The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1904-08-04
NO MORE DUST
ON OILED ROADS

HVdhO
The following information from a ;
cent government report on the puttil
oi OIL on roads and streets will prove i
terestlng reading to the people wi
would Ike to see the experiment tri,
N. HOOD River. The plan works WI
elsewhere and should be success her,
INTRODUCTION.
Publlc attention was first called
The utility Of crude petroleum oil
road betterment through experimen
made by the county Of Los Angeles
California in 1898, where six miles /
road we're oiled in that year under III
direction OF the supervisors. The sol
purpose OF this work was to Law the dus
whlch, churned beneath the wheels {
yearly Increasing travel during the Ion
dry seasons in that region, had becom
most serious nuisance.
Ihe following year this mileage wa
little more than doubled in that coun
~, and other counties in California ais
began experiments along the same line
from the very first the results oh
tanned were SO astonishingly successful
that the practice rapidly increased. 4
spread through eyerycounty in southern
California, and then began to worI
north. Now, after five seasons, it ha
extended from near the Mexican line OF
the south, to Durham, in Butte county
on the north, stretch covering sections
Of quite widely differing climatic condi,
tons, with an aggregate of about 75(
miles of county roads and city streets
oiled for one or more years. Oil has
been used on the principal driyewayt
oil Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
The mountain stage road into the
Yosemite National Park has been oiled
for a distance of 80 miles, from it's initial
terminus at Raymond to eight miles
above Wawona.
In California it has now passed the
experimental stage. More than 25
counties in that state have already used
II, and others are preparing to do SO
during the season of 1903.
Thus far California is the only state
which has actually adopted the prat tice.
1t has been tried to a very limited ex-
tent in Texas, and few isolated exper-
lments have been madein Pennsylvania,
New Jersey, Indiana, Colorado, and the
District of Columbia. Within the past
yearalso few experiments have been
reported from England, France and
Switzerland.
ORIGINAL OBJECT OF USE OF OIL ON ROADS.
As already stated, the original motive
Tor the use OF crude oil on roads was to
lay the dust. Wherever oil has been
tried this purpose has invariably been
accomplished, regardless Of methods
adopted or variety of oil used. On all
kinds of roads where 1t has been applied
the dust has ceased absolutely for at
least an entire season after its applica-
ton, and ii renewed second wear, has
been abated. for that year also and the
following, whether then treated or not.
In southern California all unite in saw
ing that the great bane of life-dust-
passed away wherever the first applica-
tlon OF OH was made. The dust raised
by passing travel no longer comes in at
windows or destroys the product of field
and orchard for considerable widths on
each side of the road, as it formerly did, |
The report of its effectiveness as dust
layer is jnst as positive and enthusiastic
ir in all sections which have made the
E Aperiments.
BENEFITS FROM THE USE OF OIL ON ROADS.
In California it was soon learned that.
Incidentally valuable as it was, the Law.
ing oil dust was not the only or even the
most extraordinary result obtained.
twas found that when oil was applied
It Immediately began to bind together
all the loose particles constituting the
road surface, whether clay, sandy loan,
oose sand, gravel, or the fine material
IN the top of macadam. A tough STRAIT
I'm formed, resembling an asphalt pave.
nent. Roads built on drifting sand or
'layey dust, no matter how deep, where
'rottlng with a buggy was impossible
'nd Tor pair of strong horses to pull q
ON was a very laborious process became
ndurated, resilient and firm, so that
irving teams could trot with ease and
he same PAR OF horses pull 216 tons
more como taby than they formerly
nd the one ton. OF course, these re-
ults were not fully obtained immedi-
tely, but they never failed to follow Z
'erslstentt treatment with oil.
AT first, while this oiled surface STRAIT.
IN was thin, it was often broken 4
hrough, espe, tally in wet weather, but :
roper repairs anu subsequent applica- |;
ons OF oil thickened and strengthened +
until it would at all times effectually +
,ithstand the heaviest and most con. !,
lnuous travel y
Running south from the railroad q
''ack in the town Of Chino, San Bernar- {,
mo county, CAL. is piece of road 4
YER which e\ery season nearly 10000 h
ms OF sugar beets are hauled on their l.
ay to the factory, often averaging $50 ii
ms day. The foundation of this a.
'ad is loose sand, and it has been y
lrtaced with material containing al
'me clay. Formerly the loaded wag- ar
rs often stalled and had to be dug out. ~ ~
ow, after three seasons OF treatment il
lth oil, the road is as easy to drive 4
'er as Il good city street, and effect. Ia
lliy sustaIns the heavy travel, although w
70 majority OF the wagons used on il q;
I'VE narrow tires The benefits of the w
were experienced Immediately after y,
g flrst application was made, but the fa
rface stratum under successive treat
ents grew thicker and firmer until the -,
nd has become virtually perfect. sn
In another place in the same county, n
veral miles distant from the one lust 4
scrlbed, the road runs over drifting in
nd Just like the worst to be found on or or
lpe Cod in Massachusetts,. 1t has te t
en- treated for two seasons with oil,
d is now equally as good as the other. Ar
th pieces OF road were visited and ba
refuily examined by the writer, who do
n testify to the almost incredibly se
,isfactory results obtained. If
TESTS OF OILED ROADS BY RAINFALL. so
All semi-arid regions are subject to q. ia'
ry heavy rainfalls at times, which are tL, M
nerally called waterspouts. In Cali tb,
MIA these have in many places sub m,
ted oiled road surfaces TO the seyerest
,sible tests. Mr.. Theo F. White,
1t engineer, one OF the supervisors of
2 Bernardino county, man who has or
! great deal of experience in oiled vic
DIS and made them a special study, acc
Is OF one storm occurring in that ten