Tt entf-ftfth anniveq.rry special paper: Thomas Roy and his ..Remarks on road-making,' (f S4l)'

RoBERT F. LEC,GET 531 Echo Drive, Ouawa, Ont_, Canoda KIS lN7 ReceivedSeptember l, 198? AccepEd October23, 1987

ThomasRoy was a civil engineerand gcologistwho liveCanada s first raiiway if it had thcn been constructed-Hc actedas City Engineerfor the fledglingcity. Nothing is yer known of his life before 1834bur lhe sea.chcon tinues In I83? he presentedto the GeologicalSocicty of Londona paperon the former, misedwater levels of the Grea!Lakes, bascdon his field observationswhile surveying.In l84l he wroreand had published a remarkabielitle book on roadmaking, in someways far aheadof its time; significantexiracls are hereinpresented. Key words: road building, archival, geology.

ThomasRoy fut un ingenieurcivil et g6ologuequi a v6cuir Torontode 1834d 1842;il tur probablcmcntlc prcmiering€nieur gdotechniciendu Canada.En 1835,il a cffeciudIe relev€pour ce qui aumitdtd Ie premierchemin de fcr du 'il e0t dtd construitcn cc temps-l)|.Il a agi comme ing€nieurmunicipal pour la ville naissante.L'on ignoreencore tout de sa vie avant 1834,mais les recherchesse poursuivcnt.En 1837, il prdsentae b CeologicalSociety of London un afticle sur les anciens rehaussemcntsdes niveaux d'eau dcs CmndsLacs bas6s sur sesobservations accumul6€s au counides relevds sur le termin. En l84l, il icrir et publiaun petit livre remarquablesur la construciionroutiEre, qui ilair e plusicurspoinrs dc vue bienen avantdc son lemps;des ext.aitssignificatifs sont prdsentdsdans cet a(icle. Mols cliJ : constructionroutiare, archives, gdologie. [Trdduil par la revucl

Can. ceorcch. J. ?5. I - 12 (1988)

Part 1. Thomas Roy lished, incidentally,before the venerableInstitution of Civil (Roy Sir CharlesLyell (1797-1875) is widely regardedas the Engineers)was easily located 1837).The unusualtitle is "On the ancientstate of th€ Nonh American Continent." It founderof the modemscience of geology. The publicationin "communicated" 1830of the flnt edition of his PrincipLesof GeoLogywas lhe was to the societyby CharlesLycll F.R.S. part, London on 22 March 1837. beginningof the end for the catastrophictheories of the sci- and read,in at a meetingin 5 April. ence.It ran to 37 editionsand it can still be readwith plcasure The readingwas concludedat the next meetingon "The having in thc course andprofit (Lyell 1830-1833).Although bom in England,Lyell The summarystarts thus: author the lake district of belongedto a Scottishfamily of moderatewealth. Able to of his Drofessionalduties, discoveredin Upper banadaterraces or level ridgeswhich agreedin elcva- travelwidely, he paid two extensivevisits to Nonh America, " distances . and he then thefirst in 1841- 1842and the second in 1845- 1846.And, as tion at considerablehorizontal Pro- the origins of, and the reasonsfor, these was then the custom,he publishedinteresting accounts of his ceedsto discuss (conectly) that they were old beachesand travels,based on his meticulouslykept field notebooks.The ridges, deducing He calculatedthe volume of water i the Greal accountof his ilrst visit waspublished in two volumesin 1845 shorelines. " the higher lake levels, concludingthat it must and is entitled"Travels in North America. . . (Lyell 1845). Lakes due to have beendischarged through the St. Lawrence,the Missis- When readingthe secondof thesetwo interestingvolumes, andlhe Hudson rivers in eflectgjving t.lday-s explanir- I was stoppedin my tracks when I read, on p. 85, that, in sippi, "I rionof lhe varialionin lhe levelsof the GrcalLale' u ith thc Torontoon 14 June 1842, found Mr. Roy, the civil engi- singleexceplion of nol recognisinglhal ice sheetswere the neer, expectingme." A little funher on I rcad about the "of of the higher lake elevations.The summaryconcludes: successiveterraces above the level of Lake which cause "Mr. Roy nexldetails with consrderableminulcness, lhc Pro he hadgiven an accountto the GeologicalSociety ofl-ondon." cessesby which he supposesthis vast seawas drained;but as A civil engineerand geologist,in , in 18421This was his descriptioncannot be successfullyfollowed without the aid clearlysomething to be investigated.At the time (1966)there of diagrams.they do not admitof bein8given in theSo-ciety. s wasneither time nor opponunityfor initiating sucha studybut Proceidinss."No traceof the diagramshas yel beenfound a continuingpostretirement pleasure bas been a searchfor "Mr. " Justhoi ThomasRoy met CharlesLyell is not known' onLy informationabout Roy, the civil engineer. The results tbur letteN from Roy (apan from some about his work in date, eventhough still incomplete,are summarizedin this to Toronto)having yet bien aound But it is clearthat Roy s work DaDer.- had impressed-Lyelj, since he anangedlo mee( witlr hirn The contributionto the GeologicalSociety of London(estab- durinqhis 1842visit to the UnitedProvince of CanadaFrom Lvellis book, it would be assumedthat this first meetingwas in 'This of the first paperwas preparedto mark the 25th anniversary Toronto, but a study of Lyell's ficld notebookssuggests that Cdnadia, eotechnicoljoumal.lt was written at the inv! issueofthe 8 they might havemet first in NiagaraFalls, sincethe notescon- Edjlorial BoardoftheJoumal and hasbeen subject to the "Mr' rarionofrhe of referencesto what Roy says" and also reviewprocess. It is one of a shon seriesof specialpapers in tain a number normal "riding (Lyell 1842)They also conrain |(f- voL. 25 thatlook backto the earlydays ofgeotechnical engineering in to with Mr. Roy" in excavationslLyell's Canada,and lorward into the future of the profession. erencest6 what Mr' Roy had observed

Pnnrcd,n CiMdr I ImDnmC!u Crdada cAN.CEOTECX. l. VOL.25. I988 notebookscontain almost exclusively records of field observa- And all this was afler a residenceof only eight yearsin tl're tions, with some notes about discussionswith those whom small city, the changefrom the village of York having taken Lyell met, but very little about travel or accommodation. placejust before Roy's arrival. The discoveryof the completelifetime set of Lyell's note- Even if the statementwere written by a friend of Roy, it yet booksby Canadian-bomDr. LeonardWilson, now Professor remainsa remarkabletribute to his activity in Toronto, with and Headof the Depanmentof the History of Medicineat the the referenceto the greatgeological section suggesting that he Univemityof Minnesotaat Minneapolis,is a fascinatingstory. had done a good deal of tmvelling outsidethe Toronto area. Dr. Wilson had beenstudying the life of Darwin but, on find- The geologicalsection was seenand admiredby William (later ing how much Darwin relied on the field observationsand Sir William) Logansoon aft€r his arrivalto be the first Director writings of Lyell, he redirectedhis attentionto Lyell. He has of the GeologicalSurvey of Canada,since it is mentionedin alreadyproduced the first of two (or more)volumes on Lyell's one of his notebooks, life, which will clearly be one of the ourshnding scientific Diligent searchhas been made for the sectionin all the pos- biographiesofthis century(Wilson 1972).He wasable to have sible rcpositoliesavailable today, but without success.The madea completeset of photocopiesof al1the contentsof the consensusof thoseconsulted is that sinceit was "oresentedto field notebooksand gaveme the privilegeofexamining, while govemment" it must have been placed in the safekeepingof I was teachinga graduatecourse at his University, the three the legislativelibrdry. Oneofthe greattragedies ofthe storyof booksin \NhichLyell recordedhis 1842visit to Canada(from 8 the recordsof early Canadais the numberof fires that have to 29 June 1842).The notesare often roughly wdtten, clearly affectedthe main legislative libraries. Bad fires occurredin "on the spot," but each book is meticulouslyindexed in a 1849(Montreal), 1854 (Quebec), and 1909(Toronto). It can beautitulfeminine hand, probablya labour-of-loveon the pan only be assumedthat this unique geological record was of Mrs. Lyell. destroyedin one of thesefires, with no copy elsewhere. In'l'oronto,Roy took Lyell to seethe ridgesnorth ofToronto The firct referenceto Roy's life in Toronto is containedin a and seemsto havegone with him somedistance to the eastof letterthat he wrote to the mayor ofthe city on 6 March 1835, tbe city, beioreLyell proceededon to Kingston,Montreal, and applyingfor the positionof enginecrto reporton TorontoHar- City, rhen to the United Statesthrough Burlington, bour and the possibilityof a cut throughthe peninsula.In this Quebec "when Ve.mont. They were cenainly togetheron 16 June 1842but, left€rhe saysthat I camehere in July last [i.e., 1834]I on 28 July 1842,Thomas Roy died "at his residence,Newgate was desiredto inspectthe Harbour Bay . . .l sp€ntupwards ol' Street." The notice of his deathgives no details of the man a week in investigatingAshbridge's Bay," He is not listed in himself, his family, or his fatal illness, but concludeswith the directoryfor Little York for 1833-1834,nor in that for thesewords: "During the late visit of Mr. Lyell, the Geolo- Toronto for 1843- 1844, but he is listed in the city directory gist, to this city, Mr. Roy was his constantassociate whilst for 1837as living on PeterStreet. It thereforcseems clear that examiningthe country; he warmly entercd into Mr. Roy's he residedin Torontofrom July 1834until the time of his dcath views,and expr€ssed himself quite astonishedat the imponant in July 1842. andvaluable results ofhis unaided,unheeded, and unrewarded The original of Roy's first rcport on the stateof Toronto labours." Harbourwas found almostby chancein the map library of the so little is known about,and that so little (former) Depanmentof Lands and Forestsof Ontario.' The Smaliwonder that "Remarks attentionhas been paid in the yearsbetween to, ThomasRoy- report is dated 12 August 1834 and is headed on so clearly the first geotechnicalengineer of Canada. lt is Mr. Richardson'spamphlet on the improvementof York Har- appropriate,therefore, that in this fitst specialpaper marking bour." (A photocopyof this early repon wassent to the Metro- the 25th anniversaryof the foundingof the Canadiangeotech- politanToronlo Reference Library, which dirl not thenhave e nicaljournol, the bestpossible account of ThomasRoy's life copy, and to the Chief Engineerof TorontoHarbour Commis- and work shouldbe featured,inaomplete though it hasto be, sion.) It is an inlerestingreview, concemedmainly with the togetherwith the esscntialparts of quite a remarkablelittle dischargeof the Don River into the hafuourand the silting up, bookthat he wrote. EYenwhat is now klown abouthis life and which was then giving causefor concem lt doestouch upon work canbe an inspirationto geotechnicalengineers of today, the idea of maki[g a cut through the peninsulanear Ash- did rot realisethat the penrn- his carefulobservation of Seologicalfeatures in all the works bridge'sBay but, strangely,Roy which he was engagedbeing an examplethat gootechni- sula had been formed by littoral drift coming from the east upon "observational cil engineersshould always follow. The alone the shoreof Lake Ontano. to reportagain method," so stmnglyurged by Dr. RalphPeck and others,has HJ was appointedby the city in March 1835 R H. Bonnycastle a long history. on the HarLLur, this time with caPtain "aDDointedbv theCovemor"' His 23-Pagercpon is datedl l ttfS, io he hadclcariy lost no time in carrlingout his Roy'swork in Toronto ttlurct to "Mr. Bonnycastle'sexcellent chan" in his i'he obituarynotice aboutThomas Roy' an unusualfeature study. He refers well written rePort.He gavea moreextended revrew in a newspaperof that time, was unsigned.It containsthis clearand "The on the Harbburand its formationin the secondof statement,as well as that just quoted: death of this of his idea-s to the Toronto MechanicsInstitute' gentlemanwill prov€a public loss, as he not only plannedand two lectureshe delivered in l84l in the llrst volumcof a very mre ianied into exeiution the variouspublic improvementswhich This wasoublished publicatio;, the Monthly rcvierr of the MechanicsInstitutc' haveraised this city to its Presentstate ofprosperity, but he has " ?'devoted the civil governmentof Canada The lecture for yearsemployed himsetf in examininginto geologicalfea- to turesofthe Province,and sometimesince presented to govem- menta geologicalsection of the country passingfrom the coal 2lnsteadofattempting to give individual rcferencesfor unpublished papersummanzes oc field oi Pennsylvaniathrough the Niagara District and the materialmentioned herein, the Appendix!o this Home District to the Granite Rocks beyond Lake Simcoe." deDositoriesin which ir may be found. containsmany referencesto Roy's geologicalstudies in the rangingstudy. Long before the dareof the last ieuer, he had Torcnto areabut still fails to accountfor the formationof the beenengaged by the city, presumablyon contmct,to supervise peninsula,now Toronto Island. work on roadsand sewers,and this work, appar€ntly,occupied "Mr. The Bonnycastle" to whom referenceis made was much of his time for the rest of his life. There were intemto- CaptainRichard Henry Bonnycastle,an officer in the (British) lions.In SeptemberI835, for example.he handed in his resig- Corpsof Royai Engineers,who gave distinguishedservice to nationto the CommissionerofPaving and Drainagebecause of Canada,for which he was knighted in 1837. He was clearly political interference,his letter being one of the few such attBctedby the new countrythat he servedso well and in 1846 recordsthat still exist. It is to be found in the earlycity council (when he was a LieutenantColonel) he published a two- records,now in the safekeepingof the Archives of Ontario. volume work entitled Canoda and the Canadians-in 1846. Thesecontainjust a few interestingdetails such as an estimate This is a delightfully discursivereview of the Province of for macadamizingBay Street south of , but the Canadaand its people(in 1846), including suchexotic diver- recordsclose with a letter from R. L. Mainguy, Civil Engi- sionsas a recipefor a sherrycobblerl (Bonnycastle1846) He, neer, written in Kingston on 3 August 1842,applying for the "left too, formeda high opinion ofThomas Roy, sinceon pp. I -6 position vacantby the deafhof Mr. Roy." of his first volume he has this to say: "Lyell visited these This suggests,rather definitely, that Roy hadthe positionof (ridges)with the late Mr. Roy, a personlittle appreciatedand City Engineer.The recordsin the City's own archivesare, lessunderstood by the greatones of the earthat Toronto, who unfortunately,sadly lacking on suchmatters. Thomas Young, madean exellentgeological survey of this pan of rhe prov- an architect,is listed as being at one time first City Surveyor ince. . . andno onehas done him evena shadowof iustice.but but it is known, frcm other sources,that ThomasRoy did all "Remarks Mr. Lyell. who, havingno colonialdependence, hid no fean the work. Much of the writing in his on road " in so doing. He refersalso to Mrs. Roy's difficultiesafier her making" (seePan 2 of this paper)were clearly basedon his husband'sdeath in obtainingrecompense for work that he had own practicalexperience but few wriften recordshave yet becn "raise done. found to showjust what he did to this city (Toronto)to Beiweenhis two surveysof Toronto Harbour,Thomas Roy its presentstate of prosperity," as his obituary notice stated. carriedout the surveyof the route for what would havebeen, Still less is known about his persoml life. His lettersfrom had it been constructed,Canada's first railway. On 23 Sep- the railwaysurvey contain a referenceto Mrs. Roy, andalso to "his tember1834, Roy wasengaged by a groupof Torontobusiness family," so presumablyth€y had children.His relatively "make mento a surveyof the ling ofcountry betweenToronto suddendeath may possiblyexplain why no recordof his will is and Lake Simcoe. . . for a Canal or Railway between the to be found in the early listings of the SurrogateCoun (now above-namedplaces." The letterof instructionsthen proceeds also with the Archives of Ontario). Even strangeris the fact to give in detail(certainly too muchdetail) what the committee that IIo rccord has yet becn found of his budal place,despite hopedthat the surveywould reveal.One instnrctionis signifi- enquiriesto all known holdersof recordsof burialsin Toronto cant-Roy was "to notethe soils." Hg wasto consultwith the at the time ofhis death.The excellenceofhis work makesthis committeeon various pans of thg work and he was saddled absenceof personalinformation the more tantalizinS.Having with the servicesof D. Gibson as an assistant,a young man exhaustedall availableToronto records known to me, I was led who provedto be most unreliable. somewhatnaturally to follow up leadselsewhere. A very brief This is theonly projectcarded out by Roy ofwhich a reason- summaryof the resultsof this funher, and continuing,search ably completerecord exists. He was meticulousin repofiingto may be usefully includedin this paperin caseit may come to Mr. JamesNewbiggin, for the committee,and some of his the attentionof someqnewho does have further information letters,as well as the original letter of instruction,have been aboutRoy, or who can suggestother lines of inquiry. presewedin the Allan papersin the MetropolitanTorcnto Ref- erenceLibrary. The story has been well summarizedby Pro- Thecontinuing search (Armstrong1966) and morebriefly by The few examplesofThomas Roy's writings thathave so far fessorF. H. Armstmng "Road-making," the presentwriter (Legget 1979).And Roy was to be paid the been found. as well as the small book an sum of f,50 for the entire survey! shodly to be described,show that he was a gifted and fluent The lettersrcport the progressbeing made, very rapidlycon- writer. The widespreadgeographical references in his geolog- sideringthe virgin country through which the line was run, ical writings suggestthat he must have kept careful notes, ane. a quick stan before the end of September,The letters so that po;sibly there may be somewherea set of his field graduallydecrease in their interest,however, as Roy's finan- noteboois awaiting discovery just as did those of Charles problemswith the committeebecame morc serious.As Lyell, storedin the Lyell ancestralhome until discoveredby cial "he early as 13 Octobe!, he had to report that had not quite Dr. Wilson. writings suf{icientto pay the men." Later, when the survey was sub- A clue for a start at inquiring about Roy's further geo- stantiallycomplete, ha reportedthat the total expenditurefrom wasprovided by an almostpassing reference in one of his founding 9 Novomberto 25 Decemberamounted to !65-12-6' his own losi;d writinP.sto James Hall, the distinguished fee being€l-5-0 per day for 3l days.The total amountpaid to Director of thi New York State Ceological Survey lnquiry Roy appearsto have been t72-12-5 but the committeehad was thereforemade of lhe statearchives in Albany The staff beenable to raiseonly f75-12-5 in subscriptions! there were most helPful and clearly went to some trouble ThomasRoy to This is not the place for any further detailedaccount of the beforehaving to adviseme that no lettersfrom this further railway survey nor of Roy's subsequentaltercation with the JamesHatl could be found. By chance,I mentioned committee,the last sadletter being dated 18 July 1836.It is to disaDDointmentto Dr. Donald Fisher,the StatePaleontologist joint chairmenat be remembered,however, that it wasthis surveythat probably of Nlw York when, alsoby chance,we were my passrng introducedRoy to the raisedbeaches above the preseltlevel of a geologicalmeeting. Dr. Fisher did not forget Yisitto the LakeOntario, to which he thenpmceeded to devotesuch wide- commentand, when back in Albany, paid a special 4 CAN. GEOTECH. J statelibrary to searchthe recordshimself. He found the origi- Montreal, the survey for which was finally carried out (in nalsof four letten from Roy to Hall, photocopiesof which he accordancewith the promise included in the British Nonh was good enoughto sendto me. They were treasuresindeed. America Act of 1867) by SandfordFleming 30 years later, Their interestis mainly geological,somewhar naturally. It is leadingto the building of the IntercolonialRailway. hoped that evcntually they may be publishedin full in an The third letter is shorter (being only about i500 words appropriategeological joumal. They contain, however,a few long), writtenon 2 May I840, in responseto onefrom Hall, but clueswith regardto Roy's life and work and sq will be bdefly in someways it is the most interesting.Roy refersin it to the " reviewed.All written in a firm, clearhand, their fluencycon- geologyof Mexico City and to the work of the "Azteque's. firming, yet again, what a singularlyaniculate man was their He wantsto come down and take levels along the line of the writer. All were written from Toronto. the fi$t from BishoD's projectedrailway betweenAlbany and Boston. He is deter- Burldings.and sentto JamesHall al Albany.or ro Gorham. minedto visit the MississippiRiver to takelevels there, just as New York, by the pioneerpostal service rhen in opeBtion,the he had alreadydone along the south shoreof Lake Erie. I{e markingsof which would be of interestto philatelists. had a paragraphon experimentshe has been conductingon ln the first letter, written on 24 August 1838 (about2500 makingcement from local limestone.Then he says,"I am per- words long), Roy introduceshimself to Hall and comments fectly acquaintedwith travelling in England," proceedingto most favourablyupon reportsfrom the Nep Yorksurvey pub- give preciseadvice as to how best to see British geology, lishedin 1837.He indicateshis personalinterest in many of giving a route that will "ca.ry you over every outcropof the the matterstherein discussed and asks, most politely, ifhe may Englishformations. " And he concludesby sayingthat hc has commentupon them. ("I might stateseveml other shadesof beenjust "orderedupon a tour of inspectionwhere I shallhave differencc,but I am too well satisfiedto become a cdtic, manyopportunities of observationin partswhich I havenot yet especiallyas my own observationsare far from being per- visited." One wonders whe.e? And he sendshe regardsto ") fect. Mrs. Hall, so they must have met. Hall musthave replied to this letter equally cordially, since The fourth and final letter is quite shon (about600 words) Roy's secondletter, dated 6 May 1839,is considerablylonger dated 13 January1842 and is mainly abouthis concemat not (about3300 words) and is accompaniedby an appendixcon- having heardanything about the visit of CharlesLyell, being sistingof extractsfrom a paperby Roy aboutthe probabilityof arranged presumably by James Hall. But, typically, he "extensive there being fields of bitumenouscoal in Upper includeshastily written noteson somenew observations,such " " Canada. In his openingparagraph he saysthat . . . I thought as, "Last summerin making an extensiveexcavation through it betterto referto what I had recordedfor during the pastyear the blue clay and into the secondaryshale undemeathI was the distraationscaused by the foolerieswhich havebeen acti[g surprisedto find the surfaceof the shale water wom and as producedso muchderangement that I may say I had no oppor- closelycovered with largeboulders as any ridgeor hilt top you tunity for furtherobservation." This is his only commenton evervisited . . . every one of which was of thc primaryor pro- "In the turbulentpolitical timesthrough which he was thenliving, trudedclass ofrocks and ofNorthem origin." And again, "fooleries" his expression being in itself an interestingcom- making an excavationnot far from the Lake where the blue mentary.He refersto the areawhere the St. Johnand Connect- clay was reducadto 10 or l2 feet in thicknessand the Brown icut rivers havetheir sources,the infercrcebeing that he had surfaceclay 12 or 15 feet thick regularly stntified over the beenthcre, although later he says,"You may be surprisedthat blue clay, we found severalorganic remainsdeposited in the I am not betterinformed conceming that openingat the Head- brokenstrata of the blue clay, amongstother things a pieceof waten of the Connecticutand St. John's rivers but the fact is wood cut into shapeby a stonehatchet or some other blunt that Major Yule of the Royal Engineersconducted the survey instrument.It had the marks of a withe twisted round its for the New Brunswickand St. LawrenceRailway [which was middleand no doubt was usedas a mallet. It wasfound 23 feet to passthrough this openinglunder the auspicesof the British below the presentsurface of regutarly stratifiedclay." One Govemment:his operationswere carriedout until late in the wonderswhere it is now! season;he wasthus compelled to pfoceedto Englandbefore he The reasonfor making this extendedreferpnce to the four hadtime to makeup his repon. Copiesof the rcport w€resent Ietterswill now be clear. They give someindication of Roy's to the provincialgovemmerts but the section,etc., arein Eng- tmvels, especiallyin England (could Bonnycastiehave been land and I had no opportunityof procuringany information responsible?);of his wide reading (that refcrenceto thc " fromhimself... Aztecs); and of his astute observationseven in excavatlons work in Toronto' This is all in connectionwith the upper reachesof the Che- carriedout in the courseof his engineering more of his writings mungvaliey, of imponancein connectionwith the drainingof And they reinforcethe hope that one day the carly Great Lakes. (The railway had been proposedas a will be found. -Smythe himself, and his life before1834'l This was defencemeasurc in the Carmichael r€portof 1825') What of &e man "mystery "polished him offas a This letter also contaiosreferences to rocks" but a completeblank and so one hadto write talkingwith Mrs' Zena both the United Statesand Canadianobservers still believed man.'; I usedthis expressionwhen once columnin the Globeand fiat the polishingwas the result not oi ice action but of the Cherry,writer of a well-known social to mentionRoy in one of abrasiveaction of rocks carried along by floodwaters.The mall of Toronto. Shekindly offered "our on 1 February1978 Six letters letterconcludes with a graciousoffer to guideHall over her regularcolumns and did so 'enler interestbut nothlng sccnery"hut he coul,l not uponany arrangements for il were receivedas a result. Five expressed Hubbardof Fort is extremeiyprcbable that I shallbe orderedto Halifax to make more. The sixth letter was from Mrs Susan papersA D' DreDamtionsfor an overland communicationin connection Erie, who told me that on p 668 of the Winslow HistoricalSoci- wit-hthe line of steampackets established by the British Gov- 1776- 1826,published by the New Brunswick having been sur- emment." This mostsignificant statement appears to be a ref- etv in 1901, therc was a refercnceto land "Mr. The of ercnceto the prcposal for a railway between Halifax and veyed in 1814 by Thomas Roy." Population Brilish North Americawas then so smail that the possibilityof a hopethat old recordsmight still be in the possessionof thc there being two surveyonjof the same namc, even in such present-dayUnited Church but the minister, the Revercnd widely separatedparts of the country, seemed somewhat Mr- Miller, had to tell me that he knew of no recordsof that remotc.So aoxiouswas I to leavc no stoneuntumed in my early period. searchfor ThomasRoy's originsthat, on my next visit to New A numberof historiansof New Brunswickhave sincc bccn Brunswick, I aFangedto see the originals of the Winslow consultedbut no new "leads" havebeen uncovered. Examin- papersin Fredericton. ing the old documentsin Frederictonand in Newcastlecom- The originalsof thesemost valuablerecords are in the safc- binedto give me a strange,but perhapsirrational, feeling that I keepingof the Archivesand SpecialCollections section of the was finally on the trail ofThomas Roy's origin but this hadyet Harriet Irvine Library of the University of New Brunswick. to be confirmed.The searchis being pursuedin Scotlandbut Miss Mary Flagg, who was in chargeof this fine collection, with ratherslim hopesof finding that ThomasRoy wasone of had kindly lookedup for me referencesto ThomasRoy, three the sonsof JamesRoy, of the Miramichi. This finding would in number.The first is a two-pagereport to EdwardWinslow be entirelyfitting in that men ofthe Miramichi havemade their (theDeputy Surveyor General ofthe Woods in the provinceof rnark in many walks of Canadian life, while the Scottish New Brunswick)from Wm. Ferguson,dated 30 May 1814, emphasison educationfor children would readily explainthe containing the reterence given me by MIs. Hubbard. remarkablecareer of Thomas Roy, as so briefly recordedin Mr. Munro had beenFerguson's infomant; he is identifiedas this paper.But all this is merc surmise;the final proof hasyet of St. Peter's(now Bathurst).The secondis a permit, signed to be found. by Winslow, issuedto Matthew Stewart,a merchantof Nou- What has been found, however, are two or possiblythre€ ville, Quebcc,allowing him to expon wood from New Bruns- copiesof a smali book written by Roy and publishedin 1841. wick "when suweyedand inspectedby ThomasRoy, Deputy It is such a signiircantgeotechnical publication that Part 2 of " Surveyorof woods in that districl. The third is a two-page this paperconsists of a seriesof extmctsfrom its text, so lhat letter to Winslow from St. Peter's, dated 8 May 1810 and they may speakfor themselves,linked togetherby only the signedby ThomasRoy, signing himself as above.It was not bdefestof explanatorycornnent. possibleto comparedirectly the writing of this letter and its signaturewith the letterswritten to JamesHall, but the signa- Part 2. The treatise on 'rRoad-making" turecertainly appeared Io me to be very similar, if not identical on the principles and practice of to thoseof which I had copies. This suggestedthat Thomas ThomasRoy's Remarks was publishedin l84l Roy might have been a native of the northem part of New road-making,as applicableto Canlda pocket-sizedpamphlet of 42 pages.It was printed Brunswickand staned his careeras surveyor ofwoods, a possi- as a small published W. of Toronto on fairly thin bility reinforcedwhen a studyof a surveyor'srecord and letter and by H. & Rowsell with the result that the few remaining book (anothertreasurc of the University of New Brunswick paper, for the time, indeed. the best is that in the Special Library) gave the namesand land holdings of two Scottish copiesare frail Quite Public Archives of Canada,not the National immigrantsnamed George and JamesRoy. Library of the Library of Canada,although both are in the samebuilding This in tum led to me to Mrs. Mary McAllister, of New- As can be seenfrom Figs. I and 2, it was dedicated'in lhe castle,New Brunswick,widely known asthe local historianof manoerusual at that time, to the Govemor Generalof British the Miramichi, andshe, in tum, was mosthelpful anddirected North America. It is siSnificantthat this was Lord Sydenham. me to Miss DeborahFrost, the Registrarof Deedsfor North- Coming here as Charles Poulett ThomPson,this fin€ man- umberlandCounty, which includesthe mouthofthe Miramichi would havcbeen an inspiringleader for the union, in 1841,of River-for this is the Minmichi country' While other old the two provincesof Lower and UpperCanada had he not been recordshad usually been incomplete, the landdeeds for North- killed i; a fall from a horse when in Kingston in that sante umberlandCounty were a joy to examine, so completeand year.Prior to this, however,he had beenassisted in the stanof well indexedare they- It was, therefore, easy to find that his work by a large Imperial loan \ryithwhich he was able to GeorgeRoy's land grant was made on 13 September1785 sDonsora new roundof public warks, includingroad building- when hc hadjust arrived from scotland; and that JamesRoy li wasprobably in this way lhatThomas Roy hadmer him grant 150acres, having also come from 'fhe hadalso received a of oamohlit is about 13 000 words long. too long to bc namedin the land Scotlandbut in 1786.There werc otherRoys quoted'infull in thesepages. By arrangementwith the Editor' evidenceshowed that they were srantsbut intemal Probably tlerefore, all the mor€ significantparts ofthe contentsare here of the samesumame in Frenchand English Acadians,the use qiven, with only such linking commenlsas scemto be desir- complicatingthe searchto somedegtee. George Roy is vad- "fisherman" "Mariner," iule. ttte bookj.r startswith this resoundingdeclaralion: ouslydescribed as a and Then came theanention of anenef- a su'ddenend to this line of ilquiry, since GeorgeRoy died Oneof tie firstobjects which occupies "Boat 'n lhc malcn0I intestateand his widow, JeanFindlay, rcsidiog at of qeticDeoplc, when thcy arcstrivlng to advance a higherstanJing among5t De natron5 B.idee" in Scotland,appointed James Roy as the executorof imorouement,ond to take earth, is the forming and establishingof roadsand other the Jstate,the only son and daughterof GeorgeRoy being ofihe " mediumsof communication,in order to promotethe develop- "William and Isobel. mentoithe tesourcesof (heirown coun!ry' andlo enabl€them to to JamesRoy. who' in oneenlry' Atrentionwas then tumed maintain a commercial and social intercoursewlth torelgn for 1824there is saidto havehad a largefamily. In the records nations. is a longdocument reSarding the executorsofJames Roy ofthe whole of the of parish6f Newcastle,one of them being JamesThompson of After explaining that almost the Population -Chatham, t were nativesor the minister of the ScottishPresbyterian Church, (this was wriften before I84l wherc such lines of com- This hasnow becomethe United Church of Chatham Since aJs]cendentsof natives of countries proceeds: manyearly recordswere held by churches,there seemed to be munication are established," he cAN.CEOTECH. J.VOL. 25, r988 REMARKS

E!! Biqlt llonouratl! Ctarl.r, 18i!on Sjt!.ntilr.

PiIvrcoUj!clr. PRINCIPLES AND PRACTI CE GOVERNOR.GENERAL OF BRITISH NORTH ATIEITICA,

CAP'T'ATN.GENERALAND COMMANDEB-TN-CHIEF

ROAD-MAKING, cANiD,{, novA-sadftl' NE\r-rlBuNswrclr lxD I'BE r

VICE- DMINAL OF THE SAIIE i

THEAE BEMARXS, AS APPLICABLE TO CANADA.

AND PRACTICE oF ROAD-Il,{Kl-"c'

AII APPI,ICADIE BY THOMAS ROY, liEr Br ftrxl6sloxr CIAIL ENCINIEN.

MOST NESTIDCTfULLI DEDICATDD!

TIIOM.\S ltoY.

TORONTOr Flo. 2. Dedication to the Govemor Ccneml of British Nonh America, from "Rgmarks on road-making." H, rt w. iotYt ELL, PRINTERS, XtNC.STIt!DT.

accumteview of the subjecr. Railways are of great and pam 1841. mount advantageto dcnselypopulaled countries, whcrc thcrc is "Remarks greattmvel, and a constanttmnsit of goods;cspccially betwcen Frc. l. Title page, from the original on road-making" shippingpo(s and manufacturingtowns, or, in mining districls by ThomasRoy. from the mines to the works, or to the shippingports; but it is doubtful if lhere are more than thrce or four locations in thg Upon the first laying out of tbe Townshipsin lhe Upper Prov- where milways are really rcquired, and ince, evena supembundanceof reseryeswas left for roads;but where Ihe reoms would pay a dividend upon lhe cost of con- these cooccssionlines and side-lines aun stmight on, across struction,for at least twenty yearsto come mvinesand rivers, ovet hills, through swamPs,lakes and other of trans- hindrances,and could neverhavebeen intended to serveas lead- Two pages follow discussing the geographical aspecls this percip- ing lines of communicationwhen the Provincebecame settled pofiaiio; in Upper and Lower Canada, including andgood rcadsbecame necessary for the conveyanceofproduce ient comment: andgoods to andfrom distantmarkets. Their intentionis to serve Above Montieal, lhe River will (when locks arc con- the samepurpose as the parish roadsof England, or to connect stnrctedat the nPids) afford four hundredmiles of inlandnavlga- the various ofthe Townshipswith leadingrcads, to b€ con- Pans tion. Theselocks, common roads,and a few branchcanaLs to the strucledupon proPerlocations, and in properdirections, as clr_ small lakes, would most entirely open up the Ollawa Valley to cumslancesmay requlre. the ocean-Again, werecommon roadsconstructed, the whole of The purpose of the booklet is: the country 6etweenMontreal and Kingstonwould be rendcred accessibleto the oceanby the St. Ilwrence River andlhe Rideau . . . to dmw atlcntion!o the bestand most economical methods of Canal. constnrctingleading lines of roadsthroughout thc Province' in about the suchlocations as shall mosteffectually open uP every part of it' Rov must have read some of the early publicity and progrcssivelydevelop its vast resources.One objectionto GebrgianBay Ship Canal! Typical of his own advancedthink- forminga genemlsystem of commonroads in ihis Provincomay ing is his next section: as well be methere. It is often said, why lay oul largesums upon which ihe sub- commonroads: they will soonbe supersededby railways?Those But thereis anotherasPect, equally impotlant, in may who mise lhis objection, do not aPPearto have takcn a very ject ought!o be viewed, that is, the probabilitythat railways LEGCET

be rivatled by sleam-carriagesupon common roads.This is no siderto be too much, for it requirestoo grcata rise in the middle chimericalidea. Great exertionsare making at this presenttimc to keepthe road dry, and consequentlyincreases the costof for- to bring thesc cadiagcs into use, and every seasonproduces mationand repair, without producingany equivalenladvantage. some funhe. improvement.The chief hindrancehas been the We would propose48 feetas the width of the road,lhat is , 5 feet steepaclivities still to bc found on many ofthe old roadsin Eng- for a ditch on one side of the road, 38 feet for the carriagcway, land. It is howeverallowed, by the ablestEngineers who have and 5 fee! for a footpathon the other sideof the road.This widlh studied the subject, that steam-carriagescould work well on will be found adequatefor every pu.poserequrred. commonroads, provided lhere were no aclivities excccdingone the preparation ofthe ground surface for grad in thiny, andihar therewere no sharptums upon (heroads. Upon Afterdescribing such .oadsthey grant that steam-carriagescould convey goods ing, he urges vcry logically that deep cuttings be avoided. and passengersat a velocity of sixteenmiles an hour. This fact Thcn comes one ofthe most significant passagesin the booklet: oughtnot to be lost sight of when laying out new lines of road in Drainageis an affair of primary importancein road-making,and Canada,for, owing to the genemllevelness of the country, there requiresmuch skill Io executeit in a proper manner.The dilch arefew situationswhere a skillful Engineerwould fail in obtain- oughtto be on that side ofthe road whencethe flood watertlows ing linesof mad with aclivitieseven less than one in thirty, with- toward the road. Its capacityshould be regulatedby the quanlity ou! marerially increasingthe expense, provided he had tuU of water which it has to convey, and the dislanceto which it has liberty to choosethe location. ro carry it beforereaching a LalemLoutlet. Latcml outlctsshould He then divides his main subject as follows: be capacious,and, if possibie, freque.rt.The slmta of lhe soil shouldbe carefully studied,and meansused to conv€yall water First-The laying out of a road. from springs,however small, into the ditch. It may evenbe nec- Secondly-The formation oi a road. essaryto carry the processof dminagefar beyondthe areaof the Thirdly-The materialsfor making a road and the mcthodsof road, but no geneml rules will apply to such a case. applyingthem. produced He describes how the cross section of the road surface shouLd Fourthly-The causeswhich have constantfailures in "in at road-mahngin this Province. be shaped the form of the segment of an ellipsis," how a artempts "at Fifthly-the meansby which failuresmay in tuturebe prevented. footpath should be formed the same glevation as the centre of the road," how culverts should be installed deep enough to His remarks on laying out of roads are all based on common "road avoid interference with the rqad surface, and how sense.such as. metal" should be placed, concluding thus: y In seleclinga line of road where two lines prcscntnea equal The cost of so forming a mile of road in tle fores('- taking out advantagesand disadvantages, the cheapeslroad ought to be prc_ lhe rootsof trees,etc., etc., (er!lusr!e of dcep (ulling rnd ferrcd, bul in makingrhe selection reference ought to b€ had, not embankment)will be from f220 to 1280, - varyingaccording to or y to the original cos! of constructionand the fufurc rePai6, the natureof the soil, the strengthof lhe timber, etc , etc . slrength requiredto but also to the r€lative expenseof animal "The to tums next to materials for making a road"' this draw carriagesupon each line. . . [and]... Roadsoughl be Roy "road carriedalong a level line as nearly as possible,and having only being a discussion of the preParation and placemenl of Bentteaclivities and deciivities, for a greaterdistance on a road metal," the term then used to describe brcken stone for road - nearly level, is productivc of less expenseof animal strength, use. He urges the use of thin layers (4 6 in) and proper com- "comPaction" than a lesser distance passing over considembleelevations paction of each layer, using the word in the examiningand level- Hencethe necessityof carefully selecting, generally accepted usage oftoday, as illustrated by this passing ling every proposcdline of road. comment: Platitudes? But this was wfitten in 18411 To suppod his con- The brokenstone should neverbe shotout iD cartloads, or evcn tentions about the use of animal strength he gives four tables. in wheelbarrowloads, and then bc sPrcadout upon thc road ln The tables are of little interest today, but Roy's explanations of every case,it should be taken out of lhe cart, or wheel-barrow, so as them are: by shovelsand spreadevenly and regularlyupon the roa'l, to promotean equal consolidation. lables Nos. I and 2 are dmwn from a sedes of experiments curvature of the.cross sec- madeon the HolyheadRoad by order of the ParliamentaryCom' After again describing the essential good drarnage, missioners.No. I was on a well formed and well consolidated tioD ofthe finished road surface, so as to ensure orn of $e road.No. 2 wason a ponionof lhe roadmade with he says: iimcstonebut lessperfectly formed and not so well consolidared This curve is quite sufficientto dmin o[l the wxler' and it ls It may be addedthat the resultsagree very nearlywith the results the 'That st.ictly in a"co.dan.e*ith the requircdstrength ofthe roadat of thi theoreticalformula, the requiredforce of traction is centreand the side, for' by observation,it is foundtha( on a road inverselyas the cosecantof the angle of inclination' The table propo'- much uscd by waggons, the waste is in the fotLowing No. 3 ji calculatedfrom ProfessorLeslie's formula for the forca uons: - of lmction exertedby horses-which has also been verified by 20 cenl numerousexpenments. The tablc No 4 was calculatedby Mr' Action of the atmosphere. . ,' Per -- 35 cent' McNeil, AssistafltEngineer on the Holyhead road, irom data Carriagewheels.. ' ' Per cent' obrainei in the counJof making the exPerimentsfrom which Horses' feet . 45 Per Nos l and 2 arc drawn. wheels tables Thcrefore,if the atmosphcricaction and the actionofthe "the degreeover the breadthof the road' ln suDportofthe value ofthe tables, Roy quotes from late u" oiin ."i in u n"u.ty iquai feet be most frequcntly be on' or Mr. illford's" evidence to the Parliamantary Commissioners, and the action of the horses' "The it follows that the centre ought lo be stronger indicative ofhis wide reading. He next deals with forma- near the centrc, than the edgesin the proportionof 7 !o 9' tion of a road": is His- continuinS appleciation of the importance of drainage The width of lhe road in this province appeaNlo be esBblishcd by: ar 66 feer. This width (exceptin the vici;ity of towns) we con- again indicated cAN CEOTECH.T.vOL.25. r988

Hollow archingof thc materialsough! to be carefully guarded These resultsare important, for they show us lhal, in oriderio against,for a percolationof water ftom the surfacewill take obraina road\thich will be firm underordinary pressure. it must placewherever it exists.This hollow archingcannot be avoided be laid with 4-inch plank, - that 3-inch planl will vibnte and whenthe full dicknessofthe metalis put on at once,therefore it soonbecome loose, - that2-inch plankwill vibmtc so muchrha! oughl never to be done . . . [and] . . .In tbis country, the roads it cannotbe kept firm in its position, - and rhal l,inch plank is sustainmuch injury f.om heavingup by rheftost. This wouldbe, unsafe,and may break under an ordinaryload. Now, il may be in a grrai measure,prev€nted by adopting a better systcmof objecled,thar l-inch plank, or 2-inch plank, will $ot bc uscdfor drainagcand it would be still further remediedif, when forming road-making.We grant that: but it doesnot changeour position, the metal-bedon a clay soil, a few inchesof vegetablemould for 4-inch and 3-inch plankswill soonwear down to thesethick wereplaced over the clay, andthe brokenstone placed upon the nesses.- These rosults fix the ultimatum of useful wear in a veBetablemould. 4 inch plank to be 2 inches,and in 3-inch plankto be I inch . . . The action of hammeringor rolling, as is well known to (he Herc hi$ recognition of frost action in soils is the significant Indians, separatesthe fibres of timber, and causesthe annual aspectofhis writing, eyen though his proposed solution would ringsto loosenthe one from lhe other. This will be onecausc ol be less than adequate. He then gives some details about the wearupon plank roads,and thus, the rolling actionof the wheels wear of road surfaces in England: will not a little aid the action of lhe hoNes' feet. the grealest causeof wear upon any kind of road. Upon planlcs.horses' feet In Canada,so far as our guides expeience us, il would appear act with a most powerful effecl; indeedlhis is thc rcasonwhy thatthe wearof materialsupon a firm, well-formedroad is even aboutwharfs and otherplaces, in Europeancities, iron railways, lessthan the wear of malerialsin England.This no doubtarises andother expensiveexpedients, are adaptedto conveygoods to from the tmnsitions wet from to dry, being less frequent.It is such placesas the cans can reach,without allowing the hotses' only during a few weeksin lhe autumn,and at rhe going off of feet to treadupon the wooden platforms. the frost in spring, that suffer much ftom atmos- pheric We "leaning inflirence. may instancethe str€etsofToronto, which One can so readily imagine Roy over backwards" to are constructedupon the same pdnciple as the best English present all the favouiable evidence available to him on this roads. King Street was paved on the sides and formed with proceeds: brokenstone in the centrein 1836. During the previousyear, a subject; he common sewer had been constructedunder the ccntre of this But it may be well to give somefurther experimental proofs upon street,and the earthover the sewerimpcrfectly consolidated. For this subject, although scientift. personswill hold them to be almostthe distanceofone third ofa mile, in the mostfrequented quile unnccessary.we shall d|aw them from the city ofToronto, parl of lhe street,the thicknessof broken stoneaveraged nine where, althoughthe g€ner'altraffic is not heavJ, yel the horses inches.At this present,time after five yeals wear, the aveEge are all shod, and consequentlyit affords a beler proof of what thicknessexceeds seven inches; or, the wear on this much frc- the actionof horses'feet will be upon plank roads.ln the sprnrg quentedroad has been about one third of an inch per annum. of 1837, Mr. Brown coveredhis n€w wharf with 3-inch plank; This streethas been much brokenup by puttingdmins from new by last winter it was entirely wom out, and hc had lo cover it buildingsto the commonsewerand in a few placesby the subsid- again.Th is givesan enduranceof threeseasons , u nder the traffic ing of the eanh over the common sewer. Had it not been for to and from the whaf. In 1836, when YongeStreet was paved, thesecauses it is probabletha( up to this time, i! would not have sevemlof the inhabitantscxpressed a wish lo havewooden crcss_ requiredany repairs.Nearly anotherone half mile of the same ings placedin the pavement,- it was unfortunalelyagreed to, streetwas consrructedduring the sameseason, with an avemge and three planks, 6 inchesthick, wete placedat eachcrosslng. thicknessof eleveninches of broken stone;the wear upon ihis During the third summer,lhey were cut thronghby the horces' ponion doesnot appearto exceedI inch, and the only apparont feet. Showing a still shoner endumncain this busy street. injury arisesfrom the causesabove mentioned. Severdlother instancesmight be given, but thesemay suffice Then comes a somewhat detailed discussion of the rock types "road " He then presents a very detailed estimate of the cost of main- suitable for use as metal, with a waming that if gBvel "for tianing plank rcads in comparison with the corresponding costs be uscd it must first be screened and all pebbles broken "broken ' ' for roads perfectly constructed with boulders" (his consolidation, His estimates of cost per mile of road have "metal"). He has a somewhat unorthodox way of histodc intercst only-fi49i exclusive of deep cuttings, Dreferred estimating total costs, adding the total expenditure for main- bridges, etc., or only !879- l5-0 if limestone is used as the road tenance throughout a period of 24 years to the original cost of metal. Next come 12 pages Oy far the longest section) on the construction. Using the same method for both tyPes of con- construction, maintenance, and questionable economics of stnrctiofl, however, he arrives at these compamble fi8ures: planJ

und€r any traffiic in Canada:provided the sun and air arc not the treatise eotitled "The causeswhich have produced constant excludedfrom it. failures in attempts at road-making in this Province." It So his argument coltinues, a funher statement being: demands extensive citation if only to show the conditions under which engineers had to work in Canada a century and a In aniving at all theseconclusions, wc have assumedthat pinc half ago: plank will be obtained 16 or 20 years at prcsent pices. We "Hitheno believe,however, that a proposalto contiactfora supplyofpine it hasbeen the practiceto applyto lhe Legislarurefora planl for the usc of the Kingsroo road, during the ensuing24 loan of money to make such a given pofiion of road. When the years,at presentprices, would startleany of the commissioneN application has been successfulsevenl Commissionershavc of the road, even if the plank were to be deliveredto their own been appointed,in some instancesby the Legislature,in orher saw-mills. instancesthe appointmenthas been vestedin the Govemor- At this point the enors commenced,and the bad working of the The idea of beautiful pine lumber being used up in rhis way systembegan to develop itself. Therc was no unity of design. will strike many youngcr rcaders, who may not have heard of The managementof the roadswas vestedin a numberof small plank roads, with honor, but such was the bountiful supply of tnrsts.A gcneralsystem of rcads for the Provincewas not even some of the best lumber in the world at that time that it could thoughtof, and every sepamteroad was considercdas a local be used in this way. Roy's familiarity with English road- affair. The Commissionersin genemlwere totally ignorantofthe building practice is shown again by this comment; duties they were appointed to perform. ... [who] actually directedthe whole operations,with the assisEnceof a foreman Wc might quote iargely from the evidence of those eminent frequentlyas incompetentto the task as tlemselves. Engineersunder whose management the roadsof Englandhave "The first sourcefrom whencemuch of the evil arosewas the reachedtheir presentdegree of perfection,to prove that ill,made difficulty of selecting suitable Commissioners.Along with roadsare most expensive in thcirfirst formation-that it is all but others,store-keepers, millers, tavem-keepers,and t|adesmenof impossibleto keepthem in repair-and that, in order to obtain variousdescriptions, were appointed.. . Thesenumerous small good roads, scientific adaptionsmusl be resofiedto-and that trusts,prevented lhe Comrnissionershad fiey beenso inclined, whercthcse are properly applied and adheredto, the costof con- from availingthemselves of fie se icesof personsfilly compe- structionwill be lessencd,and the expenseof repairs will be tent to conductthe necessaryopemtions, becausc the sphereof inconsiderable. action was too limited to afford the expense.Hence in somc measurehave arisenthe very objectionablcand expensivepro- the possible reaction of Roy anticipated read€rs of his own ceedingsso much to be rcgrened. time, and certainly of ours, by concluding: "...The Legislatureought to have providedfor a general lay out, It may be decmedsupcrfluous to have said so much conceming Inspectorof Roads,whose duty it ought to havebeen to lines of plank roads, as there can be no differcnce of opinion amongst or at Ieastto inspect,and approveor disapprove,of ali to havc scientificpenons upon the subjecr.But we havebefore us a pub- road for which grantswere madc, and also occasionally prcgress in which lhe lication of Reports, l-etters, etc-, by the Legislatureof 1825 inspectedthese works in and the manner have annuallyto Par- wherein the utility of wooden locks for canals is enforcedby fundsgranted werc appliedand to rcported matte.s. muliiplying of lrusts also argumentssadLy at variance with chemical and hydrostatical liament upon all these The prevented between the Iaws;yct we know thatthe maniaforwooden locks hasproduccd the essentially necessaryseparation and the Executile, direfirl effectsupon the Province. Let us hope that lhe present deliberaliveof Commissioners'depanment, In effecl the Commissionersacted in mania for planl roads may be arrested,beforc it producesso or Engineer'sdepartment. the manifestinjury ofthe work, andthe loss muchevil. both departmentsto of thosesalutary checks upon expenditure-an Engineer'ssuper- The refercnce to wooden canal locks probably refers to those intendenceand an Engineer'sinspection and certificate previous payments for the first Welland Canal, all of which had to be replaced to being made. "Hence no efficient, well instructedstaffof superintendenlsand with masonry in 1841. Then, surprisingly, he suggests that foremencould be formed, and the benefitsof those scienlific can successfully used for road construction ifused in timber be adaptationsand appliancesso essentiallynecessary in an cco- the form of blocks, another ofhis farsighted Prcdictions, since nomical,useful, and dumble system of mad-makin8,were lotally I can remember seeing wooden paving blocks for roads us€d in was to be done by whal are here "sent neglected,and thc work left my lifetime! He quotes from a specification to Sir John calledpmctical men, who aregeneElly lhe slavesofcustom' and Colbome in 1833" (by Roy? he does not say), Sir John being follow someform, good orbad, from which theycannot change, then the Govemor of Upper Canada, which concludes with a and the resultsof which they are incapabieof calculating." of grouting between blocks. And this section ofthe "a suggestion Comment would be superfluous. Roy next gives review of resounding declalation: book ends with this the working ofthe system" necessarily involving some rePetl- He gives actual We would closettris divi$ion of the subjectby rcmarkingtlat in tion of the ills he has already described. ordcr to constructthe roads,and otherpublic works ofthis Prov- examples,the fint being: lncc, in an economical.useful. and dumblemanner, a much Yonge Strce( road. The gonts werc madc lo macadamize higher standardof educalionand trdinidg for Civil Engineers Yonie Streerroad from Toronto to Holland Larding near Lake must be required than heretofore.To have passedthrough a Simme". Now Yonge Streel road was so located that it was courseof Mathcmatical,Physical, and Chemical instructionis exlremelydifficult and expensiveto form it into a tolerablygood not sufficient.This must be followed up by a pBctical applica- road. On that which has alrcady been done' nearly as scienceslo the artsofconstruction, and other useful Ponion lion oflhese much money ias been expended in cutting hills, building purposes.ln EnBland,lhc Civil Engineerswho areselected to do bridqes,ctc., etc , as in ioad-making;yet sevemlofthe inclina- Govemmentworks haveall first becomeeminent in their pnvate tioni are as steepas I in 14 That po(ion which remainsto bc professionalpmctice. lt would be well if the samesystem were doneis still moredifficult, and will be moreexpensive Now,if, adoptedhcre. previouslyto commencing$e work' an exPeriencedEngineer andto lay out a road There follows, in somewhat strange juxtaposition, that part of iradbeeninstructcd to examinethc country, l0 cAN.CEOTECH. J.VOL.25, l98E upon ground ..Tomnto the best which he could find between and advantageto the country,and to secureto himselftlrat respect Holland Landing", he would have discoveredthat b€tween3 andinfluence with theEngineen of rheseveml trust, which will and5 miles west of YongeStrect road, a line ofroad could have causethem ro acrcheerfully upon his suggeslions...... beengor "It [and] ftom Torontoto the baseofthe Ridges(about 2j miles) is indispensablethat an Engineerof scientificacquiremenrs without crossingone mvine, or meetingany difficulty, except andpmclical expericnce be appointed for cachirust, to actunder thc hill to the norlhwardofToronto; and, fa(her, that the Ridees thedirection of theTrusrees, in layiogout new roads . . . dinrc!- couldhave been cmjsed in thatdirection wi$out involvrnginy ing andcxamining all work doneby conrmctorsand cenifying considembledifficulry. Thc resDlt is, that the same amount thatit is doneaccording to contractbefore payment, etc., etc., which has been expendedin making about founeen miles of a ...[and,finally]..- "In very indifferentroad, would have made almost thirty miles of ordertoprevent dispules about rcsponsibiliry all ins(ructions exccllentroad, leaving no inclinationssteeper than I in 40... fromthe Boardof Trusteesto the Engineershould be givenio wriringand should All this is a rcflection of Roy's own knowledge beduly cenified and recorded; and all reports of the country fromthe Engineer ro rhe involved gained while he Trusteesalso should be rn wnrrng. and did the earlier railway survey; it is, at shouldbe recorded." the same time, an interesting foreshadowing of Highway 400! His next example is the proposed road from Oakville to Gara, Ard the little book is bruught to a close with thesewo(ds: fraxa but this is of rather localized interest. He finishes this Suchis a generaloutlinc ofthe machinerywhich we would pro- section by saying: poseto put intooperation for the constructionand managemen! "We of roadsin rhisProvince. shall nor pbceed fanher wirh these illustrations But we wouldclose thcse remarks by of the obsewing,that pinciples imponanccof properlylocating and laying out roads,and of the althougha knowledgeof the of road- makingmay be conveyed pmctice waste of money which is produced where &is is improperly by writing, the of road- donc, althoughinstances might be makingis subjectto so manycontingencies, that florhingbut adducedfrom almost cvery produce roadhilherto rnadein this Province. experiencecan anydeBree of perfection.Therefore. the ln iact it is rhe first laying degree perfection which out ofa road,that the mainobjects secured of to a roadcan be broughtwill cvcr are or lost. Thesearc, dependupon the talcnts,scientific knowlcdge, practical cheapnessof construction, and the capabiliry and of doing the experienceof theperson conducring the work. grearcstpossibility of labour upon rhe road at the leasrpossiblc expenseofanimal strength;and it cannotbe disputedbut thlt this AII spelling and punctuation with its plethoraof commas "The inrportantconsidemtion in road-making amountof animal areexactly as in the original work, whereinthe word Engineer strEngthrequired to dmw a given wcight upon vadous inclina- is alwayscapitalized. lions" has hitherto been entirely lost sight of in this Province. In earlystudies ofthis rema*able little book, the imprcssion The last Act of Parliamentin consolidatingthe trustsin cachdis- was gainedthat possibly Thomas Roy had written it with a tricl, apparentlyremedied some of the aboveerrors. Many of its view to his obtaining the appointmenthe advocates,that of enactmentsare 8ood, especiallythose in which provisionis made for sepamtingthe duties of the dcliberativefrom the ex€cutive Inspectorof Roadsfor the Province.But the more one studies departmentsbut the benefitsgxpected from it arein a greatmeas- what is knownofhis life, and his increasingresponsibilities (as ure lost by continuingall the fo.mer Commissionenas Trustees shown,for example,in the quotationsfrom his ]ettersto James undcr the Act, and even adding to their number.It was only in Hall) fiis possibilitydiminishes. I am now convincedthat Roy the Home Districrthat it was put to the test; it did not woik well wrotehis book not with any penonal gain in view but asa con- and mailerswen! on much the sameas beforc. In the matterof tribution, basedon his experience,to the public good, yet choosingan Engineer,it was proved that neitherthe choicenor anotherofthe exampleshe haslefi of hne professionalsewice. the standingof the Engineerought to res! implicitly with the but the test qualification be Trustees, that samc of should "What's required,and that a negativeshould rest somewhere-" Conclusion or past is prologue" "The His concluding section on means by which failures may This paper,in oneway, raisesalmost as manyquestlons as lt in future be prcvented" is essentially a clarion call for a reduc- atlempts to answer. How, for example, did Thomas Roy tion in the number of road trusts and the appointment of an achievehis standingas a Civil Engineer;how did he develop as typi experienced engineer as Inspector of Roads: sucha properprofessional pride in beingan Engineeer. fied by the capitalizationjust mentioned?It would be the "ln "civil orderto remedythe fiIst, i! would be necessaryto divide fie middleof the (nineteenth)century before the term engi- coun!ry into trustslarger than the presentdistricts, or in faci as neer" (as distinct from the mili(ary cngineers!began to gain out, largeas one Engineeis exenionscould extendover, to lay acceotancein North America. lt would be 45 yean afterRoy's construct,and attend to the whole ofthe roads,exclusive ofcon- deathbefore Canadian engineers saw the needfor establishing cessionand township lines . . . Societyof Civil Engineers(the term again mean- "Each ofthe truststo be undorthe directionof a boardoftwelve theCanadian other hand, the lnstitutioo of Civil or fifteen Trustees.The Ttustecsmighi be either appointedby ing nonmilitary). On the in l8l8 with the Covemor and Council, or the tnist might be divided into Eneineen had been establishedin London twclve or fifteen electorial districls, each of thesedistricts to ThomasTelford as its first prosident.Roy was familiar with chooseaTrustee... Telford and his work, as well as British practicc in road "This had spentsome folm of electionwould givc the peoplean interestin the making.The conclusionis inescapablethat he 'fhis managementof road:i...It would also afford a guamnteethat time in England,possibly engaged on engineeringwork they would not, as a body, be influencedby local interesrand raisesthe possibilitythat he might havebeen a nativeof Great prejudices...[and]... Britain, aj were other early engineersin Canada,but his wide "ln genemlsuperinlend- ordcr to secureunity in desiSn,and a knowlgdgeof this country hasied me to the conclusionthat he lnspectorof roadsought to be appoinredby Govem- ence, an was a iative-bom Canadian. If he did come from the ment. His dulies shouldbe . . . He ought atso to have a generdl in Englandwould accountfor someof supcrintendenceof the Engineersof the seveml trusts. . . [He] Miramichi, time spent yeaN Appropriateinqutnes ate oughtto posesshigh scientificachievements and much prdctical the between1810 and 1834. fal without experience,to enablehim to perform his importantduties with beinsmade to rElevantauthoritles In London.so success.This pan of the searchalso still coltinues. far removedfrom what is so readily availablefor all geotechni- Not only was Roy a Civil Engineer,one of Canada'sfirst, cal engineersof today. but he was alsoa GeotechnicalEngineer, assuredly the first in -He realisedin a very specialway that his enginccringwork Canada.In all the recordsof his works that remain, soil is might reveal geological information that was new and often given its properpride of place, somethingalmost unknownin unobtainablein any other way; his pioneerpaper to the Geo- otherearly engineering writing in English. It was not only soil logicai Society in London, for example, had its origin in his "Ridges" that Roy apprcciatedso well, but soil in its geologicalcontext. acuteobservation of the north of Toronto. not just He had a sound concept of the idea of compaction and, acceptedas "hills" but looked at with questioningeyes and althoughin the few examplesof his writing that we have the conceptis appliedto brokenstone and gmvel in road building, -Although he would never have heard the word, Roy was a it is almosta certaiotythat he relatedcompaction to soils. masterof serendipity(the art of finding somethingfor which It is, perhaps,his undeNtandingof the vital impodanceof you are not looking), a characteristicthat shouldbe one of the drainagethat is today so surprising.He knew that good drain- hallmarksof all geotcchnicalengineers. age is essentialfor the good performanceof well-constructed -The 1837paper and his other writings showedthat not only roads. He knew that drainage must often be carricd "far wasThomas Roy a good observerbut alsothat he wrote up his " beyondthe areaof the road. And he knew that drainagewas obse.vations,and his thinking aboutthem, when he was ready relatedto frost actionin soils. All this was a centuryand a half with somethingto say that might help others,a lessonthat still ago and yet, throughoutthe long yearsbetween, d.ainage has has to be leamedby so many today. probablybeen the most neglecledfeature of civil engineering -Roy's writings that remainto us are sa clearand informative design.[n recentyears a prominentUnited Statesconsulting thatthey suggestmost definitely that he musthave been a good engineer,Harry Cedergren,has done much to awaken the notetakerand recorder,another imPortant attribute that all geo- awarenessof civil engineersto the importanceof drainagein technicalengineers should strive to develop, even though it all their works, but especiallyin road building, demonstrating may not always be accordedthe impoftanceit deseryes. the billions of dollars lost becauseof its neglect (Cedergren One day, perhaps,his ootebooksmy be found; one day, 1976).Thomas Roy saidall this, in effect,in 1841. perhaps,some readerof this paper may be able to find out geotech- In my own experience,in the late 1930'sI had a long discus- moreabout Roy's life and work and presentthis to the if sion with a seniorofficial of the Ontario govemment,who was nical community of Canada.How appropriateit would be record of directly involved with the new prcvincial road building pro- such a more rcunded and far more complete publishedpnor gmmmethen staning,about the needfor cooperativeresearch Canada'sfirst geotechnicalengineer could be of his death. in soil mechanicsin relation to road building, and especially to 28 July 1992to mark the sesquicentennial modemnng to into problemsof drainage.I was told quite plainly that he had Finally, so much of the foregoinghas such a "messing readingsome of betterthings to do than to wastehis time aboutwith it that ii may be difficult, especiallywhen this comesto us from the mud" (hisvery words). How I now wish that I could thenhave Rov's own words, to rcalisethat all in thegeotcchnical field hadin my handsa copy ofThomas Roy's litde book containing vears1834 to 1842.Younger worker' by this recordthat muchin such soundadvice for roads in Ontario, publisheda century may thereforeusefully be reminderJ before the lo-year period beforethat talk. geotechnicalengineering happened retrieval in librarics Are therelessons to be drawn from Roy's life and work that iow so helpfully covercd by computer Thereis a very real dangerthat this wonderfulnew facility will would be helpful to geotechnicalengineers oftoday? Thereare "rediscovering the resultof the wheel"-or indeed.Rarely have I ever comeacross anything in the history have.all too often, that, in my view, emblazoned of engineeringin Caoada to which Shakespeare'sfamous ofthe elementsof drainagel-so "What's of every comPuterscreen should be the words words, from Thetempest, so truly apply: pastis pro- acrossthe toP " " "Newness is not a criterion for Truth. losue. For this reasonalone, it is a privilege to prcsentthis Canadian pa-per'georechnicalin celebration ofthe first quartercentury of the joumol. Let me point outjust someof what seem Acknowledg€ments io me to be the more importantlessons that ThomasRoy has The many namesmentioned, in somewhatunonhodox fash- for geotechnicalengineers of today ion, throug'houtPan I of this paperare someindication of thc "Roy yearsiiom -First, acrossthe yearscomes his full appreciationofthc priv- helot havJreceived. in my search"over the some only throuBhcorre- ilege oi being an engineer,somethilg that today is so easily friends,some known personally, I record mv indebtednessfor their takenfor granted. il;;;";*. To one and dl oftenbadly nccded -Even a ientury and a half ago, he realisedthat fully to be an h-elpand encouragement.encouragcment inquiryran out' engincermeans having a propercombination of soundtheorec asyet anothertrail of mentionof my gratitudeto Dr' Leonard icai scientific training and good practical exp-eriencelthis I mustmake special of Minnesotapartlcularly lor noly essenrialcombination is vital in all branchesot englneenng Wilsonof the University to, and the use of, someof Lyell's note- work but nowhere is it more important' nor so difficult to altl*ins me access iti.self hadcited them in his own prlblications attain,than in the selectionof teachingstaff for universities,as Uoots-"fr.ioriU"efor" tt" papersstill existentare in the safckecpingof studentsale the first to reallse oi*t" noV RefercnceLibrary' and the-Archives -Rov look nothingfor granted.asking panicularly searching the MetropolitanT'or;nto Fowke(no\ rcliredrof rhe.[orm-el o*stions uboutcien thi simplestasPects of the workswith oiOn,""d. To Miss Edith latter,and to the mosl nelprul *hi"h h" *ut concemed,an essentialattribute which it is so and to Dr. Ian Wilson of the have hclped me' I am most easyto forget. membersof their staffs who -tiot ontiAia Roy appreciatethe vital importanceof soil in gratetul. all his work but it was soil as a geologicalmaterial, in its geo- F. H. 1966.Toronto's first milwayventure Ontano logical setting,and this when his knowledgeof geology was ARMsrRoNc, l2 cAN.CEOTECH J. VOL 25,I988 -41. History,58: 2l -Papers relatingto Roy's employmentby the city of Toronto BoNNycAsrL€, R. H., SrR. 1846.Canada and the Canadians-in (includingthe letter from Mr. Mainguy) areto be found in the 1846.Henry Colbum, London, pp.313,293. England, Archivesof Ontario, 77 Grenville Street,Toronto, Ontario. CEoERGREN,H. 1976.Poor pavement design could cost gl5 billion -Correspondenceregarding the railway survey 1835 annually.Engineering News-Record, 200(8 June): 21. of is to be papers (he LEGGET,R. F. 1979.Railway survey conflicts cause "mystery" engi- found in the Allen in the Baldwin Room of neerto resign.Canadian Consulting Engineer, February: 44-47_ Metropolitan Toronto Reference Library (MTRL), Yonge LYELL,C. 1830- 1833.Principles of geology.lst ed. JohnMunay, Slreetat Asquith,Toronto. Ontario. London, Englaod. -Roy's 1834report on TorontoHarbour was found in the map - 1842.Field notebooksNos. 100, l0l, and 102.From photo- library of the former Depanmentof Landsand Forcsts,now copy in the Lroraryof rhe Depsnmentof the His(ory of Medicine. the Ministry of Natural Resources,Queen's Park, Toronto, Universityof Minnesota,Minneapolis, MN. Ontario. 1845,Tmvels in No(h Americain rheyears l84l - 1842erc. -Roy's secondrepoft on the Harbour and the volumescon- Wiley andPutnam, New York, NY. pp. 231, 251. taininghis two lecturesare held in the Baldwin Room, MTRL. Roy, T. 1837.On the ancient stateof the North AmericanContinent_ -The original of Roy's four lettersto JamesHall are held in Proceedingsof the CeologicalSociety of London, 2: 537 538. the geologicalsection of the State Library of New York in - 1841. Remarks on the principles and pmctice of road- making,as applicable to Canada.H. & W. Rowsell,Toronto, Onr. Albany, New York; the writer hasphotocopies and hopes to be WrrsoN, L. G. 1972.Sir CharlesLyell: the yearsto l84l: the revolu- able to publishthem eventuallyin a suitablemedium. tion in geology.Yale University Press,N€w Haven, CT. -The 1825 repon of Sir JamesCarmichael Smythe and his two colleagueswas a secretdocument of which only 25 copies were made; one of th:se is held in the Baldwin Roon of Appendix the MTRL. The locations of several miscellaneous papers in which -The origina.lWinslow papersare in the Archivesand Special useful information about Thomas Roy has bcen found are mcn- Collection of the Ha.rict Irving Library of the University of tioned in the text of this paper in a general way. For conven- New Brunswickin Fredericton,New Brunswick. "Miiamichi ience and in the hope that sqme readen may be able to locate -The early legal lands recordsof the country" other repositories that may contain information about Roy, the areto be found in the NodhumberlandCounty Records Office sources examined are here summarized: in Newcastle,New Brunswick.