The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-04-21
THE GOOD ROADS QUESTION.
The Government Is investigating 1t
I'm Systematic Way.

The good roads question is to-day the sub
men, taken up by the government, and now
a matter of legislative consideration the
country over. AS result ten States have
exhibits at the present universal exposition
in Paris, illustrating how perfect roads
ought to be built. This from a country that
still has, in part, the worst roads in the
world is rather daring, but it is also an in
dication of what is being done. The ten
States in question know what they are
talking about. They had the worst roads.
and now they have Tor at least are con-
structing) the best. The first among these
is Massachusetts,. The second, New Jersey.
1t will be matter of news to many to
learn that the United States government
has gone into the road question in the
most energetic and thorough manner
imaginable, and having, through the De-
partment of Agriculture, studied out the
question of what constitutes a good road,
and why good roads are needed. has gone
to work to spread the information and
teach the people. 1t has experiment sta
tions in every State in the Union. where
lessons in roadmaking are taught. Hun
good road is constructed and how it may be
preserved have been published by the gov
eminent, and may be had for the asking
Object lessons in road building are given
annually in every State in the Union, when,
in some worst section, a quarter, or half
or even a mile of excellent roadway is con-
structed, and the people shown how and
why ii ought to be done. These object les
sons, begun in 1894 have done more than
anything else to start the great movement
which is now furthering the construction
of perfect roads the land over.
The government, in these exhibitions,
ordinarily constructs three specimen
roads-a modern macadam, a sand and an
ordinary dirt road. When these roads are
completed a heavy farm wagon, loaded
with produce, is drawn over each of them,
and the amount of force required to haul
ii is determined by the use of a track
ometer. This instrument is so constructed
as to accurately register every pound the
horses pull at every stage of the haul, in
plain view of those in its vicinity. 1t is
made clear by these experiments that a
team harnessed in the ordinary way is
subject, under the best conditions, to a
continuous jerking motion, which must on
even the smoothest country road, greatly
increase its fatigue. On dirt road in bad
condition this jerking becomes a success
sion of heavy blows transmitted to the
team by means of the collar. They are
cruelty painful, bruising the shoulders,
harassing and torturing the animals, con-
stantly lessening their value, as well as
directly decreasing the amount of the load
that it is possible to haul.
During one of these experiments team
of small mules readily drew twelve bales
of cotton on a heavy Studebaker wagon up
a 10 percent. grade of the macadam road,
the trackometer indicating pull of LOCO
pounds. The same team was stalled COM
pletely in going down a percent. grade
of the same road after pulling the indi-
for m 4
were removed before the load could be
again put in motion. The driver refused to
venture at all upon the dirt road with the
twelye-bale load.
In addition to this lesson there are many
others regularly administered. Thus the
government has photographs taken show
ing the exact process of proper road-build-
ing, which it exhibits at fairs, expositions
and meetings of all kinds where good roads
can be properly talked about. Indeed, the
Agricultural Department is a great believer
in photographs, and no opportunity is lost
to flash a convincing picture before the
eyes of the unbeliever. The picture of a
road before and after IL has been improved
is one of the most common kind. That of
a horse unable to pull even a light load on
bad road, yet drawing a heavy one on
good road, is also common. Thus the great
work is furthered.
Another part of this government move
ment, says writer in Pearson's Magazine,
is that of advocating the building OF steel
track wagon roads. which is entirely
new scheme, but which has proved won
derful highway idea. Briefly. ii is system
of laying wide steel rails upon ordinary
highways The road thus laid consists or
two parallel lines of steel plates or rails,
eight inches wide. laid at a sufficient dis
lance apart to receive the wheels of all We
hicles of standard gauge. These plates or
tracks have slightly upward projecting
fiange on the inner edge, so as to prevent
the wheels of ordinary vehicles from easily
leaving the track. At the same time the
fianges being only one-half inch high are
not of a rise sufficient to prevent vehicles
from leaving the track for the purpose of
passing other vehicles whenever the driver
desires These steel tracks are not sup
ported by wooden crossties or longitudinal
stringers of any kind. but made solid
in the road by fianges projecting both
downward and outward which are i'm
bedded in the concrete of the roadbed
One OF the experiments made by the
government consisted of having a heavy
load of eleven tons drawn by twenty horses
over a common road, which lay alonside
the steel track road, and then having the
same load drawn by one horse on the steel
track road. This load was TWENTY-FIVE
times the weight of the animal. and was
easily moved with light harness. The load
could have been increased up TO fifty times
the weight of the animal. and still be
started and moved without difficulty.
TOny's Easy Job.