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Show WORLD OWES DEBT TO THESE! Macadam, Pioneer of Good Roads, anoj His Contemporary, Telford, Worthy of All Gratitude. The first great improvement in highf way construction within modern times, was effected by John Loudon MacadamJ or McAdam, who was born in AyrJ Scotland, in 1756. This great ScotcH engineer was the inventor of the roadf making system known as "macadamlw ing." which is still in general use, although al-though vastly Improved. Macadam died in 1836, at the ago of eighty. When he was born the turnjdke roads of England and Scotland were in an incredibly bad state. Macadam and his contemporary, Telford, were the first to check the prevailine chaos and to bring scientific methods and regular regu-lar system to bear upon the building, repair and maintenance of highways. ' Macadam was engaged chiefly in the repair of existing roads rather than ,the construction of new ones, and th improvements which he inaugurated were of great and lasting benefit, not only to his native land, but to the world at large. Telford insisted upon a foundation of broken stone in road building, while Macadam Insisted that this was unnecessary and that the subsoil sub-soil would carry any weight if adequately ade-quately drained and kept dry by an impervious covering. |