Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1900-09-04
GOOD ROADS AND BAD
WHAT is BEING DONE FOR THE I'M
PROvEMENT OF HIGHWAYS.
Ten states Have Road Exhibits Mt
the Paris ExhibitiOn-WOrlk of the
National G0vernm cnt-Ex


With the TrackOmeter.
The good road question is today the
subject Of vast agitation, begun first
by wheelmen, taken up by the govern
ment and now a matter Of Legislative
consideration the country over. AS II
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 1t is also an
indication 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 Cor, at least,
they are constructing the best. The
first among these is Massachusetts;
the second, New Jersey
1t will be n matter of news to many
to learn that the United States govern
ment has gone into the road question
in the most energetic and thor
ough manner imaginable, and having,
through the department of agriculture,
studied 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 expert.
ment stations in every state In the
Union, where lessons in roadmaking
are taught Hundreds Of pamphlets
showing just how a good road is con.
structed and how it may be preserved
have been published by the govern
ment 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 sections
quarter or half or even a mile of eX-
cellent roadway is constructed, and
the people shown how aud why it
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 reads the land
over.
The government in these exhibitions
ordinarily constructs three specimen
roads-a modern macadam, 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 hanl it Is determined
by tho use of a trackomcter. This in
strument is so constructed as to accu
rateIy register every pound the horses
pull ut every stage of the haul in plain
view OF those in its vicinity. 1t is
made clear by these experiments that
a team harncsscd in the ordinary way
Is subject. under the best conditions,
to Il continuous Jerking motion, which
must, on even the smoothest country
road greatly increase its fatigue. On
a dirt road in bad condition this jerk
ing becomes succession of heavy
blows transmitted to the team by
means Of the collar. They are cruelty
painful, bruxng the shoulders, harass
ing 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 a
team of small mules readily drew u
bales of cotton on a heavy Studebaker
wagon up a 10 per cent grade Of the
macadam road the trackometer indi-
eating pull Of 1000 pounds. The
same team was stalled completely in
going down n 6 per cent grade of the
sand road after pulling the indicator to
1900 pounds. Nine bales of cotton
were removed before the load could be
again put in motion. The driver re-
fIrs n1 tn nt oil n
road with the II bale load.
In addition to this lesson, there are
many others regularly administered.
Thus the government has photographs
taken showing the exact process of
proper road building, which it exhibits
at fairs, expositions and meetings of
all kinds where good roads can lie
properly talked over. Indeed, the agri-
cultural department is n great believer
in photographs, and no opportunity Is
lost to flash a convincing picture be-
fore the eyes of the unbeliever. The
picture of road before and after it
has been improved is one of the most
common kind. That Of a horse unable
to pull even light load on bad road,
yet drawing a heavy one on a good
road, is also common. Thus the great
work is furthered.
Another part Of this government
movement, says writer in Pearson's
Magazine, Is that of advocating the
building Of steel track wagon roads,
which Is an entirely new scheme, but
which has proved wonderful high
way idea. Briefly. it Is a system Of
laying wide steel rails upon ordinary
highways. The road thus laid consists
of two parallel lines Of steel plates or
rails, eight inches wide, laid at a suffi-
cient distance apart to receive the
wheels of vehicles of standard gauge.
These plates, or tracks, have slightly
upward projecting flange on the inner
edge, so as to prevent the wheels Of
ordinary vehicles from easily leaving
the track. At the same time the flanges,
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 so desires. These steel tracks
are not supported by wooden cross ties
Or longitudinal stringers of any kind,
but are made solid in the road by
flanges projecting both downward and
outward, which are imbedded in the
concrete of the rOadbed.
One of the experiments made by the
government consisted of having a
heavy load Of II tons drawn by 20