The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1895-04-25

The Raleigh DAILY Press publishes
the following views OF Superintendent
McMackin, of Wake county, on the
sub ject of wide tires and better high
ways, question that is ofvital interest
to our people whether they i've in
town our country:
Our standard of width of tires for
vehicles is altogether wrong. In
Austria the laws require that the
tires of twO-horse wagons be at least
four inches wide. In Great Britain.
Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and
France all freiyhting and market
wagons have tires from four to six and
eight inches wide. The tires in this
country were made as narrow as they
are now when iron and steel were
scarce and expensive. 1t was a matter
Of economy. But this reason no longer
exists. Steel is now so cheap that
making tires of the proper width costs
only trltle more, and greater strength
and durability are gained. Under fair
when wide tires are used Roughly
speaking, the traction is in proportion
to the depth to which the wheels of
the wagon sink in the roadway. Other
things being equal, the power required
to move load will be in ratio to the
depth the wheels sink in the roadway.
Therefore, it is not far from the truth
to say that if a wagon bearing a ton
load sinks into the roadbcd to the
depth Of an inch, to move wagon
having a load of the same weight, but
that sinks Il depth of two inches, will
require a force twice as great. That
is, as the wheels sink an inclined plane
is constantly presented before it, to
surmOunt or beat down, and the power
required will be i'll proportion to the
height of the inclined plane. While
the power applied to the wagon is
exerted to pull the wagon along, it
must also lift the wagon up the inclined
plane presented before the wheels or
push out of the way the earth that
forms the incline plane. When the
roads are soft and sticky, the wheels
sink SO deep that in lifting it up the
plane and pulling it forward it will be
necessary to lift a considerable weight
of much that adheres to the wheel,
and also to overcome the suction
Certainly, there will be less weight Of
mud and less suction to overcome with
wide than with narrow tires.
Suppose certain tire will sink to
a depth of four inches; tire twice as
wide will only sink to depth of two
inches. If the tire must sink to
depth of one inch before mud is lifted
and there is suction, the wide tire will
incur only about one-third as much
resistance as the tire one-half as wide
L will be seen that the resistance di-
minishes faster than the width of the
tire is increased. While the ratio
stated is not exactly mathematically
correct, yet it is fair illustration, and
the ratio will always be in favor of the
wide tire. Wide tires reduce the
traction.
In support of this, evidence has
been derived from carefully and scien-
tifically conducted practical expert
ments. See report of Prof. w. San
souri, State Agricultural College and
director of the experiment station
Prof Sanborn as a practical expert
menter in the agricultural field, has no
superior andis the best authority, un-
less Prof Henry, of Wisconsin, stands
above.
1t is pity that wide tires are not
used altogether, we would have so
much better highways. Wide tires,
instead of cutting the road-bed into
ruts, as the narrow tires do, they roll
it down and keep it smooth and solid.
1t is certain that we can never have
good roads in this country until we
have wide tires on all our heavy We
| hicles. Narrow tires remind me OF a
disk harrow. designed specially to de-
stroy highways.
| Wide tires will reduce the cost of
hauling loads twenty per cent. Think
of this.
! Our better halves say they could not k eep
ouSe without Chamberlain's Cough Rene
| DIV 1t is used in more than half the homes
! in LeedS.-SIMS BROS. Leeds, Iowa. This
| shows the esteem in which that remedy is
held where it has been sold for years and Is
well known. Mothers have learned that
there is nothing so good for colds, Group
and whooping cough, that it cures these
ailments quickly and permanently, and
that it is pleasant and safe for children tC
take p and 50 cent bottles for sale by
Melville Dorsey, druggist.