The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1899-01-17
NEW IDEA FOR DIRT ROADS.
REMARKABLE RESULT REACHED
IN IOWA.
Major Meigs at the Missouri Good
Roads Association starts Novel
and a Very Practical Idea.

Major NJ Meigs, a civil engineer of
Keokuk, Ia, made a short address at
the session of the Missouri Good Roads
Association, says the st. Louis Repub
lican, which in the opinion of many was
the most interesting part of the days
work. He opened a new field Of inves-
tigation, and proposed experiments in
securing good roads along a line prac-
tically unknown outside of a few local
ties in the east. 1t is his opinion that
the use of crude oil may prove pana-
cea for bad roads in localities where the
road material is hard to obtain.
He said his attention was first di-
rected to using oil on the highways by
a newspaper clipping from a Pennsyl-
vania town. 1t seems that a leaky oil
pipe near the town in question was re-
sponsible for the discovery. This pipe
was near a place in the road that was
invariably impossible during the sea-
son of spring and fall rains. When the
leak occurred in the pipe the ground be-
came saturated to some extent with oil
and very soon it was noticed that the
mud dried up and the surface of the
earth became hard and remained So
1t appears that so notorious was this
piece of bad road that the effect of the
oil upon it became a matter of much
comment, and presently the experiment
was repeated in other localities and
with the same effect.
Major Meigs said that he sent a let
ter to the officials of the Standard Oil
Company and asked them to furnish
him some crude oil for experimental
purposes. They forwarded a tank con-
tanning 100 barrels with their compli-
ments and wishes for success. Some
eight barrels of this oil have been used
on VIGOROUSLY muddy road near Ke-
OKuk with almost satisfactory results
Major Meigs said that it was no trou-
Bile anywhere to keep the roads in good
condition at minimum expense. Oil will
prevent the earth from becoming wet
by forming a waterproof crust. So far
as he had carried on experiments bar
rel of crude oil is sufficient for a strip
of road 100 feet long and II feet wide.
The cost of the oil at the wells is ONLY
80 cents a barrel. No other material he
said is so cheap, and no other will
prove so effective. In conclusion, he
SAID that he would send oil free to all
wishing to make experiments if they
would pay the freight
Major MelSs' speech caused a great
deal of comment. To the delegates IL
seemed to open an entirely new field
Many questions were asked him, all of
which he answered as his information
Warranted. He explained the well
known theory that oil and water will
not mix, and made it apply to the uues-
ton of good roads. The earth was por-
Gus enough to retain the oil and cause
IL TO shed water, so that where the
OIL TOOK hold the moisture must depart
ana naturally the earth became COM
pact.
1t is maintained that no roads are so
good as dirt ones, when they are dry
and none so cheap. In many localities
material for constructing macadam or
gravel roads must be brought long dis
tances and consequently is quite costly.
But from what Major Meigs said it
was thought possible that with the aid
of crude oil earth could be utilized at a
much less cost than macadam and grn-
vel, even when the latter was near at
hand.