Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1898-06-09
! GOOD ROADS NOTES.
Value of Good Roads Everywhere.


For many years past the farmers
| and suburban residents of this great
republic have been had at work help
ing the railroads extend their lines
everywhere. ''Just get q 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, with
great benefit to himself and his vicin-
ity. BY their means he has been en-
abled to get out to the centres of civil
lization, and to bring his produce to
good markets.
Long ago he should have devised
some way by which the public high
way could be improved and made even
more useful to him than the steel
tracks OF the great trunk lines.
There is at present under consider
alton plan for the introduction of
horseless carriages, with wide-tired
wheels, for the main thoroughfares,
through thickly settled localities, the
carriage itself to be of the ordinary
pattern, and coupled to it one OF more
cars, cf very light and strong con-
struction. This vehicle could be run
! regardless of the grade, and, to some
extent, of the state of the roads.
Ruts and ridges of any ordinary char
acter 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
score is done away with by the horse
less carriage. The running gear of
the vehicle will be placed under q
metal guard, resembling an old-fash-
ion dripping pan inverted. This af-
fords protection to the gear, and con-
fines the mud to the lower portion of
the equipment, conducting generally
to the comfort and the cleanliness of
the passengers and car alike. While
a high rate of speed would be desira-
able, it is not expected that this will
be one of the main points, although
excellent time can be made where the
roads are good. This plan will un-
questionably necessitate the widening
of the ordinary track; but this is a
matter very easily managed. If only
wide-tired vehicles were used, the cost
of work on roads would be reduced to
a very low figure. Imagine horse
less carriage with a six or eight-inch
steel tire, which would act like roller.
snd smooth down most of the irregu-
;arities on the roadway.
The suggestion that there would be
humping and bouncing is scarcely
worth consideration. Jolting comes
from sudden contact with single
point. A wide tire wheel would cover
so much surface at one time that most
OF the jolting could be avoided, and,
except upon very hard, frozen ground,
would wear down the surface as it
went, leaving nothing 30 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 good road, and there be-
ing so many of him, the beginning Of
the movement was not in the least
difficult.
Too much cannot be said against
uue lneftnesS 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 floor;
then suddenly the rider encounters
which is a veritable Slough of Des-
pond-a long stretch of deep holes,
ridges and cut-up surface, which is a
disgrace to the community that tol-
crates it.
1t is the sheerest nonsense to say
that such pieces of road cannot be
made passable. Such assertions show
more and more clearly the need of
Government supervision of roads, and
the Importance of intelligent and
painstaking work from the foundation
to the surface. New York Ledger.