Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1899-05-19
R6ADWAYSOF STEEL.
POINTS OF SUPERIORITY OVER MAC
ADAM.

Lines In Operation.
Secretnry If Agriculture Wilson Is
an enthusiastic advocate ~ steel track
wagon roads. and he believes that they
will eventually sUpersede the mac
adam and other made highways. Secre-
tary Wilson is Of the opinion that the
steel road is specially adapted for the
traffic Of the western states, and he
strongly urges and advises the authori-
ties Of new and thriving towns Of the
west IL investigate the merits Of the
steel track system before expanding
money in permanently improving their
| streets and roads.
The government already owns three
steel track wagon roads, which were
/ built for the purpose of proving their
advantages Ivy actual tests, Cne OF
these is ut Aims. Ia, at the home uf
the secretary After being subjected TO
all sorts of practical trials for couple
Of Years il is pronounced success.
| During the Transmississippi exhibition
| at Omaha the government cons ructed
n steel road 81 that the results of its
workings might he seen by large
number Of people.
/ The road consists Of two parallel lines
of steel plates. eight inches wide, laid
mt sufficient distance apart to receive
the wheels ut vehicles of the standard
/ gauge. These plates have II slightly pro-
/ jecting fange upward on the inner edge
| to prevent the wheels Of ordinary We
/ hiclcs which have no flaEges frCm easily
/ leaving the track. The tlanges heing
only une-half inch are not of height
/ to Prevent the wagons from leaving the
track to pass another vehicle. These
steel plates are not supported by wood
en- Crussties or stringers of any kind,
/ but are provided with fiungCs project
/ ing both downward and outward. by
means Of which they are made secure.
Another road has been built at st.
Anthony's park, Minnesota, This is
| considerably shorter than the other two,
being but $50 feet in length. Although
/ crosstiCs are not needed for supports,
the two plates forming the track are
connected at intervals with rods fer the
/ purpose Of preserving IA uniform space
/ between them and also to prevent tilt
ing. The road when properly finished,
contains no perishable material, as
heretofore used and thought necessary,
but forms a smooth, firm and compact
mass, harder and more durable than a
road can be made of any other ma
| terial
The three great advantages claimed
for this style Of road by the agricnl-
/ turGl department HIe: First, that the
| steel track wagon read can be built
without greater cost in most cases and
| probably with less cost in many cases
than any other hard and durable road ;
| second, that il will last many times us
| long as any other kind Of road and with
much less repairs; third, that the pow
er required to move vehicle over the
steel track road is only a small fraction
Of the power required over any other
kind Of road. The experiments with
/ steel roads have been conducted under
/ the direction Ct Martin Dodge, the chief
/ of the special division Of road inquiry
of this department. In speaking of his
work Mr.. Dodge said:
"Although our steel roads have not
been done sufficiently long for rs to de-
termine exactly what they will do, we
| have been convinced that they are far
superior to the dirt and macadam
roads. a load of II tons required 81
horses to haul it over common high
way. The same weight was drawn
without great difficulty by one horse
over "A steel track road This load was
% times the weight of the animal and
still he started and moved it without
trouble.
THE steel tracks would prove popu-
lar with bicycle riders, and their use
would permit of the extension Of rural
mail delivery 10 points not ordinarily
within the reach Of carriers under the
present conditions.
THE cost of constructing the short
section Of steel track road already built
was about 81 per foot. but this is much
in excess of the necessary cost when
built in longer sections. The price will
also he reduced after the rolling mills
are equipped with suitable rolls to get
the shapes desired.
at is prota able also that the weight
of steel may be considerably diminished
below that heretofore used without ma
teriaily imparing the value of the road
Before making "A positive Statcmept al
to what the proper weight should h,
some time must elapse during which
we can make observations of the result
of traffic on the rails already down. II
seems probable, however, that Il raj
weighing so pounds to the yard, one
fifth of an inch in thickness and will
the cavity Immediately below properly
filled SO as 60 give a continuous bear
ing will prove sufficient. This would
bring down the cost of the steel to about
81, 800 r"r mile, and there is every
probable ~ that time and experience
will show that that estimate is a !iberG
one.
"O course. the cost of actually lay
ing the track must be added to this. az
well as the expense of bringing the roaC
surface up to it in such manner as t
preserve the surface of the roadbed evci
with the surface of the steel rail al
lowing an equal amount for that pur
pose which is without doubt sufficient
the road complete could be built fo
So, 900 mile.
Sure Sign.
"1'n bet | am doomed to die prctt
soon.
''Why, what is the matter2''
NNnu NV Doctor tolln l,An Ia loncr