The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-01-20
Good Roads.

y The Improvement of country roads Is
topic clearly and intelligently discuss
ed in bulletin 80 Of the Washington
State Agricultural College and School Of
Science at Pullman. The pamphlet is
from the pen of w. j. Roberts, Of the
department Of civil engineering. and
points out that In the state of Wash
ington there Is growing and urgent
demand for better transportation facili-
ties, for shorter and better roads, and
lower rates. The railroads now carry
wheat 425 miles for $4.25 a ton, or IL IA
cents a bushel. and although their abil-
ity to carry freight at one-cent-per-
ton-mile rate is the result of q magnifi-
cent system of scientific road building.
and careful maintenance, they are asked
to reduce that rate materially.
Mr.. Roberts quotes from the leading
papers of the state to the effect that a
saving of cents per bushel in freight
on wheat to tide water would put $780,
900 annually into the pockets Of the
farmers of Washington" and he is led
thereby to suggest another possible
method of saving most of the 2o,0O0,00o
bushels Of wheat annually raised in the
state Of Washington" He says: 1.-THE
wheat annually raised in the state Of
Washington Is hauled over the COM
a. 20 g. raHn
distance of seven and one-half miles. at
Z 1-2 cents per bushel. II by better con-
struction, systematic repairs and main
tenance, this rate of TIP cents per
bushel can be reduced one-third, say to
cents per bushel, the saving in this
state to wheat producers alone will be
100000 per annum, and to the other in
terests OF the commonwealth fully
81 900. 900 more"
In discussing the construction of
roads. Mr.. Roberts refers to the law OF
the state, which provides that the prin-
cipal highways shall be sixty feet wide
and the Travelled or surfaced portion on
the average country road should be ten
to twelve feet. with convenient turn
outs" at frequent intervals. On a noun
tain road where the grade is cut into
the side hill the width Of the turnout
should be at least twenty feet for
length of seventy feet. These dimensions
are required to enable four-horse teams
to pass safely when going in opposite
directions.
The pamphlet considers in succession
the location, alignment, shape of cross
section, maintenance and reconstruc-
ton of a road, and is full of valuable in
formation. For example, the benefits
accruing from reconstructing road on
a shorter line, say reducing ten-mile
road to nine miles, will be: ~ Saving
the annual maintenance of one mile; (2)
reduction in time of travelling; 60 saw
ing in wear and tear of horses. shoes,
harness and vehicles; "a restoring to
cultivation one mile of road sixty feet
wide. or 7.27 acres, worth, say, s25 a
year. Mr.. Roberts says:
'oThe average cost for hauling wheat In
whitman county from farm TO warehouse
is rs cents per bushel or $3.50 per ton.
The average distance hauled Is rs miles,
making the cost per ton mile 80 1-3 cents.
II the traffic over the ten miles of road
Is 4,500 tons a year, then the annual saw
ing by reducing the length of the road
one mile would be 1850 ton miles Mt 80 1-3
cents a ton mile, or $500. Neglecting ev-
cry element of economy except No. 4, that
OF the saving per ton mile, and the an
nual saving to those who traverse this
road will pay the interest at 6 per cent.
on $4,000. Evidently this sum could be
profitably expended In the proposed re-
duction of distance. Further. the short
ening of road increases the traffic over
1t. and increases the profit to be gained
by recontruction on the more direct
route"
1t Is shown that while the state of
Washington is hardly ripe for an ex-
tended general system of stone roads as
expensive as the macadam and Telford
roads. or even the newly tried steel
track road. nevertheless the state is
growing in wealth and population and
every action for better highways-mod-
ern highways-must have beginning,
and it seems best to call the attention
of those interested to the advantages of
smoother surfaces and lighter traction
for our highway traffic. Authorities
agree" says Mr., Roberts, that three to
five times as great load can be drawn
on a hard, smooth surface as on a yield
ing or rough surface. The average cost