CHAPTER XI 



ROADS, BRIDGES AND DRAINS 



WHEN the opening up of an estate is taken in hand, a 

 manager naturally indicates on his rough sketch-plan 

 where he proposes to have his main road through the estate. 

 Later on the cross-section roads and paths are easily arranged 

 for. It is always advisable that a main road to and through an 

 estate be thoroughly well stoned, or cartage would be almost im- 

 possible during rainy weather. The sooner this work is taken 

 in hand the better in all cases. Six dollars per acre is about 

 the usual cost for 4-feet paths through an estate, but the cost of 

 levelling and thoroughly well stoning a main road may well 

 vary from 10 to 50 per mile. Where blasting has to be done 

 on the road built up, and deep drains excavated alongside, 

 increased outlays are unavoidable. In laying out a main road 

 for heavy cartage endeavours should be made to avoid any 

 steep gradients. It is better to make a considerable detour 

 than to have such. Not only so, but in times of heavy rains 

 steep portions of roads are very apt to be badly cut up by the 

 rush of water. Bridges also have in many instances to be con- 

 structed, and form an item to be reckoned with. On one small 

 estate broken up with narrow ravines, which was visited by the 

 writer, there were fifteen bridges. Unless well and substan- 

 tially erected, charges for the upkeep and repair of such are 

 apt to recur with regrettable regularity. 



For narrow ravines or wide drains which intersect the route 

 of a main road no elaboiate bridges are required. A few hard- 

 wood timber beams and planks are generally sufficient. For 

 rivers and streams up to 35 feet in width iron girders can easily 

 be laid across and the expense is not very great. 



When rivers are from 50 to 150 feet wide, suspension bridges 

 are usually found the cheapest, the most effective and the most 

 serviceable. For one thing, there is no central pier in the midst 



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