The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-11-16
o111Na DUsr-CovERED ROADS.
Experiment Tried in England With
Perfect Success.
London Mail.

London Mail.
A week ago a section of the main road
at Marlborough, near Aldershot, was
treated with OIL, and on Saturday a party
Of road experts and Automobiles paid a
first visit of inspection. The experiment,
though only in an initial stage. promises
great success.
The oil has been applied along three
quarters of a mile of the main road
near Farnborough Station. The reason
this particular road was selected for the
experiment was that it is one of the very
busiest among the main roads of the
country. The soil of the district is sandy,
and, in spite of the fact that part of the
road has been reconstructed with what
Is known as Cherbourg quartzite, 1t has
thick, mealy dust which retards the
progress of all traffic and rises in blind
ing and suffocating clouds on the pass
age of any motor car.
To this surface w. j. Taylor, the coun-
ty surveyor, applied eleven and a half
ktons of Texas oil a week ago. The result
was examined on Saturday. At each end
of the oiled strip lay awhite. dusty road;
between was dark-brown stretch. clean,
firm, but elastc-a road of linoleum. OF
the oil itself there was little or no sign.
A stranger might have remarked on
the excellence of the road; he would
hardly have guessed at its treatment
There was no smell. nor any apparent
greasiness-simply an unbroken surface.
smooth and welded together. OF dust
there was not a trace.
1t was a picture to see a powerful mo-
tor car, half hidden in its cloud of dust
in the distance, sweep on to the oiled
surface, distinct and vivid. The fastest
run raised nothing in the shape of dust.
On all hands there was pleasure at the
first results of the experiment. The prac-
ticability of the oilins system can only
be established by tests extending over
a considerable time, but meanwhile ex-
perts are thoroughly satisfied with the
results.
1t Is pointed out that the treatment with
oil may be found not only greatly to
improve the roads, but also to effect an
economy in their maintenance. Roughly
speaking the cost Of oiling the three-quar-
tiers of mile was 80 pounds. The yearly
cost of repairing and keeping up each
mile of the road in an ordinary way is
300 pounds 1t is probable that the oiling
will considerably reduce that expense
Certainly the heavy expense of watering
would be done away with, and ii is prac-
tically certain that the road will not wear
out quickly, being consolidated and
toughened by the oiling process.
Mr.. Taylor, the surveyor. is carefully
| testing all these matters, even going so
far as to weigh each shovelful of sweep
ings from the oiled section and from a
corresponding length of the unoiled road
of course" said he, I'VE want to find
| out how the oiled road will stand very
| cold aad very hot weather, and we have
not had any rain on 1t yet. Before l say
anything definite for publication | shall
| make 4 report to the county authorities
Much will depend on how often the
| road will require treatment with oil, and
We have also to find out the exact amount
| necessary at each application and the
best means of applying it, l am propos-
ing to make experiments in other parts
Of the county. / had the idea of oiling
roads in my mind when the propretors
Of the County Gentlemen offered to make
| the experiment If the authorities would
provide the road; so we Joined forces"
Rees Jeffreys, the honorary secretary OF
the Roads Improvement Association. who
has been largely instrumental in carry
ing the experiment through, is very pleas
| ed with what has been done. He says
that the opinion of motor car experts Is
| that their tires are not likely to suffer
from the oil. The further objection that
there might he oil splashcs Is oanshed
by an inspection of the road
MI Jeffreys adds that nearly every one