The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1898-07-29


Bad Roads Expensive.
General Ray Stone figures that there
are 100000 miles Of public roads in
the United States, over which 500, ,0O0,.
900 tons Of freight Is hauled every
year. Putting the average haul at
eight miles-though this Is probably
an overestimate-he figures the cost OF
carting at 50 the ton, or 81 900, 600, ,00o
the year. With uniformly good roads
the cost of moving this freight would
be only $4Oo, 900, saving 5000, 0,0O0,-
600 to the public annually. This is
equivalent to the yearly interest on
$50, ,0O0, 100000 Of per cent. govern
ment bonds.
One-half of this almost Inconceivably
vast sum would rebuild every mile of
road in the United States at an average
cost Of, say, $6,166 per mile, and the
other half would furnish q yearly IN
come of 5000 per mile for their repair
and maintenance. At present the peo-
pie spend the vast sum Of $4,000, 900
each year IN the repairing Of their
worthless roads. This sum would
build 1900 miles Of thoroughly good
macadam road, sufficiently wide for
rural purposes.
Experiments made In the Missouri
agricultural experiment station show
that in nearly all road conditions
those with narrow tires, On a mac
adam road a load of 2,519 pounds can
be hauled on broad tires with the
same draught as load of 1000 pounds
on narrow ones. On gravel road, eX-
cept when wet and sloppy on top, the
draught Of the Eroad-tired wagon is
much less than that of the narrow.
tired wagon; a load Of 2,4S2 pounds
can be hauled on broad tires with the
draught required for 1000 pounds on
narrow tires.
| The trials on dirt roads give vary.
ing results. When it is dry, hard and
free from dust $3.50 pounds can be
hauled on broad tires with the draught
required for 1000 pounds on narrow
tires. When the surface Is covered
with two or three inches Of dry, loose
dirt the results are unfavorable to the
broad tire. In general the better the
NOdu luC SIcdlCI lllC ufdhllSSC VI luS
broad tire.-St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Michigan Roads in Spring.
This spring the following presenta
ton Of the state Of the roads leading
to Michigan village appeared in the
Detroit Free Press: The highways
about this place are in very bad con
dition, the clay mud being, in some
places, from two and one-half to three
| feet in depth. This has injured travel
to such an extent that in many in
stances considerable loss has been sus
tained. Farmers who are furnishing
Detroit markets have been obliged tc
hold their produce until the roads be
come passable. To-day German
farmer, who was returning from the
city, got stuck In the mud and had tc
finish his journey without the wagon
The butchers supplying commission
houses with pork are also among the
losers.
| Wide Tires.
The effect Of wide tires on roads has
been shown clearly in a street IL
Springfield, Mass, over which heavy
quarry wagons are driven. The road
was formerly badly cut up, but mum
Der of years ago it was given a heavy
surface coat Of gravel, with the under
standing that wide tires should be put
on the wagons carrying the quarry
stone This was done, the tires being
four to five inches wide, aud since that
time the street has been In good con
dition, although little has been done tc
it.-New York Times.