The Somerset reporter., 1901-07-04
TO GET GOOD ROADS.
NARROW ROADS AND WIDE TIRES
SOLVE THE PROBLEM.
Military Highways of the Old Ro-
mans Were Made Narrow Wear
Better and Cheaper to Build-Wide
Roads More Susceptible 10 Ruts.

Roads More Susceptible to Ruts.
L. Lodlan, writing in The Motor Age
on The Roads of the World" declared
that he has reached the conclusion that
broad tires and narrow roads are the
key to the good roads problem ut
stands TO reason" he says, that II a
road is narrow 1t is self wearing even.
1t is far more economical to build,
quicker to construct and easier to main
tain when 1t needs looking after. We
see proofs of this in our own country
diStricts-narrow roads that are al
most hard as adamant, while the wide
roads are often muck burrows"
Continuing, Mr.. Lodian writes: All
tomobiles may be seen running over
roads In Italy that were constructed
more than 1000 years ago-the self
same roads, hundreds of miles long,
over which the Roman legions tramped
flushed with victory, over which st.
Paul walked and over which the French
troops SO repeatedly marched In the
early part of the century just passed.
ries the roads have scarce felt the touch
of repair. In fact, most Of them have
never been repaired during 1000 years
of existence simply because they have
never needed repair.
when the Romans built their splen-
did military roads, they built them on
a sort of self repairing principle-that
is they built them narrow enough to
compel traffic to wear them down even
ly; for the-what seems to us moderns
--narrowness of the old Roman roads
has often been a matter of remark.
The real object of this narrowness ]
have never yet seen stated in any ex-
position on road engineering other
than the idea being advanced Of econ.
omy and rapidity of construction. But
/ learned the real motive during tray
els In Italy in 1912.
1--WE all know that a wide road is
only too liable to be worn into ruts. The
wider 1t Is the more ruts it will de-
grade Into unless sharply looked after.
/ have seen some natural made roads
in Siberia quarter of a mile wide, but
such a collection of ruts! On the other
hand, during travels in the Mexican re-
public | have seen narrow-say II feet
natural made roads running through
n marshy country almost as hard and
compact and smooth as some of the as
phalted streets of New York, Paris or
Berlin. These roads in Mexico to which
70 I'M ola ct 10 Of
quick mud country. In popular Ian
guage this country Is termed quick
sands;' but, like good many other
things popular, this Is erroneous. The
earth is literally quick mud, tena-
cious clay, and sticks like glue to the
clothing If you happen to sink a foot
into 1t, as did the writer Among rail-
road engineers this quick mud Is
known as gypsum and to handle the
treacherous ground properly has been
a problem In track construction. SO In
Mexico the traffic. being forced to con-
fine itself in the quick mud country to
n ~ foot gauge, has in the course of
years hammered out n track as hard as
a first class French highway.
Now, the Romans built their 1000
year lasting highways purposely mar
row SO that the roads should be self
ing even,' or what expression you like
to apply to a road which automatical-
ly, SO to speak, keeps itself in good
order for a couple of millenniums.
Since the old Romans never extended
their conquests to America. we are not
roads, but the traveller In most parts
Of Europe will see them. You will
even find them as far north as old
Scotia--since the republic extended its
conquest even unto Caledonia. A sec
tlonal view of Roman road shows
that the successive layers of material
used In their construction consisted of.
first, loose stones. ~ feet thick; next,
stones and lime. three-fourths of foot
thick: then cemented brick and tile
debris, one-half foot thick; the whole
topped by basalt blocks one foot thick.
The Roman road Is not a French road.
nor a metal road. nor one of Macad-
ANS, but. so far as the surface is con-
cerned, a substantial solid stone or
rock wearing surface made thicker
and rendered more permanent than
even the thickest flagstone sidewalks
In Europe or America ever were.
THE loose stone underlayers render.
ed drainage excellent. Can 1t be won
dered at that these ancient Roman
are still today almost as per-
feet as two millenniums ago2 Just
think OF it-hundreds OF miles are still
In good order, without having, as be-
fore stated. felt the touch OF repair!
"He may follow one of these rock
stone highways till 1t suddenly runs D.
seed In a cornfeld or smiling vine val
ley. He may be Informed that If he
likes to trudge across five or six miles
of cross country land under cultivation
he will pick up the stone highway
again. The interregnum space Of road
has been torn up-nobody knows when
for the construction of forts or
houses. Even the peasants used to
tear up the roads for the sake of the
flagstones when they wanted materials
for their houses or mills. But all that
was stopped long ago. In few places
the torn up gaps have been replaced
with metal roads. which have required
more looking after and repairs in two
years than have the old roads of the
republic In 1000.
'By metal road, 1t may be necessary
.