﻿Ill] 
  Special 
  Report 
  No. 
  8 
  : 
  Road 
  Making 
  327 
  

  

  lyOCATioN 
  OF 
  Roads 
  

  

  No 
  sui'veys 
  yet 
  viade. 
  — 
  The 
  vast 
  majority 
  of 
  Louisiana 
  roads 
  

   seems 
  never 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  properly 
  located. 
  Thej^ 
  represent 
  

   enlarged 
  trails. 
  They 
  are, 
  within 
  certain 
  broad 
  limits, 
  wherever 
  

   each 
  season 
  the 
  traveling 
  public 
  sees 
  fit 
  to 
  go. 
  Observe 
  the 
  

   broad 
  band 
  of 
  land 
  on 
  either 
  side 
  of 
  most 
  any 
  old 
  or 
  well 
  recog- 
  

   nized 
  road 
  and 
  count 
  the 
  different 
  road 
  beds 
  of 
  tens 
  or 
  scores 
  of 
  

   years 
  ago 
  now 
  recognizable 
  as 
  narrow 
  long 
  ditches 
  and 
  frequently 
  

   overgrown 
  by 
  forest 
  trees. 
  L,ook 
  again 
  at 
  the 
  several 
  lines 
  of 
  

   log 
  roads 
  (" 
  causeways") 
  that 
  can 
  be 
  seen 
  running 
  along 
  paral- 
  

   lel 
  to 
  each 
  other 
  across 
  marshy 
  stretches. 
  

  

  Is 
  there 
  any 
  real 
  incentive 
  to 
  do 
  thorough 
  and 
  lasting 
  work 
  

   on 
  a 
  stretch 
  of 
  road 
  that 
  may 
  soon 
  be 
  paralleled 
  by 
  a 
  new 
  one, 
  

   simply 
  because 
  the 
  old 
  one 
  somewhere 
  had 
  one 
  impassable 
  spot 
  ? 
  

  

  Right 
  here 
  we 
  believe 
  is 
  the 
  place 
  to 
  begin. 
  We 
  have 
  urged 
  

   each 
  parish 
  surveyor 
  and 
  all 
  others 
  who 
  manifest 
  an 
  interest 
  in 
  

   the 
  subject 
  to 
  see 
  at 
  once 
  that 
  at 
  least 
  the 
  "first 
  class 
  " 
  roads 
  are 
  

   located. 
  This 
  should 
  be 
  done 
  by 
  giving 
  the 
  distance 
  from 
  the 
  

   nearest 
  section 
  corner 
  at 
  which 
  the 
  road 
  enters 
  each 
  section 
  and 
  

   the 
  traverse 
  through 
  the 
  section. 
  This 
  information 
  would, 
  of 
  

   course, 
  be 
  recorded 
  at 
  the 
  parish 
  seat. 
  

  

  Monuments. 
  — 
  Stone 
  or 
  iron 
  posts 
  could 
  well 
  be 
  used 
  at 
  the 
  

   roadsides 
  to 
  indicate 
  the 
  crossing 
  of 
  section 
  lines, 
  and 
  certainly 
  

   permanent 
  monuments 
  should 
  be 
  carefully 
  located 
  on 
  either 
  side 
  

   of 
  the 
  road 
  at 
  each 
  angle. 
  

  

  Other 
  objects 
  of 
  a 
  road 
  survey. 
  — 
  I 
  believe 
  the 
  benefits 
  to 
  be 
  

   derived 
  from 
  a 
  road 
  survey 
  can 
  scarcely 
  be 
  overestimated. 
  It 
  

   would 
  establish 
  a 
  network 
  of 
  known 
  points 
  and 
  distances 
  through- 
  

   out 
  each 
  parish 
  that 
  would 
  be 
  a 
  most 
  welcome 
  guide 
  to 
  all 
  

   travelers, 
  be 
  they 
  geologists, 
  botanists, 
  timber 
  men, 
  commercial 
  

   travelers, 
  pleasure 
  seekers, 
  produce 
  shippers 
  or 
  home 
  seekers. 
  

   It 
  is 
  no 
  exaggeration 
  to 
  say 
  that 
  a 
  geological 
  survey 
  could 
  be 
  

   prosecuted 
  with 
  double 
  the 
  despatch 
  and 
  double 
  the 
  accuracy 
  if 
  

   the 
  roads 
  were 
  only 
  located 
  and 
  mapped. 
  Other 
  public 
  and 
  

   private 
  works 
  would 
  be 
  likewise 
  benefited 
  by 
  the 
  mere 
  location 
  

   of 
  roads. 
  Add 
  to 
  this, 
  the 
  increased 
  facilities 
  of 
  a 
  road 
  bed 
  well 
  

   made 
  and 
  well 
  maintained, 
  and 
  the 
  annual 
  benefit, 
  direct 
  to 
  the 
  

  

  w 
  

  

  