(CONTINUED)

The sections have been heretofore more or less repaired on the McAdam plan, so called, in rods, as follows, to wit:

State of Maryland
1st section includes, of McAdamized road - 776 rods
2nd section includes, of McAdamized road - 295 rods

State of Pennsylvania
1st section includes, of McAdamized road - 676 rods
2nd section includes, of McAdamized road - 1247 rods
3rd section includes, of McAdamized road - 1412 rods
4th section includes, of McAdamized road - 1166 rods
5th section includes, of McAdamized road - 1870 rods
6th section includes, of McAdamized road - 2156 rods

It will be seen that the order of the sections, according to their worst condition, is not entirely regulated by the McAdamized parts: the variation is occasioned by another class, denominated tolerable. The McAdamized road will all of it require some repair, say at least three inches additional metal, to bring it to the required condition. The remainder of the road is either very rough, or tolerable; and all of it, with a few exceptions, will have to be lifted and repaired on the McAdam plan, to present a road that can be called good and permanent. The bridges and culverts, generally, require but little repair to put them in a condition called good; but how long masonry of such a description, as is generally throughout this road, will last, time only can show. In the course of examination, and agreeably to the verbal suggestion of the department, a view was taken of a locality for that part of the road, within four miles of Cumberland, that would turn Wills' mountain instead of passing over it, as it now does; and a report and estimate made accordingly. And, by instruction from the department, an examination and survey of the bridge and locality between Brownsville and Bridgeport was made, with a view to plan and estimate for the decision of the honorable Secretary of War. As this improvement and bridge are conditional, and dependent on the decision of the honorable the Secretary of War, or a specific appropriation by Congress, they are estimated for as additional. See yearly estimate, marked B. Hence the two worst sections in Pennsylvania extend from the Maryland line, at 32 miles 78 chains, to 60 miles 11 chains 11 links, and the worst section in Maryland from 16 miles 39 chains, to the Pennsylvania line. These sections comprise but 2218 rods of road heretofore repaired on the McAdam plan, so called; parts of which, having been repaired with soft stone, became beds of sand, and worse than the original rough pavement for travel; other parts have worn well, and require, comparatively, but little repair. Accordingly, these sections were subdivided, agreeably to localities and facilities, for separate contracts, and 12,019 rods, comprising 44 subdivisions, put under contract, to the amount of $118,226.74, to be completed prior to to the 1st July next. See statement of contracts herewith marked A.

The plan of repair adopted in these contracts was the McAdam plan; the only one that would give efficiency to the repairs. It requires the old pavement to the lifted, the bed reformed, thirty feet broad, and the metal packed on the middle of the bed to a breadth of twenty feet, and thickness of nine inches. These sections will probably cost more the rod than any part of the road hereafter; because of their bad condition, and the difficultly of procuring materials of proper quality. For some parts stone is hauled up hill, over bad roads, three and a half miles; on others, an inferior material, but one that will answer, under existing circumstances, has been resorted to. The mode of repair by contract, in all cases, has not been found to the advantage of the Government. In the neighborhood of Frostburg, the offers at public sale were at a rate of 20 dollars to the rod, with a very inferior sand stone for the metal. The sale here was declined by the Superintendent, and laborers by the day have been employed, which will reduce the price per rod to about eight dollars. All of which is respectfully submitted.

J. K. F. Mansfield
Lieut. Corps of Engineers

Report On A Change In the Location of the National Road to Turn Will's Mountain
By the Valley of Braddock's Run (Source)

To: Brig. Gen. Charles Gratiot, Chief Engineer.

The present route of the national road, from the post office in Cumberland, crosses Wills' creek at a ford, oftentimes impassable, both on account of ice and the periodical floods of the Potomac, the creek, and its branches. At these periods, the travel is thrown over a slight and temporary suspension bridge to the western shore of the creek, where a bluff bank causes an abrupt and confined turn to the south, along its western margin, to an intersection with the road near the ford. From thence, it passes through a settlement, (that part of Cumberland west of Wills' creek) ascends the Wills' mountain to a gap through which it passes, thence, down the western slope of the mountain to the valley formed by the Great Savage and Wills' mountains, with the ascents and descents exhibited in the annexed table:

	Distance: Miles	- Chains	- Links	Descent Feet	Ascent Feet
From the post office in Cumberland, proceeding westward Thence crossing the ford Thence Thence Thence to summit of Will's mountain Thence Thence Thence Thence continuing westward Thence Thence	- - - - 1 - - - - - -	7 2 20 7 70 22 15 72 42 8 31	24 - 3 90 50 10 - 38 38 26 65	11.67 - - 23.21 - 55.26 - 267.81 - 4.88 -	- - 44.93 - 616.67 - 17.53 - 87.97 - 43.28
Total distance, descent and ascent	4	59	44	362.83	810.38

The greatest elevation of the road above Wills' creek is 638-39/100 feet; to arrive at which elevation, we have to descend 34-28/100 feet, and ascend 661-60/100 feet. And from the summit of the mountain to the level of the road in the valley of Wills' and Great Savage mountains, is 179-17/100 feet, to descend to which level we have to ascend 148-72/100 feet, and descend 327-95/100 making a total rise and fall of l,173-21/100 feet in a distance of 4-3/4 miles, in parts exceeding five degrees of elevation.

To put this part of the road in proper order and repair, we have to construct the bridge at Wills' creek, McAdamize the distance of 41 miles, and repair the masonry of the bridges and culverts.

The material for McAdamizing this part of the road is found most convenient in the first half mile from Cumberland, and near the 44 mile stake, at which positions good lime stone can be procured. It must, in consequence, be transported from the lowest to the highest levels in each side of the mountain.

A survey has recently been made, (see plan and profiles accompanying this report) by which it appears a much more advantageous route can be had, by following the valley of Wills' creek to the mouth of Braddock's run, thence, up the valley of this run, to form a junction with the present location in the valley formed by the Wills' and Great Savage mountains.

The plan and profiles represent the ground over which an advantageous location may be made, by which we may arrive at a point near the 4-3/4 mile stake of the present route, by a gentle and uniform ascent of 447 feet, without any descent whatever, in a distance of 5-3/4 miles, the inclination being less than 14 degrees for the maximum —a slope by no means difficult of ascent by steam carriages on a McAdamized surface. Adopting this route, we avoid, in travelling west, the ascent and descent of the Wills' mountain of 1,173 feet, as heretofore stated, by overcoming the ascent of 447.

The surface of the country upon which the proposed route may be located, is favorable. The plan represents the line on which the levels were taken, giving a distance of six miles.

Commencing at Cumberland, the route would be up the east side of Wills' creek to the termination of the bottom lands on this side; then cross the creek by a bridge of 120 feet water-way, to the bottom lands on the west side; ascend the same through the "Narrows" to the mouth of Braddock's run; thence, up the south side of this run to the point where the line of levels crosses it, at which place a bridge of 20 feet water-way will be necessary; thence, up the north side of the run to the point where the 1ine of levels again crosses it, requiring a bridge of 15 feet water-way; thence, to a junction with the present road near the 42 mile stake, following, on the whole route, nearly the line of the levels; deviating only so far as to shorten the distance in some positions, and continuing the uniformity of the plan from the 4-3/4 mile stake to the Narrows of Wills' creek.

On the whole of this route no excavation or embankment is requisite exceeding three feet, excepting adjacent to the bridges and culverts, and between the stations (of the survey) No. 82 and 91, on Wills' creek, where a filling will be most judicious to avoid cutting into the precipitous and rocky slope of the mountain. The average filling between these points will be five feet, and should be formed from the rock immediately adjacent, thrown (a pierre perdue*) along the shore of the creek, to form the width of 30 feet for the road bed.

(*Ed. Note: pierre perdue - masses of stone thrown down at random on a given site to serve as a sub-foundation for regular masonry, as in the construction of a breakwater, etc. Century Dictionary)

No stone masonry is necessary through this gap of the mountain, other than guard walls or posts on the side of the creek. The growth of timber is small, and found in 32 miles of the route; the remaining part of the distance is a county road, cleared land, and the streets of Cumberland requiring no grubbing, and such grading as the earth, from the construction of side drains, would effect.

The advantages this proposed route possesses over the present location are so great, that I cannot too strongly recommend the construction of a road on it, rather than construct the bridge at Cumberland, and repair the present route over the mountain.

The expense of adopting the proposed route, instead of repairing the present road, will be about $8,757.

The scarcity of a suitable material, and an ascending transportation for repairing the road, compared with the abundance of material (lime stone) found in the valley of Braddock's run, so situated as to give a mean descending transportation of three quarters of a mile, operate principally to produce the similarity of cost.

The expense of McAdamizing the road over Wills' mountain, 4-3/4 miles, or 1,520 rods, at $14 per rod, with nine inches of lime stone, is	$21,280
The expense of bridge over Wills' creek, 5,500 perches of stone masonry, at $2.25 per perch, (Baltimore St.?)	$12,375
The expense of filling of earth behind the abutments of the bridge to connect it with the road and street in Cumberland, 3,600 yards at 12 cents,	$432
The expense of repairing the bridges and culverts on the 42 miles, and placing guard posts on the edges of the precipices,	$2,500
Making the probable cost of repairing the present road,	$36,587

The expense of grubbing, grading, and McAdamizing 1884 rods, or 5 miles and 56 chains, at $16 per rod, with 9 inches of limestone,	$30,144
The expense of bridge over Wills' creek, 5,000 perches of stone masonry, at $2 per perch,	$10,000
The expense of two bridges over Braddock's run, one of 15 feet and the other of 20 feet water-way, 1,200 perches, at $1.75,	$2,100
The expense of a bridge over a mill-race near the town of Cumberland,	$900
The expense of culverts on 5-1/2 miles of road, 20 to the mile, 110 culverts of dry stone masonry,	$2,200
Making the probable cost of constructing a road,	$45,344
The probable cost of repairing the present road,	<$36,587>
And giving an excess of expenditure, of	$8,757

In every point of view, as regards durability, when finished, and facility of transportation, not only between the valley of the Mississippi and the seaboard, but between the extensive mines of excellent bituminous coal near Frostburg and water transportation, the new and proposed route possessed the decided preference. For the surveys, levels, and plans accompanying this report,lam indebted to Mr. H. Belin, whose promptness in execution, and ability to perform, with accuracy, such services, I can recommend to the favorable consideration of your department, knowing the frequent calls made upon it for such qualifications not always within its control.

January 3, 1833. RICHARD DELAFIELD,
Captain of Engineers

Page 39. — “It would be highly unprofitable to lift and relay a road, even if the materials should have been originally too large. The road between Cirencester and Bath is made of stone too large in size. In this case I recommend cutting down the high places," &c

Page 40. — "A part of the road in the Bath district is made of freestone, which it would be unprofitable to lift. Other cases of several kinds have occurred where a different method must be adopted, but which it is impossible to specify, and must be met by the practical skill of the officer, and who must constantly recur to general principles."

Page 42.— "The price of lifting a road. &c, leaving the road in an finished state, has been found in practice to be from 1d. to 2d. per superficial yard, lifted four inches deep."

Page 17. — ”It is well known to every skillful and observant road-maker, that if strata of stone of various sizes be placed on a road, the largest stones will constantly work up." (This is in no manner applicable to a pavement, and a road made even in the manner he alludes to was lifted only four inches deep.— R. D.)

Page 105. — “How deep do you go in lifting the roads? That depends upon circumstances, but I have generally gone four inches deep. I take up the materials four inches, and, having broken the large pieces, I put them back again."

“Does the plan which you have mentioned, of breaking up the roads, apply to gravel roads, or only to those roads composed of hard stones? In gravel roads, and in some other roads, it would be impossible to break them up to advantage; and, in several places, I should think it unprofitable to lift a road at all. I did not order the road near Reading to be lifted, but I directed, whenever a large piece of flint was seen, it should be taken up, broken, and put down again. I am speaking of a gravel road now."

Page 107.— "There are other cases besides that of gravel, in which I should think it unprofitable to lift a road. The road between and is made of very soft stone, and is of so brittle a nature, that if it were lifted it would rise in sand, and there would be nothing to lay down again that would be useful. I should not recommend lifting of freestone roads, for the same reason, because it would go so much to sand that there would be very little to lay down again. I will explain what I have done to the road between Cirencester and Bath. I was obliged to lift a little of the sides of the road, in order to give it shape, but in the center of the road we 'shoved it.' It was before in the state which the country people call gridirons: that is, it was in large ridges, with long hollows between, and we cut down the high part to a level with the bottom of the furrows, and took the materials and sifted them at the side of the road, and returned what was useful to the center." (So far we have the views of Mr. Macadam. From the same work I continue to quote. — R. D.)

Page 153. — Considering the very great traffic upon Whitechapel road, is it your opinion (addressed to Mr. Farey) that it would be advantageous to pave any part of that road? I think it would be desirable to pave it within some feet of the footpath," &c.

Page 158. — "In the neighborhood of London the materials that are to be procured are of too tender and brittle a nature to endure the wear of the heavy carriages. I, therefore, am of the opinion that it would be proper to pave the sides of all the principal entrances into London."

Page 166. — "James Walker says, 'The traffic upon the Commercial rail road, both up and down, is very great. I am quite sure that the expense of this road would have been very much greater, probably much more than doubled, if it had not been paved. The road has been paved for about sixteen years, and the expense of supporting it has been small. During the thirteen years that the East India dockbranch has been paved, the paving has not cost £20.'"

Page 167. — "But as the paving is always preferred for heavy carriages,'" &c.

Page 172.— "The thickness ought to be such, that the greatest weight will not effect more than the surface of the shell, in order to spread the weight which comes upon a small part only of the road over a large portion of the foundation."

Page 173. — "If the foundation is bad, breaking the bottom stone into small pieces is expensive and injurious, upon the principle I have above described, for the same reason that an arch formed of whole bricks, or deep stones, is preferred to one of the same materials broken into smaller pieces, for, in some countries, the materials will admit of the foundation of the road being considered as of the nature of a flat arch, as well as being supported by the strata directly under it. But the error of laying stones in large pieces upon the surface is more common and more injurious."

Page 183. — “James Dean says, 'Near to great towns it would be highly advantageous if the center of the road, for about twelve feet in width, were to be paved with hard, well-squared stones, nine inches deep.'"

Page 188.— "Thomas Telford. Esq.. says, 'The improvements made in North Wales I beg leave to submit as models for the roads through hilly countries. (Great pains have been taken in constructing firm and substantial foundations for the metallic part of the roadway.”

Page 189. — "There has been no attention paid to constructing a good and solid foundation for the roadway."

Page 192. — "Are you of the opinion that it would be advisable or practicable to procure, from any particular part of the country. better materials, so as to form perfect roads without the necessity of paving them? That these materials could be procured, is evident; but I am satisfied that the most economical and preferable mode would be by the means of paving."

Sir: In conducting the operations for repairing the section of the road under your supervision, during the present season, two very important alterations will be made in the system of last year.

The first is to retain, in all cases, the old bed or pavement, breaking down with sledges the prominent or projecting pieces into the ruts and holes, and smoothing the grade with quarry chips, or stone broken on the face of the road with sledge-hammers, slightly covering the bed so prepared with the earth from the ditches, observing to put no more earth than is barely sufficient to prevent the metal coming in contact with the large stone of the bed.

Where there is no stone in the old bed, restore the grade with the best and hardest material to be found in the vicinity, making it a point to have stone to fill the large holes. This formation of the bed for the metal on top of the old bed will enable large and sufficient ditches to be formed for carrying off the water. The most particular attention must be given to these ditches, as upon them depends the preservation of the road.

All the earth taken from the ditches, side roads, and slopes, not required to make good the grade and side roads, must be thrown down the hill side, and on no account whatever upon the slope of a side hill cutting, from whence it soon washes back into the ditches. The minimum size of the ditches should not be less than three feet wide on top, one foot deep, and one foot wide in the bottom; the whole depth to be below the bed of the road. Rock and peculiar side slopes can alone prevent this being practiced.

The side slopes must be cut to a slope of 45, with berms, as a minimum; and as low as 60 wherever it is practicable.

Wherever earth is required for a filling to make good the side roads, require that it be taken from some near side slope or other point that will improve such part of the road. The minimum side road is to be five feet; wherever the natural ground will permit, cause it to be increased to admit of summer roads, placing the ditches outside of such increased side road.

The second alteration is to have the whole work done by contract, instead of job work and day labor, as was practiced last year.

To effect this, the greatest precaution is necessary to specify what work has to be done on each chain of four rods of the road, the particular grade for such portion, the depth and size of the ditches, the side roads and slopes, and from whence the required earth is to be taken to restore the grade, and where the surplus earth is to be taken from the ditches, drains, side slopes, &c.

In the delivery of stone for the metal, the contract must provide that the stone be delivered and broken on the side roads in rectangular piles or strings of such dimensions as you require on the several parts of the road, and the measurement made of the cubic contents of the stone thus prepared; from which measurement you will ascertain the number of perches, by previously having a mass, containing five perches of stone, as it comes from the quarry, as compactly piled as can be without the use of a hammer, taking large and small indiscriminately. Have this mass broken to the size of four ounces; ascertain the cubic contents of the bulk it shall produce, the fifth part of which you will take as a perch, and the unit of measurement for paying for the number of perches to be delivered.

The metal is to be thrown on the road at such favorable periods as you shall designate, after it has been measured, and not until the contractor has prepared the required quantity for half a mile at a time.

You will require the contractor to commence the grade at one end of the piece he is to repair, and continue regularly through, not permitting him to seek the parts requiring least work to execute first; and when delivering stone, to commence the delivery at a point giving a mean distance for hauling from the quarry; a mean rate of payment is then equitable, otherwise it would not be.

The work on your section may be divided into two distinct classes: the one, where nothing has as yet been done; and the other, the part graded and stone prepared for the metal during the past season.

On the first class, you will make contracts to grade, deliver, and put on three perches of limestone where the old bed remains firm, and four perches where the old bed has disappeared, requiring the grade to be finished by the 15th of October; and if the metal is all prepared by that date, to be put on by the 1st of November, the contractor continuing to rake the road, change the travel, and preserve the whole work in order, until the succeeding 1st of April. Should the contractor, however, not be able to prepare the metal to put it on the road by the 1st of November, then he is to preserve the grade of the road in order until the first favorable state of the weather after the 15th of March ensuing, when he is to put on the metal, raking and smoothing the surface for twenty days after the whole metal shall have been put on the road.

You will observe that the contract is to call for preserving the road in either case during the winter; in one case, by adding metal, raking, &c, and in the other, by breaking with a sledge stone to fill the ruts, covering such stone in the spring lightly before putting on the metal.

The second class of work is the unfinished part of last years operations, upon which there will be time to put three and a half additional perches per rod on such parts as were covered last year, and four perches per rod on such as had none, requiring that it be put on by the 1st of November, and be preserved, raked. &c. until the succeeding 1st of April, during the winter filling ruts made by travel with additional metal, to be prepared and ready at convenient points on the road.

For the culverts you will make a contract with one person for all that may be necessary on half your section, and with a second person for the other half, the work to be paid by the perch of twenty-five cubic feet, measured by the plan and dimensions you shall designate for each locality, and according to which plan the work must be constructed. For this work you will require the stone to be of good proportions, with parallel beds and faces, and not smaller than two cubic feet in each piece, in no case ever permitting a stone to be placed "on edge,”- a very common practice, destructive of good masonry. The covering stone to be of such additional dimensions as you shall judge necessary for each locality. The bottoms of the culverts to be paved or flagged with stone, and such an apron constructed at each end as to guard against the ends being undermined by the passage of the water.

The repairs of the masonry of the bridges and walls on Wheeling Hill it is very desirable to effect by contract, if practicable. On Wheeling Hill the object may be effected by requiring the masonry to conform with that already executed, particularly in regard to the size and quality of the stone, paying for it by the perch measured in the wall when finished, reserving the one-fifth of the value from monthly payments as security for the faithful execution of the whole work. The repairs of the bridge may be executed in like manner, specifying the masonry of the bridge now building over Wheeling Creek as the standard, excepting stones placed on edge. It is desirable to postpone the repair of all masonry to the latest date, excepting only such parts as are necessary to perfect the grade; you will make your contracts accordingly. The masonry of the culverts and some of the bridges must be finished in time, including the filling to make good the roadway, to permit the contractor for grading to comply with his agreement. The usual one-fifth of the value of work done being retained until the expiration of the time for completing the whole work, when this sum is to be applied either to carry into effect the remaining provisions of the agreement, as stipulated to be executed, or paid to the contractor, if the work has been faithfully executed according to the tenor of the agreement.

You will make all your payments by checks drawn on the bank through which I shall make your remittances, taking duplicate receipts for moneys thus paid, attached to a bill giving the quantity rate, cost, and date of the receipt of the article clearly and distinctly expressed.

Your check book must be added up. and the balance in bank ascertained every Saturday evening, which balance must be reported in the weekly reports to be forwarded to me, as required last season.

The balance of your account, as appears by your ledger account with me, must also form an item in the weekly report. The assistant engineer will make an inspection of these books, and report to me, whenever he comes on your section of the road.

The receipted vouchers you will forward to the office at Brownsville, of all payments made during the week at the end of such week, reserving the duplicate until called for by myself or the assistant engineer.

So soon as you are apprised by me of funds being available you will immediately advertise by hand bills, and through the public prints, that contracts will be made for repairing the section of road under your supervision, and that proposals for executing the work will be received for twenty days from the date of your advertisement, for repairing each mile of the road according to stipulations and particular information, to be had on inquiring of you on or after such date as you are enabled to collect it. Let the advertisements express that the repairs consist principally in grading the road over the old bed, cleaning out the ditches and drains, restoring the side roads to their width of five feet and covering the road thus prepared with limestone broken to four ounce pieces, in such quantities as shall be specified for each rod, varying from two to four perches per rod, and keeping the whole in order until the first of April next, by which date the contracts are to be completed. To ascertain the work to be done on the different mile sections, and on the particular parts of each mile, you will, the instant funds are available, make a measurement of the road, noting the work to be done on each chain (as specified in the previous parts of this communication) in the most minute detail.

This statement, reduced as much as practical to a tabular form, you will cause to be printed, as the information to be given to persons upon which to make their proposals, and it will be embodied in or attached to the articles of agreement as a specification of the work to be done.

As you will find it convenient to have the prepared metal piled in uniform masses, admitting of the application of a gauge to ascertain whether or not the required quantity is in the pile, you will cause such gauges to be made with slopes of 45 degrees and in no instance permit a measurement of stone to be made without having previously verified the dimensions of the gauge. The necessity for this you will perceive by reflecting that the end of the gauge may be cut off and the angles altered to make a material difference in the quantity, without being perceptible to the eye.

The following are some of the frauds heretofore practiced, and now enumerated that you may look cautiously to their not being practiced upon your section of the road: 1st. Diminishing the size and altering the angle of the gauge.

2d. Loosening the pile of metal just before the measurement, to increase its bulk.

3d. Concealing or covering up in the piles of metal large masses of stone or other matter.

4th. Breaking stone of a softer or otherwise inferior quality than the sample agreed upon.

5th. Breaking the metal to a larger size than that agreed upon.

6th. Removing the prepared metal from one point to another after it has been measured.

7th. Taking metal from the face of the road, of the first or second stratum, to make it appear the desired quantity has been broken to fill the gauge.

8th. On parts of the road where limestone has already been delivered, wagoners, with a partial load, passing from the quarries to the point of delivery, have been detected in stealing a piece from several piles, thus making a full load from what has already been paid for.

Very many other frauds have been detected upon receiving and paying for stone perches before breaking. No corrective offers for the many that may be practiced under this system. It is. therefore, in no case, to be adopted. Always measuring the stone after it is broken, and reserving one-fifth of its value until the whole agreement has been fully and faithfully complied with, are the best securities against fraudulent practices.

Immediately after concluding the contracts on your section for the season, you will forward me a statement of the funds required to carry them into effect, and the times such funds will probably be required.
Respectfully, your obedient servant.

RICH'D DELAFIELD,
Captain of Engineers.