The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1904-01-01
CLIMATIC DIFFICULTIES.

CLIMATIC DIFFICULTIES.
Climatic difficulties act persistently
and cannot be wholly overcome. These
difficulties manifest themselves in
four ways: in excessive rainfall. i'm
drought, in heat and cold and in rain
These extremes all come during the
year and each one is destructive of
highways. a moderate rainfall even
ly distributed throughout the wear is
beneficial to roads. But unfortunate.
ly rainfall does not come in the way
before mentioned. During certain
periods the rain pours down, at other
times no rain falls. When the dry
times prevail the cement binding the
larger masses is pulverized and made
dust. The wind then carries off much
OF it as atmospheric dust. The pull
verized material remaining is then
liable to be swept into the gutter by a
dashing rain. This process goes on
constantly and cannot be wholly
checked by any ingenuity of man. All
he can do is from time to time re.
pair the damage. In many places in
North America some inches of rain
may fall in few hours. No highway
now constructed in this country can
resist such destructive influences.
But we must consider another phase
of this question: Foods and freshets
sometimes undermine road beds.
sweep away bridges and culverts and
play general havoc. The roads of
America every year from this source
suffer many thousands of dollars in
damage. Heat and drouth are potent
factors in the destruction of high
IN THE WEST
ways. In the arid regions of the west
during the long period of drought ex.
tending from the spring months until
late In the autumn, the travelled high
ways simply become vast dust strips
and are dilfuscd throughout the sur
rounding country as atmospheric dust.
The maintenance of good roads in
these regions is an exceedingly dini-
cult problem. Maybe in final solu-
tion of the roads question In this re-
gion, resort will be had to pavement.
Granted the pavement, it will be then
a problem to secure a good foundation
for it. The pavement would be made
of rock or of burnt brick. The cost of
rock pavement would be almost pro-
hibitive, and in many regions there is
no proper material for brick making
Freezing and thawing is the most tre-
mendous disintegrating force in ma
ture. The solid granite cannot resist
such force Much less can an Or
binary road made by frail human
hands. Freezing and thawing oper-
ate in four ways they bring the larg-
err rocks in the bottom to the surface;
they disintegrate the smaller surface
rocks; they pulverize and loosen the
cement and disturb generally the en-
tire roadbed. Nearly every farmer
has had some experience in picking
stones of some rocky field. lie soon
learns that his work is perennial.
Each year Others come to the surface
as result OF freezing and of thawing
This process will continue so long as
rocks exist as far down as the freezing
ana thawlng extend. Ihls process Is
made more effective in road construc-
Jion because it is customary to place
large stones in the bottom of the road
and ill in with smaller material In
any well constru;te road relative
hardness comes from the larger mas
ses and elasticity comes from the
cement that lies between these larger
masses. Each OF these qualities, hard.
ness and elasticity, is necessary to Il
good highway. If you remove the
cement you destroy elasticity, if you
disintegrate the larger masses you
destroy hardness. Freezing and thaw-
ing disintegratc the larger masses
and weaken powers Of concentration.
TrIa nnt ir, nj Ctrin ic a fIn,,aJ la, .,