The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-01-07
STEEL HIGHWAYS
ARE NOT A DREAM
One Already in Successful Operation in
This State.
1T COSTS ONLY $500 A MILE
Eut This is Chiefly First Cost; Once
Built the Road Requires Little At
trution--Prevents Ruts and Solves
Nuny Tough Problems.
From the Providence Journal.


Many experts on highways have
looked into the claims of the steel road
advocates and of late a few sample
stretches have been put down. They
have been successful. The idea origin
ated in Austria some twenty years ago.
/; was put in use at one of the mines
T. ere. but the knowledge of this steel
road for carting the ore did not reach
TIE outside world until lately.
The steel road, so-called, consists of
two wide steel rails laid sufficient
distance apart SO that the wheels of a
wagon will run on the comparatively
smooth metal, thus saving considerable
friction. There is tow path between
the rails for the horse or horses.
This scheme of making a railway for
Cidlrary vehicles originated several
years ago 1t has been a gradual
Srowth up to its present stage. In the
2sneral movement for better roads be-
gun some years ago the probable germ
was started in an article written by a
load expert calling attention to the
advantages of having steel rails on the
highways between towns, which should
lie owned by the state and used in
common by the residents. The idea was
I've run by n company, or owned or hired
by The farmers, who could attach their
horses to them, and in this way find a
cheap mode of carrying their products
10 market \ short time after this an
improvement was made to the railroad
rack idea. 1t was that a rail should
ln laid which would be suitable for all
wagons of the regulation gauge. These
N ha Ia
shap2. About a year ago the present
steel highway was designed after con-
siderable experiment
ASSUMING SHAPE.
At first this stesl highway was pro-
osed as an economical way to avoid
the expense of building highways in
The poorer sections of the country,
where a macadam road would be out
Of the usstion on account of the eX-
pcnditure. Then it was thought that
in Il country where stone was scarce.
and consequently macadam was not
practicable, this steel highway would
solve the problem of good roads Later
the whole subject received an impetus
from the experiments which were made
In the iron district in PENNSYLVANIA,
Tho drivers of the heavily loaded carts
there would follow in the same rut,
until after time the best stone road
would be cut into ribbons The talk of
an iron highway reached the residents
there and they Immediately thought of
lis application.
The first road of this kind ever built
In this country is a sample stretch
near Pittsburg. The rail as designed
and used there is different from the
one recommended by the department
at Washington.
The line of progress made in highway
construction has tended in this direc-
ton for years. And 1t is a well-known
fact that in transportation man has
never gone backward. In the early
days the trail was used and man car
\ ried the burden. Later the mule and
Morse were pressed into service, to be
followed by the wheeled cart. Then
came the iron trimmed wheels, the stage
coAch and overland express, and last
the\railroad has placed itself as the
crowRing point of the evolution.
TheNdifference in cost between haul
ing a tom mile on macadam or by rail
Is very large. The average cost by the
former IA rs cents per ton per mile; by
rail the cost of a mile haul is one
quarter of "a cent
To lessen the cost of haul on high
ways the natural way seems to APP
proach to the railroad. The breed OF
draught horseG is about as good as
may be expected. Little improvement
can be made in Vehicles. but to get a
lower cost of hauk there is room for a
great deal of imprayGvt in the sur
face OF the highway comparative
scale of the traction Ydifferent kinds
OF roads shows that takes only ten
per cent OF the power to draw a load
ON a steel highway which would be ex-
pended on the same load ~ macaaam