The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-05
PROFITS IN GOOD ROADS
FIGURES QUOTED AT THE ENGI-
NEERING sOcIETY's MEETING.
j. f. O'Brien's Paper on This Topic
A Dig at the Legislature
Visitors Here.

| The Indiana Engineering Society began a
| three days session on the third floor of the
/ Statehouse yesterday. This society is COM
| posed largely of city engineers and county
! surveyors of the State. The attendance yes
| terday was not large, but it is expected to
| increase to-day. Among those present were
A. w. Srcith. of Kokomo, president; James
| B. Nelson, of Indianapolis, secretary; VIII
j. Cleary, of Greenfield; w. w. Clogston. of
/ Bloomfield; John V. Coyner, of Indianapolis;
| f. NJ. Cunningham, of Sullivan; II. b. Fa-
| tout, of Indianapolis; ]. w. Fawcett, of
| Delphi; Curtis G.. II. Goss, of Martinsville;
! Thomas W. Huckstep. of Lebanon; j. w.
Craig, of Greensburg; Gustavus A. Gessner,
of Alexandria; Mr.. Smiley. of Bloomfield;
William E. Fulk, of Decatur, and William
| Hawley, of Hartford City
| After the transaction of routine business
! President Smith delivered his annual adj
/ dress. He made number of suggestions for
the good of the profession and the society.
Among his recommendations was one for the
| appointment OF committee on practical
work, many engineers being we'll versed on
theory. but deficient in actual performance.
Continuing, Mr.. Smith said: Agitation on
| the good-roads question is still kept up and
it is with pleasure that we notice the eff
fort made to get our country roads up out
of the mud" Mr.. Smith also gave a dig at
the Legislature. He said: II think our
committee on legislation should be discon-
tinued, not because it has not performed its
duty, but because it adds nothing to the dig
| nifty or success of this society to be con-
tinually sat upon. Whether our legislators
are not capable of appreciating our profess
sion or cannot spare the time from legislat-
ing on such grave questions the dog tax,
| the wearing of boomers. high hats and like
matters / cannot say. 1t seems to me we
should fight our battle on some other lines"
An interesting paper in the afternoon was
that delivered by j. Il. O'Bren of Glover
dale, on the subject, Roads and Road
Building" He said: 1.-THE various kinds of
roads are the index of the civilization of
the people who use them. Countries in
habited by the least progressive people,
whose wants are supplied by the products
of the immediate vicinity of their habitation,
are almost wholly destitute of roads. Roads
are the physical symbols whereby we can
measure the progress OF any age or people.
The speaker reviewed the history of road
building from the time of 1924 in England.
He said that in the United States the i'm
proVement of public highways had not kept
pace with the other institutions of the coun-
are very much inferior to those of many
of the European countries. Many reasons
may be given for this fact, among which
may DC HleuIlOneu the excellence or our rail-
road and water systems, the indifference of
those charged with highway maintenance,
the want Of the appreciation on the part of
q large per cent. of the rural population
of the benfits to be derived from improved
highways the fear of increased taxation,
the distribution of the rural population over
large areas and the bad effect of requiring
personal service of the rural population on
the highways"
In speaking of the cost of bad roads Mr.
O'Brien said that to move one ton one mile
by horsepower over a dry, sandy road was
81 cents, over wet sand 81 cents, over ruts
and mud 80 cents, over broken stone and ruts
~ cents, over an earth road that is dry and
hard Is cents, over Il broken-Stone road in
good condition s cents, over a compact
gravel road SIS cents, over stone paving 533
cents, over asphalt 81 cents, over iron rails
LIS cents. If" said the speaker, wagon
transportation could be carried on at a cost
of cents per mile per ton the result would
be a saving Of many millions of dollars and
would put in motion many millions of tons
of merchandise that cannot now be handled
with profit. This would result in a vast bene-
| tit to- producer as well as consumer" Con-
tinuing the speaker said that the chief desid-
eratlm tc be sought in the Improvement of
roads is to get smooth, dry, hard surface
of easy grade.
c. G. II. Goss, of Martinsville, delivered
an interesting paper on THE Business End
of Civil IL gineering," in which he urged the
engineers to devote some attention to cuti-
waiting their business faculties f. M. Cum
ningham. of Sullivan county, read a paper
on what he considered good for the profess
sion. in which he spoke of the need of
remedial legislation.
In the evening papers were delivered by
John e. Alter. of Jasper county, on the
subject How We Made bitches in Jasper
County," by l. S. Alter, of Remington, on
cett on Methods of Construction and AS
| seSsments for Tile Drains The society
continues its session to-day.