238 [A 



SSEMBLY 



ROADS AND STREETS. 



BY CHAS. HENRY HALLj of Harlem, N. Y. 



JSTew-York, FeVy 24, 1840. 



Thaddeus B. Wakeman Esq., Am. Inst., 



Sir — In laying down roads and streets, the first principle is to 

 prepare the grade of a suitable inclination to carry off water. 



Second. The substratum should be made perfectly Jirm, having 

 drains to carry off surplus water, through the centre or at the sides 

 of the workj in all cases the bottom should be of earth, on which 

 broken stone of angular form should be evenly placed, having from 

 the centre to the sides, a descent of one inch to ten feet. 



Over the stone concrete should be placed, and then over it stones 

 after " Russ' " plan laid, and then cemented with 6 parts sand, hy- 

 draulic lime mixed, makes a solid mass. 



Third. The mode of construction should be such as to insure long 

 continuance, and save expense in yearly repairs; the Roman roads 

 ■were constructed upon the above principle, and many of them re- 

 main in our day, objects of wonder and are worthy of imitation. In 

 modern times roads have generally been constructed without atten- 

 tion to drainage, or the selection of suitable materials, and the re- 

 sult has been the Jreezing and thawing of ihe ground from time to 

 time during the winter, and the settling of it in the spring, leaving 

 inequalities, and raising up stones of large as well as small size, 

 renilering repair necessary to the road at heavy annual expense; 

 which Vould not have been needed had a difierent mode of con- 

 struction been adopted. 



The Third Avenue on this island was first constructed upon the 

 old plan of laying down at the sides and bottom of the road, large 

 round stones commingled with small ones, and earth placed over 

 all, and afterwards well rolled; when finished the road looked well, 

 and the travel over it was expeditious and comfortable. It was soon 



