades naturally adds to
the wear and tear on horses and
vehicles.
AS l have indicated, Uncle Sans
doctrine is that the longest way
around may often be the shortest and
most economical way home, and that
frequently by building q highway
around hill or grade, but little APP
preciable distance is added, and this
is more than offset by the reduced
strain of hauling.
Logan Waller says that the chief
drawback from !. the farm owners
point of view is that the laying out
of roads on this principle of avoid
ing grades necessitates, in some
cases, running the road through good
farm land or. orchards or pastures,
instead Of going around the farm line
and building the road through old,
WORKOUT fields and over rocky knobs.
This, of course, must raise question
in the mind of the individual land
owner as to whether the cutting up
OF his property by road yields him
individual advantages and so benefits
his community as to Offset the use OF
such land for road. or to overcome
the inconvenience of having his land
divided. In this connection the Of
flee of Roads points out that the run.
ming of a road and the resulting trat-
ilc through good farm, where there
are good sheep, cattle, horses, grain,
fruit, or egetables, has certain ad-
vertising value and in many Instances
makes the land more valuable. In
other cases, the Importance Of such
a level road to the community is so
great that is might we'll repay those
using the road to give the farmer the
equivalent in land equally good In
place of what he has sacrificed to the
common welfare. =
At any rate, the Office of Roads is
now taking special pains to make
clear the economic advantage Of
avoiding steep grades in their roads.
even at some sacrifice Of better land.
Investigation shows that the laying
of such roads over, hills has resulted
more from attention to the preserva-
ton Of farm lines than from scientific
attention to the problem of road
building.
According to the testimony of farm
ers consulted, where horse might
be able to pull 1000 pounds on a
level road, it would have difficulty in
pulling 5000 pounds up steep hill.
The size of the load, therefore, tends
to be measured by the grade of the
largest hill on the road to market.
In a number of cases actual expert
ment shows that the relocating Of
roads around hills has been accom-
plished, either with no addition in
road length in some instances, and
with the adding of only a few feet to
the highway in others. The Office
knows of no case where a properly
relocated road which has cut out
grades has led to any question as to
its material reduction of hauling
costs.