Macadam And Telford

Macadam, from, whom the road so calle.1 takes its name, maintained th.it the foundation of the road should not h? of laige at one at all, nor should it of nHc-.ssity be of an unyieldingnature, and lic made the comparativo cost of maintaining a road with a roadbod of solid j DK'k Hul oiiu having a soit soil r morusa I for foundation at) 7 to 6. Macadam muintainod strenuously that a stone ovor one indi in diameter was destructivo in a road, as it had a tiiitlency to tip when a wheel carne on it. and thus moved the adjaoent matri:il. He nfterwar.l substituto! woight i for ai o and male six ooUceS the maxiuniiu .-iUnw that was to be used. He has tt considerable followinjí among tlie Frencli und English linineers, but in this coiuitry the Telford foundation in general)y preferred. ïhe si)i'ciiic;itions for Telford, asgiven by Pariii-IVs Treatise, London, 18Í5Í!, give the following directions: Prepare the roadbed of the recruired ahape, and on this stt stolies by hand, to forni a clo"e pavoiueiit. Set the stonea carefully on their broadest edgo, lengthwise across the road, the upjxjr faces not to be moro than four inches in brcadth. Break off all irn;gulirities with a hnmmcr ïiid iiil all interstices with Ktono cMpft, well rammed in betwecn the largisr pioces, to milico a c(iin])act ma.ss. On thia ])late a layer of atone a.s nc;irly cubical in form aa practicabl and about two and a half inches in diameter to a depth of four inches, and thon twoinch mor to le added as a seeond layer, and finally the whole to be -covorod with ene and a half inches of gravel, tree from clay or earth. Parnell saya that th& presoneo of binding material on a new road ia a positivo detriment, aa it preventa solidity by getting between the stanes. Neithér Macadam nor Telford used rollers. - Prizu Essay in The Engineering and Building Record. Indirect Boneflt trom QÖVAd lïoads. Undor our present system the tendency is towards the centers of population. To our cities come thousaudti of persons annually who are uiifitted by education, occupation and birtli for the rigorous exactions of town life and quickly succumb to the pernicious iniliience incident upon the crowding together of the people, and go either to swell death rate, which is already too high, or to join that leas numeróos but tioubUsonie class that íiU our jails and peni.; ntiaries. " With improved highways." saye Professor Jenks, " tlie present strongly marked inclination of our farming population toward tho cities, which is so often regrotted, would donbtlesa be checked. How often do we see our farmers, ospecially tho most prosperous and intelligent ones, who are wise enougli to.wish to edúcate their children well, moving to the smaller towna and oities, often only a distance of three or four miles, because their children cannot otherwide be regular in attendanue at school and Secure tho advautagt-s of social life. How inuch bftter in every way, both for the farmer and for the country at large, could this real need, the recognition of which is highly creditablo to the farmer, be met by a good pormanent road that could bc traveled with ispeéd and comfort in all weather and ut all áeáaóoá. "A still groater benefit would doubtless.be recoived by those who are unable to take up their residente in tho towua or who have nop the worthy ambition for their chlldren's advancement that would lead them to do so. A large part of the mental inspiration and culture of the farmers dependa upon their ability to attejid chureh, lectures, concerts and social gatherings at a distance, and really goad roails, by enabling them to go so nnii-li mir '.-líiiíy, would doubtletüi rui.so the whole intellectual tone of the farming community, besides keeping within the healthful influenceof the farm maiiy who are ripw almost forced into the cities. " Cost of Komis. The cost of the variüus kinds of roatls it is difficult to state, as there aro so man y different factors to influence the cost in each locality. In Bridgeport, Conn., a road, of nearly 40 miles of good macadam, from lö to 20 fcet wide, had cost, iucluding some grading, with the mainteuanco and repairs following tlie extensivo rene wals oí an oíd water pipe service, 50. 14 cents per lineal foot. It tnay be stated generally a macadam road costs from $8,000 to $8,000 per mile, according to whether the Telford foundation is used. It is thought on carefu survey of the nature of the Rhode Lsland soil thut the new higkways can be buil1 for $4,000 ier mile, or at a total cost of $1,000,000 lor the aggregateof 230 miles. The cost, thuugh apjjarently bxirdensome, is more so to tliu cities than to the towns. The paynient will be by the state assuminjj pefn.aps two-thirds of the cost, the balanc bein paid proportionally by the soveral towns. As these tajees will by divided on the basis of state valuation, it becomcs more evident tlmt the cost to the towns will be comparatively gmall.- Pi-ovideuce Joumal. Iiiveatigutlni; Bad Kottds. At 011e time during the past winter the inhabitauts of tlie interior of Logan county, West Virginia, were suffering for want of food, and cattle were starving to deaith, all because the country ronds were impaasable. The country highways wero just aa bad in western Pennsylvania, but fortuuately a inultiplicity of railroadd prevented aiiy lack of food supply. At about that time The Pittsburg Dispatch started au exploring party over th countíes of Allegheny, Wushington, Fayette, Greene and Beaver. It consiëted of a staff corrosjwndent, a driver and a photographer. Öne communication from the correspondent v.-as to the effect that the expedition nearly tamo to grief in a Washington county sink hole, and that digging out the horses froin bottomlpss bogs every mile or so varied the monotony of the journey. Farmera were fouud to be working out taxeS by sitting on the nxulsidu fence wliittling and swappmg tories.