1839] 



1" A R M E R S = R E G I S T E R 



405 



concave roads, as was a|po his cotemporary and in- 

 tiniHte li-iend Mr. Willies, ol' Meashani, in the 

 couiily of Derby : inuler ihe t)atroiihge and by the 

 direclioii of" liiose Uvo eminent men, several well- 

 |(:»rmed concave ronds were made and completed in 

 the midland- counlies. Those roads have now 

 stood t!ie test of many years exjjericnce, and the 

 principle on which they were made has been sub- 

 sequently i()llowed by practical men in those coun- 

 ties. In some instances the hollow or concave 

 roads have tinled, where they were made with bad 

 materials, upon wet bottoms, not thoroughly nn- 

 derdrained ; but in general they are found to an- 

 swer much better than hi<j;h convex roads, because, 

 a heavy-loaded four-wheel carriage, passing along 

 the centre of a concave road, presses an equal 

 weiirhl upon the wheels ; and as the middle of the 

 road is the lowest, the pressure inclines to the cen- 

 tre, consequently dofv not ghake or loosen the 

 frmie of the road. Not so in a convex road, when 

 raised in a hiirh arch (which is fiequently the case) 

 for it is impossible to Ueep a heavy-loaded carriage 

 in a direct line aloni; the middle of such a road, 

 the carriage naturally veers to one side or the 

 otiier, and the greater part of the weight of the 

 load hangs upon one wheel, which not unirequeutly 

 lircaks down from such unequal pressure. The 

 road is also cut into deep ruts ; those fill with 

 water from the first shower which stagnates in 

 the ruts, and saturates the road to the foundation. 

 The succeeding carriage wheels jam into the ruts, 

 cut them still deeper, shake the road to its centre, 

 if not cut it quite through. 



Convex roads ought to be very well made with 

 good materials, and particular attention should be 

 {)aid to keeping the ruts >vell filled up, so as to 

 cause the water to fall over the sides of the road, 

 lor it seldom happens that the projector of a con- 

 vex road considers it necessary to pay -any atten- 

 tion to the fdl fi)r the water length ways of the 

 roads: his ideas are rivetted to the principle that 

 water will not stand upon a round road, and so lar 

 correct, were it not for the ruts, which for the pre- 

 ceding reasons must take place. 



A concave road is less liable to have ruts, and 

 requires less attention in keeping in repair than a 

 high convex one : the water naturally runs aloni? 

 the inclined plane from the higher to the lower 

 levels, and then forces is way into the side 

 drains. 



There are also many well founded objec'ions 

 against roads being made two much concave, but 

 it is not necessary to mention them at present, as 

 the principal objects of these remarks it to point 

 out and endeavour to correct the prevalent error ol 

 raising carriage roads so high in the centre, which 

 is carried to such an excess in some instances as to 

 endanger the lives of the passengers who venture 

 to travel upon them. 



The form I recommend is a medium between 

 the two extremes : the road may be a little eleva- 

 ted in the centre, but [ consider the principal ob- 

 ject which should be attended to in the formation 

 of roads is the inclined plane, or fall for the water 

 longitudinally of the road, and this is so absolutely 

 necessary, that where the road has to pass over a 

 level or dead flat (whicli seldom happens) the bed 

 of the road should be formed with an artificial rise 

 and fall. When the road passes down a long des- 

 cent of ground, it should be so formed as to lead 

 the water into the side drains at short distance, 



thereby preventing the waterfi-om guttering, which 

 it would do ifallowed to run any disiance upon the 

 road. When the bed of the road is first Ibrmed, 

 it should be well rolled or carted upon, and all 

 irregularities filled up ; the hard material should 

 then be laid on in a sufficient body in the first in- 

 s'ance, for it is a bad method to tie>i!n with a tem- 

 porary covering, which would soon cut through, 

 sink into the bottom, and be lost. The large stones 

 should be carefully broken into small pieces, other- 

 wise thev vvill not cement together. A principal 

 error in the Norfolk method of repairing roads is in 

 layintr on field stones without breaking. A mo- 

 ment's reflection will shew that large round bo- 

 dies cannot, antl that small acute angles will unite 

 to form a firm base. When large round field 

 stones are broken small they form acute angles; 

 those joint in with each other, and take an equal 

 bearing of the pressure whicli comes upon them : 

 not s ) with unbroken round stones; they alwaj's 

 remain loose, and carriage wheels pass through, 

 not over them, as they ought to do, which causes 

 ver}? great additional draught, and vviien such 

 stones are put upon high cobling roads it renders 

 travelling very unsafe for a lime, until the stones 

 are puslied over the sides of the roads bj' the car- 

 riage wheels, and thereby leaving ihe centres of 

 the roads in much the same state as before they 

 were atten)ptcd to be rp[)aired, with all Ihe time, 

 labor, and expense lost. 



Another custom, which cannot be too severely 

 censured, is the imprudent and improvident sys- 

 tem of laying bad materials upon roads, when 

 good materials can be conveniently obtained. 

 It is not uncommon to see perfect dirt or sand laid 

 upon roads, which adds fuel to fire, and makes 

 tlie roads worse than before. The error of this 

 system may be readily explained by calculation. 



Suppose the distance from the gravel pit to the 

 part of the road intended to be repaired is one 

 mile; a team, carrying six loads per day, travels 

 twelve miles, exclusive of the distance i>oing to 

 and li'om work. I calculate the expense of a team 

 of three horses, with a man to drive, including 

 wear and tear, at 14s. per day, and the expense of 

 digging and filling the gravel at 4d. per load, 

 making the whole expense 16s. per day lor doing 

 no good whatever, but on the contrary, doing a 

 great deal of injury, viz. by culling up one part 

 of the road by the carriaixes passing along it in 

 attempting to mend another part; or, in fewer 

 words, make two holes in trying to stop one. 



Now, suppose that an additional 4d. per load 

 was allowed for the gravel; it would then be rid- 

 dled, and I maintain that three \otids ol' riddled gra- 

 vel will be more eflicacious in repairing roads than 

 si.r loads of unriddled, consefjuently half the car- 

 riage saved. 



Tile comparative statement will then stand as 

 follows: — 



£■ s. d. 

 To six loads ol' unriddled gravel,) 



and a team for a day carrying the > 16 



same ) 



To three loads ol' riddled gravel, and ^ 



a team for half a day, carrying the > 9 



same S 



Saved per dav, by using riddled gra- 

 vel ■ £0 



7 



