Prize Essays On Road Making

About a year ago a conimittee representing the Universiíy of Pennsylvania offered three prizes of $-100, $200 and $10 for the best three papers on road making and maintenance. The award of prize was duly made last October, and th three prize essays have appeared in bool form, togetherwith fiveother essays, th writers of which have received honor able mention. The flrst prize paper is by Henry Irwin of the engineering departrnent, Canadian Pacific railroad, Montreal. His essay i based on experience while in charge of a district adjoining a large town where some of the finest macadamizec roads are to be found, and while driv ing for many years over some of the worst highways in the adjacent county First, Mr. Irwin shows that a practi cally level road around a hill, thougl it increases the distance one mile, woulc effect a saving in work equivalent to (6,760 a year, supposing the road to be used by 100 farmers. In a hilly country roads may generally with advantage fol low along water courses, railway fash ion. The steepest grade of a public roat shonld not exceed one f oot in twelve, an( this for not more than 100 f eet. A goo load may be taken np a grade of one in twenty for a length of 400 feet. Thia is the steepest slope aüowable on a roa with mach traffic A long stretch of a perfectly level road ia not desirable on account of drainage. Drainage is the first item to be looke after, and is second in importance to none. Momey is well spent that secares a firm, dry roadbed. A road heaved by the frost means a road badly drained Country roads may be macadamized for a width of only eight feet if extreme economy is neceesary. Bat for constan traffic the macadamized portion shouk be sirteen feet wide. Where but one sidewalk is constracted it shonld be on the north or"east sides, for there the snn dries the walk more qnicldy. When the roadbed is graded it shoald be rolle several times with a roller of not less than ten tons. In macadamizing hanc broken stone ia mnch superior to tha crashed by a machine, which is gener ally of irregular shape and does no readily bind together, an essential matter. The best time to apply the stone is during hot weather in the spring and falL In dry summer weather loose stones shonld be used for patching the surface or else stored in heaps along the roadside. "There is nothing strikes a European more on hia arrival in North America," Mr. Irwin says, "than the excellence of the railroads and the inferiority of the roads. This inferiority may parüybedue to the f act titat the rich.both in the United States and Canada, almost invariably live in the cities, where the roads are better kept up, or else in the immediate neighborhood of towns which they can reach by rail. The country roads seem to be principally used by farmers, to whoin time seems to be no object, anc who do not apparently realize that gooc roads can be profitable, since they do nol actually place dollar bilis in their hands, and who seem to think that the only way to increase their income is to sel more produce, no matter how much il may cost to draw it into market, and accordingly they spend a greater part of their Uves slowly plodding over bad roada without a thought of trying to improve them." Grood roads admit of larger loads af greater speed; of use in wet weather when horses would otherwise be idle; they practically shorten distances, encourage travel, benefit trade, enhance the value of lands and save money. II has been estimated that in Hünois a ful] load can be carried on the roads only three months in the year; two-thirds ot a load three months, and half a load sLx months. Good, permanent macadamized roads there wotüd reduce the cost of hauhng three-fourths. The defective highways of Illinois cost it annually an extra $15,000,000 for hauling, and deprecíate its farms $160,000,000. The second pxize paper is by David H. Bergey, of North Wales, Pa. Mr. Bergey, like Mr. Irwin, approves most highly the Telford and macadam systems. For either system the bed of the road should receive some preparation before the work of construction begins. It should be excavated, leaving a fourinch elevation or ridge in the middle, and gradually slope toward the.edges. This sa ves some material in the construction of the road, besides gi ving the roadway an arched contour. This feature is valuable, especially in thin macadam. The board of adjudicators awarding these prizes, consisöng of seven prominent Philadeipnians, join in the following recommendations to the committee on better roads. First - That in the improvement of roads the macadam system, consistmg of smaJl angular fragmenta, in sixes not exceeding from two to two and a half inches in their longest dimensian, according to quality, should be need, wherwer a-stone surf ace is both practicable md justfafciÍLv. Second - That the minimum width of the metalad suiface for t, single track ahoold be iemirod (8 ieot), ot soch 4epth as the smoontof tcsffic aod character of the sobacal may requisa, to be determinecL by the enjioetír in charge. Third- Tkat the bed to reeeive the stond most bejw prepared that it cannot be satarated with water, and to aecomilisfa this grest attention shonld be paid o thecharacter and drainage of tbesabsoü. Fonrth- That there shoald be legisUive-enactmeat regalating the width of the tires of the wheeb, mui that the ainiimmt width of all cart , dray , wagon or other heavy draoght vehiclea shonld be foor roches, to be inereased when the capacity of the vehicle exceeds half a net ton per wheel at the rato of ooe inch f or each 400 pouods in excess.