West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1914-05-28
On Good Roads

them practiced by the Roman empire,
more than two thousand years ago, when
the art had been brought to the highest
point ever achieved. Proof OF this is
found in the ''via Apia" or Alpian way.
as il is known in history. This great
| highway leading out from Rome, the
capital, was over two thousand miles
| long, and commenced in the year 3l2 Il.
G. and finished in the course of about
three years. The material used was
basolt rock and Roman cement. IL con-
nected the capital, passing through Tor
rama. Funda and Mola with Capuai, aud
was named after Alpius Claudius, its
chief patron, TO whom il stands a monu-
ment for all time and il is reputed one of
the seven wonders of the world.
The method of construction is very
simple and quite inexpensive. The stone
being broken to convenient size for
spreading on the road bed, and bound
together with cement mixed with sand.
The formula being l1e parts cement, .
parts sand and four or five parts stone.
With the downfall of the Roman re-
public, which had succeeded the empire,
there ensued suppression OF learning
and the total neglect of education and
the destruction of scientific text books
and pail OF mental darkness covered all
the nations and people previously domi-
mated by the empire. There ensued the
dark ages" and the recipe for making
Roman cement was lost and was not re-
covered until 1925 a. ID. when chemist
in Portland, England, after many years
OF experimenting, re-discoverd it. The
material used was supposed to be of very
limited quantity and the cost of produce
ton was large, so that il was only used
for building docks and piers until COM
paratively recent period when the repui-
site material was found in abundance
and the price fell from ten to twenty
dollars per barrel to about one dollar or
little more and it rapidly came into
general use. In 1908 the state of New
York appropriated s., 900, 000 ard author
lied the appointment of highway COM
mission, composed OF engineers. This
commission adopted the sample roads of
cement macadam" and other sorts, in
Guiding brick and gravel. The cement
macadam soon proved its title to "the
best" while gravel stood near second.
Brick paving was found too expensive In
original construction and required costly
and constant supervision and repair and
was Abandoned in favor of the macadam
and gravel methods-the latter being
used only where the locality supplied
gravel at minimum cost. Full details
OF road building in the several counties
OF New York are given in the reports of
this commission and in the report of
1872 there is shown a photo reproduction
OF picture OF a macadam road in Wayne
county, which, after five years service,
and without one dollar expense for re
pair, is as good as when first put down;
showing no signs of rutting or raveling
over ordinary wear.
AS result of this systematic and
thorough experimenting not foot of
brick paving has been laid in suburban
or county highways in that stae for the
past three years. The cost of macadam
roads ranges from 81, 500 to $4,000 per
mile, depending on the character and
extent of grading and preparation OF the
road bed.
Massachusetts also has been expert
menting extensively in road building and
tried out a macadam without cement)
covered with bitulithc layer OF three
inches on the surface, which was thought
to be satisfactory, but later trials of the
cement macadam have shown its superb
ority and the latest word is that it will
probably be adopted as more thoroughly
satisfactory.
feature of the macadam method is
that it does away with the necessity for
a curbng at the sides TO prevent ravel-
ing at the edges. This cheapens the cost
by about $1,000 per mile.
1t seems probable that, ten years from
now, macadam will be fully restored to
its primacy and become the accepted way
in road construction. Certain it is that
with tine knowledge OF its value. useful
ness and low cost, as compared with
brick paving at $4,000 TO $40, 600 per
mile, the public authorities should hest
tate to burden the people with the more
costly method
The stone found along the highways
and recurring only short haul il used for
macadam. The only care is to get the
hardest sort and to reject the softer
grades; fine grained and hard sand
stone, or chort, or limestone or any
reasonably hard rock, being sufficient to
make satisfactory surface, where cement
binding holds the particles together and
prevents any movement or shifting under
traffic
ln Florida, where sand covers the
whole surface Of the earth they have
recently found a method of binding
roads, by shaping rounding the roadway
and sprink.ing crude petroleum on the
surface at The rate Of 20 barrels per mile
and rolling it 20 firm IL, after whicl,sit is
ready for travel and Lasts, with small
addition Of oil annually -about ten barrels
or less. This road costs complete $50
per mile and there is a general disposition
to build it extensively by this simple
method The sand, being ON the ground.
the chef cost is Tor the oil.
J.. a. BENNETT
Huntington, w. Va, May IG. 1911.
Died at Tunnelton