The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-02-17
GOOD ROADS
The Sensible Plea OF a Farmer, for Bet.
ter Highways.

Ter
TO the Editor OF the In~telligeneer.
sfR.-Therc seems to be a crying
need for better roads. This country
could spend no money so economically
and no energy 80 usetuily as in making
better roads for communication between
one ncighoorhood and another.
In his letter to Colonel Pope in n
memorial to Congress on road exhibits
at the Worlds Columbian Exposition,
ex.President Harrison said:
II appreciate the high Importance OF
the movement which you have inaugu.
rated, and which You are pursuing with
such Intelligent zeal for securing better
roads. A want OF understanding and
system has resulted In O nearly useless
expenditure OF enough labor and mo-
neg to have furnished the settled por-
tions OF Our country with good sub.
stantial roads"
Good roads ore not like great men,
they are not born. they must be made.
and after they are made they
must be cared for, not being able to
care lot themselves, HHHtf
Probably II our country cousins could
be made 10 believe that decent roads
increase the value OF their property,
they might take more interest In trying
to make the suburban roads passable,
for good roads are Of more advantage
to the farmer than to any one else.
In a county In New Jersey which
spent $50, 900 In constructing t~hlrty-flve
miles Of mncadamlzed road, land has
risen In value from 800 to Sis and
5000 an acre. and the farmers who
thought they were going to be missed
are now r%econciled.
The prosperity OF our country de-
ponds SO much on the prosperity of our
farmers. that everything possible
should be done to render life In the ru-
raj districts agreeable and profitable.
Good roads will Increase the value OF
n farm, shorten the distance 10
ket. save time, wagons and horses. IN
large the territory which contributes to
the home market, quicken social COM
m%unlcatlon and add TO the wealth OF
the Individual and the state.
The public roads OF our state are as
much a part OF the state as are her
laws and her people. More money Is lost
to the farmer In one season by bad
roads than II would cost to rebuild them
In the most elegant and improved style.
That the roads OF our state have not
kept pace with other improvements Is
very evident and there Is no interest
that has suffered SO much. Good roads
throughout the country are as Import
n as railroads.
We have tried to shcw that the far
mer Is principally benefited by good
roads. We also wish to show that 1t Is
the duty of the farmer to get the roads
In good condition. and keep them In
good condition chiefly because It can be
done by him most economically.
1t Is simply out OF the question to
think OF macadamlzlng the roads Of
West Virginia unless It be a very few OF
the main thoroughtares and this would
not be practical when another remedy
would put all the roads In q compara-
lively good condition at much less ex-
pense.
Professor n. S. schaler in Atlantic
Monthly said: "a large part OF the
trouble with American roads arises
from the absurd narcowness of the tire
or bearing part of u wagon wheel"
This declaration contains more
truth than poetry" and 1t Is surely
from the narrowness OF some people
that this has not been remedied years
ago. a bill was introduced In our last
legislature to make the use Of the wide
tire compulsory, but the bill failed TO
become = law. No truer statement
was ever made by man than the fol-
lowing, which appeared In the Bucyrus
(Ohio) Telegraph:
In the matter OF road reform the
fist step seems to be the widening OF
the tires of vehicles. Without It per-
feet roads are practically impossible"
There has been some argument IS
to difference in draught OF wagons u n-
ring on wide tires as compared with
the ordinary tired wheels. An expert
tnent was made Mt Columbia, No., by
loading one wide and one narrow tired
wagon and then attaching a self re-
cording dynanometer. A load Of 2,5ll
pounds on a wide tire wagon can be
hauled on o macadamized road with the
same drausht that a load OF 1000 pounds
required on the narrow tires.
On a gravel road a load OF 2.4S2 pounds
can be hauled on broad tires with
strength required 10 haul 1000 pounds
on narrow tires. II was found best TO
have both axles the same length so that
the front and hind wheels will run In
the same track. Most Of the farmers
hauling is done on the farm Itself and
not over the country roads.
In order 10 test the two sorts OF
wheels fairly the loads were driven over
sod, over stubble land and corr land
dry enough 70 plow. On wheat stub
hla. TIM pnrrn-. ttpnc unt'n. a ~ y -sar1 "a
draught OF 29SE pounds. the broad tires
gave n draught OF 222 pounds, or a DIFF
ference of 81 per cent In favo" of the
broad tires. On.a cow-pea stubble,
where the ground was soft the differ
ence was 10 per cent sod, which was
moist, but reasonably firm, the differ
ence was IS per cent In favor OF the wide
tire. On corn ground just dry enough
to pillow and almost entirely free from
weeds and trash. the difference was
72 per cent In favor OF the wide tire.
This saving In draught, benefit to
roads, etc, By the use Of wide tires as
sumes proportions. that should command
respect md be seriously considered by
every farmer In the state OF West Vlr-
ginia.
Considering the protection 10 fields,
meadows and pastures and the benefit
TO our roads, and the saving OF from
one-third TO one-hali the draught at
forded by the use Of the broad tires,
there remains no reasonable excuse for
the continued use OF narrow tlrea.
We may all dispute about the tariff
question: we may all dispute about the
money question, but the fact remains
that Democrats. Republicans, Prohibi-
tionists, oil, will have to work togeth-
er TO htild and keen ND GOOD roaGS.