The herald., 1897-08-28
the insanity charge. and will probably
be brought up today.
FOR GOOD ROADS
The Benefits of the Wide-Tire Act Not
Enjoyable for Two Years Yet

taxpayers IN the vicinity OF Neriloui
avenue petitioned the board of super
visors to have abated a NUISANCE Gre
ated by the operation of a traction en-
gine. The matter was referred to the
district attorneys office, and possibly
suit will be brought against Mr.. Lev
ering, who has been operating this steam
freighting outfit in supplying the city
with gravel.
In this connection an old-tlme ques-
tion. has again been brought to the front.
which has frequently been discussed
when the question of good roads was
being more actively agitated than at
present. 1t is not generally remembered
that the last legislature passed an act
to regulate the width of tires of wagons
to be used on the public highways or
the state, and at this juncture perusai
of the act is of curious interest. 1t reads
as follows:
"Sec. l. The width of tires for wheels
upon wagons or other vehicles to be
used upon public highways of the state
shall be. for the following styles of wag-
ons, as follows: Two and three-fourths
inch steel or thimble-skein axle, ore
and seven -eighths inch tubular steel or
iron axle, not less than three inch tire,
one and one half inch steel or iron axle,
two and one eighth, with tubu-
lar or iron axle, not less than
three ard one half inch tire,
three inch steel or thimble-skein'
one and five-eighths inch steel or iron
axle, two and e-eighths inch tubular
steel or iron axle, not less than four inch
tire; three and one-fourth inch steel or
thin mble-skein, one and three-fourths or
one and seven -eighths inch steel or iron
axle, two and fve-eighths inch tubular
steel or iron axle. not less than four and
one-half inch tire; three ard orehalf
inch steel or thimble -skein, two inch
steel or iron axle. two and seven-eighths
inch tubular steel or iron axle, not less
than five inch tire; three and three
fourths inch steel or mble-skein, two
and one-fourth steel or iron axle three
or three ard one-eighth tubular steel or
iron axle, not less than five and one-half
inch tire; four inch and larger, steel or
thimble- skein, two and one-half inch
and larger steel or iron axle, three and
oue-fourth inch and larger tubular steel
or iron axle, not less than six inch tire.
Other styles of axle shall have tires of
same width as those of equal carrying
capacity above specified. All interme-
diate sizes shall have tires of the same
width as the next largest size above
specified.
Sec 2. Every person who sells or pur-
chases, or uses upon any public high
way of the state of California any wagon
or other vehicle the wheels of which wag-
on or vehicle has tires of less width
than as specified for such kind of wagon
in Sec. l of this act, shall be guilty of
misdemeanor.
Sec. 8. Every person who brings into
the state of California, or who, in said
state offers to sell or sells any such
wagon or vehicle which has not tires OF
the width prescribed by Sec. l of this act,
shall be guilty of misdemeanor.
Sec. 4. Any person found guilty of
violation of any of the provisions of
this act shall be fined in the penal sum
of not less than $25 nor more than $500
or be imprisoned in the county Jail not
less than twenty y-five days nor more than
six months.
The sections of this act are all right
so far as they go, but the legislature
could not, apparently, complete bit
of legislation without slipping cog
somewhere. 1t seems as if the act was
passed in response to a very general de-
mand for long felt want" but the
representatives. of the people interpolat-
ed a little joker when the act was made
to go into effect only on January 1, 1900
Thus one of the most fertile causes of
bad roads-the narrow tires of farm and
freight wagons-will continue to do their
deadly work. But the cry for good roads
is becoming universal throughout the
country, and the United States depart
ment of agriculture is, under certain
conditions, endeavoring to save the
country roads when they have already
been made, and improve the traffic when
no roadbed has been made.
1t proposes to lay down in the center of
the road two fiat steel tracks of suitable
gauge for the average wagon. These
rails, for that is all they are, are to be
seven-si -sixteenths of an inch thick and of
an inverted trough shape. They will be
| bedded in gravel laid in trenches, and
they will be tied together at the joints
and in the middle. Beyond the question
of durability such road is supposed to
| reduce the tractive resistance from
| forty pounds per ton on a macadam sur
| lace lO eight pOuuuS per tOH OH tHeSt
new rails. The cost of rails and fittings
| for short stretch of road will be at the
rate of $3500 per mile; though line sew
eral miles in length can be built for
about $4,000 per mile. This estimate is
for track weighing 100 tons to the mile;
track for lighter traffic such as might
be needed in the southern part of the
state, weighing about fifty tons per mile
could be built for half the money. These
figures represent the cost of material
only, the grading and tracklaying not
being included.
These sample roads are about to be
laid down by the department in severa
eastern states, and the experiment II
successful, will solve a difficulty exist
ing in every state of the union.
AN INSANE CASE
| IL