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AUGUST 8, 1903THE SUNNY SOUTHWHat “Good Roads” Will Do For theSouth; Industrial, Agricultural and iSocial AdvantagesSurveying route for road near Greenville. Tenn.—Some of the obstacles encountered In southern road makingRoad roller on macadamized road near Asheville. N. C —Showing contrast with accompanying view of difficult southern road conditionsBy HAL STEED.Written o' ^unny .^eu*hO.XD making is begun with the settlement of a new country, and is carried from a rude trail blazed In the forest 'through various stages of evolution to it perfected forms. The soutl has passed through the blazed trail stage, and some sections are enjoying the advantages of the macadamized highways, while others are still at the mercy of the dirt road, whichis skimmed over annually by community labor. This stage is almost as crude as that of the blazed trail. Once a year the superintendent informs the community that the roads must be worked, andleaving their farms or their stores or their medical practice, the citizens arm themselves with hoes and spades and perhaps one plow, smooth out a few ruts, mnke one or two furrows on each side f ir drainnge and then quit, happy in the thought that thay will not be called on again for a year.This state of affairs, which was pretty general fifteen or twenty years ago, and still exists in certain thinly populated communities where such conditions are inevitable, has been greatly Improved throughout the south. Mecklenburg county. in North Carolina, now has 100 miles of stone roads—the most complete system in America—and is adding from 5 'to 10 miles annually. Jefferson county, in Alabama. has 22? miles of Improved high- j , ways, and in Tennessee. Hamilton county. the site of Chattanooga, has 75 miles ! of dirt, chert and macadamize? roads, j TUla mli-age would also apply to certain counties in Georgia, South and North Carolina. Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas. Much of the present enthusiasm for good roads through the south is due 'to the recent L»ur of the good roads train.Under th»‘ cooperation of the Southern Railway Company, the National Good Roaus Association and tin- office of pub-read inquiries of the department of agriculture, a 'train made a tour of southern states. Two cars of this train carried government officials, representatives of road machinery houses and members of the association, and the rest of the train was made up of one car of laborers anl a dozen cars of machinery. Lea-v-in? Alexandria. Va.. on October 29, 1901, ai d allowing three weeks for the Christmas holidays and two weeks in February for bad weather, 'the train was at work until April. 1902. It traveled 4.037 miles through Virginia, North Carolina. South Carolina. Georgia. Alabama and Tennessee. and at each stop saroi le roads were made, the total amounting to 15 miles of onrtli. gravel, sand, day. chert, shell and macadam. Of the conventions held in these states, two we e general, the rest district, and the speaklt; s were governors. senators and representatives, he ds of universities, colleges and ag;i-cultural schools, business men and farm-states governors issued proclamations announcing the coming of the tr dn. and some appointed tie egates from each county to attend the convention. Great enthusiasm was created at all these stops, and in several instances the entire svstem of road making was revolutionized and put on a permanent improved basis.In this connection it may be well to review briefly the history of road mak-Ir.s the southern states. Unfortunately. there are no aery definite dates or stages of development, for roads have existed In the south since the time of the firs: settlers, one of these, a military road, beingRoad Making in the 5oul hern Statesr*in by Jackson from Cartersville. Ga., to Chattanooga. Tenn.. in 1812. After that the state bought negroes to make new roads. Some of the state? used toll roads, others built them by direct taxation anti a few raised money for that purpose by lotteries. Others adopted the compulsory labor system, which still exists in many southern states, although abandoned entirely by Virginia.The southern states have no very definite systems for road improvement. Tie plan pursued by New Jersey, where the state appropriates one-third of the funds, the county one-third and the people of the county the remaining third, is considered the most perfect one in America, and many southern states favor its adoption. As it is, the average state has a number of systems, each county having a different one. Some work their convicts, others hire labor from special appropriations and taxes, while others compel all male citizens between the ages of 16 and 60 either to work on the road themselves or else employ laborers in their places. These laborers are organized into squads, each squad having its overseer, who is responsible to a general Superintendent. It has a camping outfit, two or more road machines, ten to twenty mules, plows and other minor appliances. The road is first gone over with a scraping machine and given its proper crown. Then it is ditched, macadamized in boggy places, graded and filled in. This process is then extended 'to the smaller roads, and is repeated at Intervals of from one to two years.Some states favor the appointment of A state engineer who shall direct the Work of county engineers, and all are agreed that convict labor is the best and I the cheapest. In onlt;* year the .states of 'Georgia, Kentucky. North Carolina. South Carolina. Tennessee and Texas built 1,000 miles of Improved roads at a cost per head no greater than that of feeding these convicts in Jail, to say nothing of the benefit of outdoor work for the prisoners.Jefferson county, in Alabama, the site of Birmingham, a few years ago gained the permission of the legislature to issue $200,000 worth of bonds for the improvement and maintenance of roads. A tax of 1 cents was levied on each $100 worth of property to pay interest on the bonds and incidental expenses. Later on, p tax of 5 cents was levied on each $100 worth of property to build bridges and 1 culverts- In fifteen years the road fund had grown to $37,000 and the bridge fund had $18,000 to its credit.Before considering the actual materials and processes employed in making roads, it is well to determine beforehand the location of the road. The details can be altered and adapted to new demands, but the location can never be changed except with great expense. The ideal is a level, and if the distance around a hill is no greater than the distance over it. th“ hill should be avoided. The same principle should apply to marshes, or very clayey or sandy spots. This is the mistake made by incompetent engineers or overseers. a mistake which not only causes delay In travel and wear on stock, but also constantly calls for additional ex pense of maintenance, which in itself, if not guarded against, soon becomes greater than the original expense.Roads may be made o‘f earth, gravel, sand. clay, chert, shell and macadam. It is best generally to use the material at hand. In most coast communities shell is used, preferably %yster shell, which is hard and durable. In Georgia, South Carolina. North Carolina and Tennessee, particularly in the wealthiest sections, stone is used from the quarries. The various materials to be used must depend on a variety of conditions—the wealth of the county, the nature of the soil, the amount of traffic and so on.In the construction of a dirt road, the surface is first cleared of vegetable mat-| Jcr. and the damp places are drained. Tf . the soil is clay, it is top-dressed with : sand, and is then plowed so that the two may be mixed. Afterwards, the surface is scraped and run over with rolling machines, the road having been crowned in such a way that the water readily runs off to the ditches on each side.The rock or macadamized roa_d is a more complicated and expensive process, but once completed makes the ideal road. On it a horse can pull three times the ordinary load, and .since it soon becomes almost like stone in its solidity, the cost of maintenance is reduced to a minimum. It is suited both to heavy and light teams, to the bicycle ar.d to the wagon.To begin with. It is broader than the dirt road, and in addition to being ditched. its subsoil drainage is provided for. The stone which it is made of is broken either by hand or by a crushing machine, each method having its supporters. The first layer Is composed of stones not larger than two and a half inches in diameter. Macadam, the Scotch engineer who invented the process, separated these stones carefully from dust and smaller pubbles. but modern engineers claim that it is better to include this trash. This layer is compressed from two to four inches, and a second layer of smaller stones not exceeding one and a half inches in diameter, is applied. This layer is also compressed and rolled, and a top dressing of sand or gravel—never clay—Is applied. In a short time this bed of stones begins to settle, and becomes absorbed in one hard, solid mass.In much the same general way gravel roads are constructed, though this process is much cheapen both in actual material, in loss complicated drainage and much of the unnecessary road' machinery.. Shell likewise gives good results, affording a hard surface- with comparatively little dust, and also‘making a very attractive appearance. Chert, being a sort of cement formation, comparatively cheap, and existing In several southern states, notably in Georgia and Tennessee, is well adapted to roads, particularly where traffic is not very heavy.Dirt and gravel roads must necessarily be the must popular ones in most southern communities, from the fact that they are cheap, accessible and require no very expensive machinery to operate. The expense of what machinry is needed. such as improved plows and scraping machines, is greatly lessened in many instances by several townships owning one outfit jointly. The greatest expense then i3 in the constant maintenance of these dirt and gravel roads, and one of the greatest causes of this continuous outlay is the persistent use of the narrow tire, which is more destructive of roads than freshets. There is also much discussion as to which 1s the better method of repairing roads—the periodical or the continuous—in other words, whether it is better (o repair the road from day to day. or only once a year. The concensusof opinion seems to fnvor the former asbeing not only less expensive in the long run. but also better for the traveling public, which by the periodical system must submit to bad roads fully nine months out of the year.The expense of building roads must, of course, depend on many things—on material, accessibility of material, physical character of the land (roadniaklng would be more difficult in a mountainous country than on a plain), labor and the kind of machinery used.The average cost of airt road is $30*7 a mile.of expense is reached on the macadam process, though this may be cheaper in the long run. About the cheapest estimate on this kind of work is $3,000 a mile, though the following estimate on 4.2 miles of road in Maryland is considerably in excess of this figure:Cost of surfacing road 15 feet wide ar.d 2.7 miles long, without grading. at $3,500 per mile........S 9.450 00Cost of grading ana surfacing oneand one-half miles............ 9.060 00Cost of culverts and drains .... 1500 00Total cost of building road .. ..$19.010 00These figures would vary in different states. Where convicts are used the estimate would be lower as would also be the case in those states where there are stone and granite deposits, or where the land is flat.The cost of machinery and road apparatus also figures considerably where extensive operations are carried on. The most necessary of these implements are plows, scrapers, road graders, rock crushers and rollers. The most useful plow is the grading plow, which weighs from 100 to 150 pounds, and Is intended for four horses. The scrapers, which are nothing more than large scoops drawn by horses or mul^s. are essential where there is much dirt to be removed. The road machines are also Important Implements. A large iron or steel scraper Is mounted on wheels ar.d so adjusted as to give any desired angle. These machines will plow a ditch or will level a surface or round it. The road roller earn be run either by steam or pan be pulled by horses and is used of cou; • • to pack the road. The rock crusher jl^est be described as a mechanic• irtd «£t of teeth which masticates stone. This is the most useful of ail road implements, for it has lessened the expense, of crushed stone to such an extent as to make macadamized roads ible in. many rural communities. Indeed. all kinds of road machinery repre-nt necessary capital in making roads and are as essential pi most as the dirtUhe Average Expense of Road* Buildingitself.In discussing the various methods of road building and the various associations and legislative ennotments to that end in southern cities, it might he well to ask what benefits would accrue from good roads, and to answer that, it might be well first to point out the disasters accrue from bad roads.The farmers of the southern states lose $600,009,000 annually from bad roads, and farming lands in many sections bring $15 an acre where good roads would rai3lt; the price to $30. Aside from mere statistics you have only to recall some of the roads you have ridden on either by day oi by night, or have been compelled to haul your produce over and the tedium and discomfort of the process to realize not only the necessity, but also the luxury of a smooth, hard driveway. You can also realize it by traveling over some of the roads that go out from Chattanooga or Asheville, or Montgomery, or Mobile—of any of our more populous southern sections—and then by trying to make your way through some of the passes of othe? sections which are worked by the males of _the community, and this only every two or three years.But to give a concrete illustration, take conditions in Virginia, which would correspond essentially with those of other southern states.The anrual income from farm products in that state Is from $60,090,090 to $75,000,000 a year, and a conservative estimate says that only one-third of available land is nd this may be • cultivated, this being due largely to itsj MO on the investment. This does not in-i elude the Increased taxes she would get . from the raised value of real estate which would inevitably follow in the wake of a perfected road system.Take into account also the wear and tear on teams-an inevitable result of poor roads. It is significant that the railroads are spending money and time in this movement. Why? Is It becuse they are patriotic or !s it because they wish to draw business from the country? It is hardly necessary to explain their motive; they themselves admit in their bulletins that it is through intelligen'i selfishness’* that they cooperate in this road movement. They believe—and the judgment of tiiese corporations is pretty sound—that good roads will enable them to double , the distance on each side of their lines from which agricultural products can be drawn by wagons and animal power.Why do so many people shun the country districts? Because for eight or nine months in the year it is Impossible in most communities on account of the bad roads to drive to a neighbor’s house, or to church, or to the school house. A well-known educator in Alabama in addressing the good roads convention stated that in those school districts where the roads were bad the attendance from day to day was fully 25 per cent lower than in the community where good roads existed.It is hardly necessary to produce anymore proofs to show that good roads are an advantage socially and industrially. The people in the south have recognized this for the past fifteen or twent*- rj-ears, and the recent tour of the goq. = bads train brought it Ipm# to thefri,w7cn even greater force In many sections conventions and associations are already at work and the movement is bound to spread. Those communities which are still at a standstill are so not from any lack of appreciation of benefits to be derived, but because they feel that they cannot afford the experimi it at their present stage. When they realize that the expenditure of $50,000 for good roads will bring them in at least double the amount for their lands and farming products, to say nothing of physical co'nfort anil religious and educational advantages, they, too, will fall in line. Half-tones used in connection with this article are by courtesy of the Southern railway.Some of th# Benefits of Good Roodseasily Increased by additional grading or inaccessibility. Put good roads through by rocky or clayey soil. If. on the other j these lands, thus making them accessible, hand, the road is flat and marshy, better I and the income from farm products would drainage is essential, and this also would necessarily double itself. For the sum of mean an additional outlay. This is the I $1,000,000 Virginia could have a perfect cheapest of all the roads, but the limit * system of roads and make at least $50,000,-CONSOLATION.Hast thou forgotten God who gives -the rain ?Plenteous and merciful the long showers pourOn parching fields, where dust and drouth w re sore;Yet will thine eyes watch out the night again?Peace on the shadowed hills and sky is deep;Shall not thine heart be comforted with sleepAs earth is comforted and lulled of pain.’Before thy prayer the heavens are brazen still.Nor yet to cool thy thirst the fountainsXe*-erless His word shall not he vain.What hope had earth, gaping at yes-ternoon ?Wi’t nope hast thou, whose comfort **• a 11 be soon?Are y- not In His hands for bliss or bane?Tomorrow, wnere the upiand fields lay black.Thou shalt go forth and look on life come back:Harvest shall follow seedtime yet again.Tomorrow, where thy heart lay withering.Fountains oi love before His feet shall spring:Peace shall repay thee sevenfold for pain.Hast thou forgotten God who gives the rain?Mabel Earle, in the Atlantic.
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Atlanta Sunny South
Atlanta, Georgia, US
Sat, Aug 08, 1903
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USA 29 Jul 2023
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