The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1904-10-21
The Value of Macadam Roads.

The question of macadam and other
modern metal roads has recently become
one of added interest to Marylandcrs in
view OF the movements now in progress
in the various counties to take advan-
tage of the opportunity offered to secure
such modern roads under the new State
aid road law. While there is generally
believed nv persons of experience to be
great difficulty i'll obtaining an anywise
accurate computation of the compara-
tive cost of hauling over metal roads and
over the old fashioned earth thorough
fares, MIR. IIalhrrt l.. Gillette, in the
Coed Roads Magazine gives some
conclusions from very carefully COM
piled set of figures. which may be consid-
cred with profit by those to whom the
question of good roads is allimportant.
ut NAV be safely said, writes Mr.. Gil.
lctte, that the building of macadam
roads in America will enable a team of
horses to haul three net tons on the aver
age of all roads as compared with one
ton witch is now the average on earth
roads, and in the face of the facts have
very little patience with those who insist
that earth roads are good enough for
American farmers. Experiments show
that on a good macadam road Il tractive
force of 80 pounds will pull ton as COM
pared with 10 pounds on 4 good. hard.
gravel road, or 100 pounds on good,
hard, clay road. This shows corclusively
that frOEl two to three times as big a
load can be hauled over macadam as
over a tirst-class earth road"
Il have found from actual experience"
continues Mr.. Gillette, that the average
load hauled over macadam has been 3
tons besides The weight of the wagon,
practically another ton. Over gravel
roads find that liz tons is fair load
where there are any hills to ascend.
Grades of from 5 to g per cent. can be
assembled oil tnacadam where the load IS
, tons, although on the level have
often had teams pull tons and OCCASION
ally up hill with q 5 per cent. grade.
NOW, fla good macadam road enables
; tons to be hauled to market where one
ton is the average load, we have by the
following very simple computation, a
cost of s to 10 cents per ton-mile over
macadam; for team costing So Il day
travels ten to twelve miles and return
| with tons Of produce; or it hauls 80 to
Sc tUn-miicS for So, which is s to 10 cents
per ton per mile, as compared with %
| or 80 cents over common earth roads
and II to 20 cents over the very best
gravel roads.
"A macadam road also actually short
ems the distance to market where light
loads, such as milk or garden truck, are
| hauled, because a team that can haul 3
| tons at walk over Il macadam road
can haul ton at a trot. The speed OF
horses at good walk is $50 feet per
minute, but the speed at a Jog trot is 800
to 600 feet Il minute. Macadam enables
il team to trot with a load of a ton or
less, hence it actually cuts in two the
time required to reach the market, which
is equivalent to reducing the distance
one half. Any farmer living on maca.
dam road knows this.
AS proof Of the easier hauling over ma
cadam roads, Mr. Gillette says he has
had team pull load of 900 pounds
up a ) per cent. grade on good maca
dam road By means of Il dynanometer
or huge spring balance, he finds that the
resistance to pulling up a hill is &c
pounds for each ton for each per cent
of grade Hence, if we have 10 per cent
grade, the resistance is . times 20, or OF
pounds. Adding to this the rolling lie
sistance over good macadam, which i:
So pounds, there is total resistance o