The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-05-16
/ STEEL ROADS COMING!
WILSON FAv0Rs THEN
ToaGEr THE WEST.
&.ner u His Department Who
sssssks mat '-the stone Are II
xw-what the NewfangleA
.ae W~uId Cost and How Built

- iii. ffs head a cabinet officer. just
.e.rus 1.-THE first secretary was Nor
-. 4 Coleman, OF St. Louis. who held
-. oniy three weeks. The next was
800 Jerry Kusk. and the third was J.
sn.e Morton Finally came James
Sss.n vbo IL now in office, and who y
- frc.a his home county In Iowa, a.
- I'm Wilson" Secretary Wilson
1870 In winning fewer enemies than
- Marion. and Ia no less efficient ali
1.sN les conspicuous. than Uncle Jerry
l hr. Coleman naturally made no
uson upon the country during his
ri 1epaytnent Of agriculture has given
= .>onle. within recent years, Q great
~ r,ore useful service than over before
=. weather bureau. for instance, has
-. into touch with the daily life Of the
s.srae. Tho encouragement given to Arbor
q, necrstary Morton claimed to be tho
go Of Arb0r day. il wi)l - remeUbegedl
= beea Of much value. In other ways.
- = the scientific Investigation 81 dan
rrpus diseases OF animals and vegetables.
- n other matters ofam poftAslGes u
srdau;,us3sts. the department. has done
reyM work.
NEsWIIepu had great fitness for the ap,-
,rfrtu,sn& az secretary OF agriculture. for
! IS vas both practical farmer and a the
sslIcai farrner. He 'faxmed it," and he
= I professor In ths Iowa agricultural
e1,Isre ct A1nes. He oams 70 this country
| rbor Scotch boy from Ayrshire. In ISL.
= m academic education and became .
fsuer He sat in, THU lesisfattye ana
/ nrysd In three congresses. and won . rep
.nation a. a champion OF tho farrners' In
rots He made a dramatic exit from
! erfkress. HA was elected To the forty.
deAth congress by a majority OF only
#tnnty-three The house was Deanocr attic
| - assesminsd To seat his opponent. but
n WIIson's Republican friends filibus-
MT Just then the bin restoring Grant.
A 0y1ng. TO the rank OF general In thu
~. was presented. but the election case
- h The way u II. .Mr. Wilson jumped
q 1 chair, and made a speech. sacrificing
ifuek for the bill In behalf OF Grant.
sAich was passed.
| 1ecrstary Wilson In an enthusiastic adj
yeoate Of steel track wagon roads. and he
htves that they will eventually super
sde macadam. He believes that the steel
"a ID specially adapted TO traffic in the
Estsm states, and he advises the au-
asitiss Of new and thriving towns of the
wet'to investigate TIE merits Of the steel
raek system before expanding money In
pamanently improving their streets and
ss6A
~ ssvernment already owns three
ani-t.ack wagon roads all OF which were
~ for the purpose OF proving their ad-
uatages by actual tests One Of those 10
4 Ames Iowa. at the home Of tho secre-
uy After being subjected to all sorts
ssnals for a couple Of years, 1t - pro-
Hsrced a great succese. During tho
arsnississppi exhibition ut Omaha the
sssrnmcnt also constructed . steel road
/ sta ~ ffu {Vw yx.fc
sxen by a large number Of persons.
a,hird road 10 only 10 feet long. and
An Anthony's park. MINI. The road
va consists OF two parallel lines cf
d ,Ases eight inches wide laid at
nncaot distance apart to receive tho
vssaA 4 vehicles OF the standard gauge
IaM Mates have a aashtIy projecting
iAsr uxard ana on the innsr edge, 10
SD psse1t tho wheels Of ordinary We.
AAs Mach have no iianges from easily
snnsS Go track. Al the same time. the
aaass being only one-hak inch. are not
"a aaght TO prevent the wagons from
lNs!,g the track IN order TO pass another
sshscis Whenever the driver 50 desires
Tss steel plates are not supported by
ssoden cross ties or siringera ri any kind.
IT srs provided with nangcs projecting
ha downward and outward. by means
which they are made secure. The two
aa;es are connected st Intervals with rods
nf the purpose OF preserving a uniform
hAee between them and also TO prevent
satns Tho road. when properly finished.
contains no pershahis material at all.
Tue three great advantages claimed for
hia style Of road by the agricultural de-
fartmsnt are First, tina, the steel wagon
mad can be built without greater cost in
East cases. and probably with less cost
| ne all
durable road second. that IL will last
nary times as long as any other known
easeFtal for road purposes and with much
~ REPAIR. third. that the power required
. move vehicle over the steel-track
Nsc IL only a small fraction Of the power
Ncu'red 10 move a vehicle over any other
cnd Of road Tire experiments with steel
noss have been conducted under the di-
He'ien u Martin Dodge. the chief IL the
spscIal division ~ road inquiry Of this
apartment. In speaking " his work. Mr..
Dodge SAYS.
although our steel roads have not been
eosr hong enough Vet for us 20 determine
"scily what they will do, We are con-
.acea that they are far superior TO tho
III and naradam reads all things con
saer~d. From tests made over ordinary
iaads and then over cur steel tracks we
'AFe demonstrated that for hauling pur
r*s the latter are nncxoelled. a load
seven tons required twenty horses to
sAa " over n common highway. The same
ssRht VAS drawn without great difficulty
ens horse over a steel-srack road. This
was tweaty-one times the weight OF
~ ANIMAL itself. yet WAS easily moved
re light harness | believe thAt she load
eais Dc Increased up to nrty times the
sSai OF the animal and still be started
aN mtv~d without trouble Tire sseei
JACKS would pk~se Bicycle riders would
s''sat Of the extension ot rurai-snait de-
a'ssy 70 points not within the reach os
Al7ers finder the present conditions. The
o. constructing the short section ~
~~@tfses ROAD already built was about
: soos. but this is much in excess ~
necessary cosS when built In longer
N'ohs TIE price also vii, Ne reduced
~Sf We rolling mllh are equipped With
~usose rolls - get the saspes desired
shout the extra cNst incurred in max
e vac built sections II IS probable also
.s - ne weight ~ steel may bs consider
- unfinished below that heretofore used
.,.N''at materially lnspsirirs TIE value -
'osd- Before making a positive state
~ ~ rs "a What thr proper weight should
S"he Tina must cia0s~ during which
eah make observations ~ tho reSssl, of
- on tsfe rails already DOWN. II seems
,.sA1S~. however. fhat raN weighing
~~A pounds 70 fhe ward c.e~ssf.A af