The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1898-07-16
GOOD ROADS NOTES.

Value OF Good Roads Everywhere.
For many years past the farmers
and suburban residents of this great
republic have been hard 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 civi.
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 O plan for the introduction Of
horseless carriages, with wide-tired
wheels, for the main thoroaghfares,
through thickly settled localities, the
carriage itself to be of the ordinary
pattern, and coupled to it one or more
cars, of 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 a
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
matter very easily managed. If only
wide-tired vehicles were used, the cost
of work on roads would be reduced to
very low figure. Imagine horse.
less carriage with six or eight-inch
steel tire, which would act like aroller
and smooth down most of the irregu.
larities on the roadway.
~ The suggestion that there would b.
humping and bouncing Is scarcely
worth consideration. Jolting come:
from sudden contact with q single
point. A wide tire wheel would covel
so much surface at one time that mos
of the jolting could be avoided, and
except upon very hard, frozen ground
would wear down the surface as j
went, leaving nothing to bounce and
bump on.
1t is an interesting fact that mucl
of the good-roads enthusiasm has beer
stirred up by the manufacturers an,
riders Of bicycles. The wheelmal
must have good road, and there be
ing SO many of him, the beginning o
the movement was not In the leas
difficult.
Too much cannot be said agains
the inertness of certain localities an
the atrocious management of certai
bits of road. There are regions wher
one may ride for miles upon road
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
disgrace to the community that to-
crates it.
It is the sheerest nonsense to SO
!. that such pieces of road cannot b
made passable. Such assertions sho'
more and more clearly the need {
Government supervision of roads, an
. the Importance Of intelligent an
} painstaking work from the foundatio
: to the surface New York Ledger.