The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-04-27
VALUE OF GOOD ROADS EVERY
WIIERE

WHERE.
For many years past the farmers
and suburban residents of this great
republic have been hard at work help
ing the railroads to extend their lines
everywhere. Just get railroad
through my property, and my fortune
Is made" has been the expression OF
more than one extensive landowner.
And he has gotten the railroads, wit
great benefit to himself and his vicini-
ty. BY their means he has been ena-
bled to get out to the centers of civili-
cation. and to bring his produe to good
markets.
Long ago he should have devised
some way by which the public high
ways could be improved and made
even more useful to him than the steel
tracks of the great trunk lines.
There is at present under considera-
ton plan for the introduction of
horseless carriages, with wide-tired
wheels, for the main thoroughfares,
through thikly settled localities, the
carriage itself to be of the ordinary
pattern, and oupled to it one or more
ars, of very light and strong construc-
lioli. illo NCIllCle Cuulo NC uii ~
CARELESS of the grade, and, to some ex-
tent, of the state of the roads. Ruts
and ridges of any ordinary character
will not obstruct the progress of this
car neither will the weather have any
effect upon it.
The horseman's worry is his horse
and harness, and all anxiety on this
sore is done away with by the horse
less carriage. The running gear of
| the vehicle will be placed under a met
al guard, resembling an old-fashioned
dripping-pan inverted. This affords
protection to the gear, and confines the
mud to the lower portion of the equlp-
ment, conducting greatly to the comfort
| and the cleanliness of the passengers
and car alike. While a high rate of
speed would be desirable, it is not ex-
pected that this will be one of the main
points, although excellent time can be
made where the roads are good. This
plan will unquestionably necessitate
the widening of the ordinary track;
| but this is a matter very easily man
aged. If only wide-tired vehicles were
used, the cost Of work on roads would
be reduced to a very low figure. I'M
agine horseless carriage with a six or
| eight-inch steel tire, which would act
| like roller, and smooth down most of
| the irregularities on the roadway.
| The suggestion that there would be
humping and bouncing is scarcely
worth consideration Jolting comes
from sudden contract with single
point. A wide tire wheel would cover
| as much surface at one time that most
1 Of the jolting could be avoided, and,
except upon very hard. frozen ground,
would wear down the surface as it
went, leaving nothing to bounce and
bump on.
1t is an interesting fact that much
of the good-roads enthusiasm has been
stirred up by the manufacturers and
riders of bicycles. The wheelman
must have a good road and, there be-
ing so many of him, the beginning of
the movement was not in the least diff
ficult
Too much cannot be said against the
inertness of certain localities and the
atrocious management of certain bits
of road. There are regions where one
may ride for miles upon roads that are
almost as smooth as a floor; then sud-
denly the rider encounters-which Is a
veritable slough of Despond-a long
stretch of deep holes, ridges and cut-uI
surface, which is a disgrace to the
community that tolerates it.
1t is the sheerest nonsense to say
that such pieces of road cannot bt
made passable. Such assertions show
more and more clearly the need Of
government supervision of roads, ant
the Importance of intelligent ant
painstaking work from the foundation
to the surface.-New York Ledger.