The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1896-12-17
ROAD DESTROYERS.
Narrow Tires are the Highways Worst
Enemy.


Enemy.
The road question has been one
that | have studied much, as | have
ridden wheel from the introduction
of the first two wheel velocipedes I'M
til the present time, writes a CORES
pondent of The L. 4. W. Bulletin.
During these years | have pedaled
over roads from the st. Lawrence to
the gulf and from the Atlantic coast
to the Pacific. | do not mean that |
have ridden across the states, but
have taken in many parts all over the
United States, so have had a chance
to see different styles of roadmaking
and different mixtures that make or
spoil roads. | have come to the con
clusiOn that in about four-fifths of
the states wide tired wheels would
turn the now bad roads into smooth
and mOney-saving ones. The balance
can only be made good by a regular
system, engineered by adopts in the
art of rOadmaking.
The counties now spend their money
each year by scrapinG the bitches and
piling this worthless filth in the road
way, to be rolled, cut up and finally
washed down into the ditch again
During this shifting process it be
comes ground up into fine powder,
which cannot be rolled or packed
down, making fine, soft grade of
mud in wet weather and a cores
pondingly good dust in dry weather.
Wide tired wheels will be of little
use in such places unless all this fine
dust is first scraped off and heavy
course of crushed stone put on, rolled
thoroughly and covered with gravel
and again rolled, with plenty of
ground at center for drainage. When
this is done, shut out all narrow tired
heavy wagons, and a good smooth
road will be insured. IN the spring
and fall go over the road and fill up
all soft or low places; see that the
bitches are not clOgged III low places,
causing the roadbcd to be flooded
during storms.
1T would also pay each township to
hire some good, reliable man, with a
team, to go over each road, when re-
quired, with a load of crushed stone
or gravel and fill up each little de
preston before it becomes a mudhole
and requires several loads to do the
work of a few shOvelfuIs. Such a
system, with a strict wide tire law,
would save each county thousands of
dollars each year, and the farmer
would soon find that he could haul
two tons or two loads with one team
that now require two teams or twice
the time. In many sections this say
ing would amount to several times
this amount.
| live just west of Pittsburg, where
the roads are fairly good, as country
roads go. We have elegant roads at
times, and their fineness at such times
is caused by the following conditions:
First, many of the roads are made
with good crown for drainage, and
the roadway is covered with cement
gravel taken from the beds of the
creek and frequently rolled when
placed on the roads.
This gravel soon packs down and
after two or three moderate rains is
in elegant condition, showing that it
will pack hard before it is ground up.
Now we have fine road, and it lasts
until the first hard rain; then, while
it is soft, along come the cutters, in
the shape of two-inch tires, worn
round on the face, and cut in deeper
and deeper. The rain stops, and the
road dries up in ruts and humps; soon
the wheels roll down the humps, and
in so doing grind the material finer
and finer. SO by the time it has worked
over a few times it is powder. This
will soon furnish plenty of dust and
turn into mud when the next shower
comes.
| have seen these same roads rolled
by the passage of some 30 or 40 four
inch tired wagons, belonging to some
contractor and at time when the
mud was from two to six inches deep
After these wagons had passed the
riding was good. | happened to be
out on my wheel and followed this
trail for miles. When the wagon
turned out of the road, a bicycle
could not navigate, and wagons had
Il hard time. This confirmed me in
my decision regarding the advantage
to the farmer in the adoption of the
wide tire, as it was a plain example
of good road made bad by narrow
tires, and, when bad, turned to a good
one by the passage Of only one mans
outfit.
First stop the cause Of poor roads
by compelling the use of broad tires,
and then fix up the roads in thor
ough manner, and they will stay SO
at small expense. ANY amount OF
money spent in roadmalling will not
accomplish the desired result unless
the main cause of the trouble is re
moved.