The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1900-05-11

illustrating how perfect roads ought to
be built This from country that still
has, In part, the worst roads in the
world. is rather daring, but 1t is also an
indication Of whet is being dope. The
ten states in question know what they
are talking about. They had the worst
roads. and now they have Cor at least
are constructing) the best. The first
among these is Massachusetts. The
second, New Jersey.
It will be q matter of news to many
to learn that the United States govern
ment has gone into the road question
in the most energetic and thorough
manner imaginable, and having,
through the department of agriculture,
studied out the question of what con-
stitutes a good road, and why good
roads are needed. has gone to work to
spread the information and teach the
people. 1t has experiment stations in
every state in the Union, where lessons
In road making are taught. Hundreds
| of pamphlets showing Just how a good
road Is constructed and how It may be
preserved have been published by the
government, 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.
quarter. or half, or even mile OF excel
lent roadway Is constructed. and the
people shown how and why It ought to
be done. These object lessons, 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 q heavy farm
wagon, loaded with produce, Is drawn
over each Of them, and the amount Of
force required to haul It is determined
by the use of a trackometer. This. in
strument Is SO constructed as to accu-
rately register every pound the horses
pull at every stage of the haul, in plain
view of those in its vicinity. It Is made
| clear by these experiments that team
harnessed in the ordinary way Ia SUBJ
ject, under the best conditions, to a con-
tinuous Jerking motion, which must, on
even the smoothest country road,
greatly increase it's fatigue. On dirt
road in bad condition this Jerking be-
comes a succession Of heavy blows,
transmitted to the team by means Of
the collar. They are cruelty painful,
bruising the shoulders, harassing and
torturing the animals, constantly les
sening 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
twelve bales Of cotton on heavy
,Studebaker wagon UP ten per cent
grade of the macadam road, the tracko-
meter indicating a pull Of 1000 pounds.
The same team was stalled completely
in going down a per cent grade of the
sand road after pulling the indicator to
1900 pounds. Nine bales of cotton were
removed before the load could again
be put in motion. The driver refused to
venture upon the dirt road with the
twelve-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 1t exhibits
at fairs, expositions, and meetings of
all kinds where good roads can be
properly talked about. Indeed, the
agricultural department is a great be-
lever in photographs, and no oppor-
tunity Is lost to flash a convincing pic
ture before the eyes Of the unbeliever.
The picture of a road before and after
1t has been improved is one of the most
J common kind. That of a horse unable
to pull even a light load on a bad road,
yet drawing heavy one on a good
road, is also common. Thus the great
work is furthered.
Another part of this government
movement, says a write 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 a wonderful highway
idea. Briefly, 1t is a system of laying
wide steel rails upon ordinary high
ways. The road thus laid consists of
two parallel lines Of steel plates or rails.
eight inches wide, laid at a sufficient
distance apart to receive the wheels of
all vehicles Of standard guage. These
plates. or tracks, have slightly up
ward 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 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 fan
ges projecting both downward and out
ward, which are imbedded in the con-
crete Of the roadbed.
One of the experiments made by the
government consisted Of having heavy
load of eleven tons drawn by twenty
horses over a common road, which lay
alongside the steel-track road, and then
having the same load drawn by one
horse on the steel track road. This load
was twenty two times the weight of
the animal, and was easily moved with
light harness. The load could have