East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1905-05-17
USES OF MAKING IMPLEMENTS

The following address was deliver
ed before the Good Roads convention
by John S. Beall, of Portland, an ex-
perienced roadmaker and implement
man:
Mr.. President and Gentlemen:
To have an opportunity of address,
ing a convention of this kind ON the
subject of Road Machinery and Its
Proper Use" is an honor to be proud
of, but 1 am afraid the judgment of
the committee selecting me for this
subject will be severely criticized by
you when have finished my talk and
your verdict in the case will be SINH
lar to that of a great French diplo-
mat, to whom a young and aspiring
author once presented one of his lit
erary productions. Talleyrand read it
with much care, then delivered him
self of the following opinion: "Sir,
your book contains many new things
and many good things; but the new
things are not good. and the good
things are not new
| Road machinery and its proper use
is subject that for years was quite
a problem to the first road builders
in this country and it is today a big
problem in the new countries where
road building is yet in its infancy.
In some of the New England states,
where many thousands of dollars
have beeen expended on road max
ing machinery and road building, and
many miles of good roads have been
built, the problem of the machinery
and its proper use has practically
passed all experimental stages and is
now operated on an economical and
successful basis.
| In this country, where the machin-
cry and its uses is still experimental
to quite an extent, l believe that no
wiser investment could be made by
the various counties contemplating
road building. than to send a good,
practical man through the various
eastern states, which have gone
! through the experimental stages, and
let him thoroughly study the machin-
cry that they have found the most
practical, and profit by their exper-
ience. We know that experience is a
good teacher and that a wise man
profits by the experience of his neigh
bors.
The style of road making machin-
cry for use depends entirely upon the
conditions and the materials to be
used; there are, however, few pieces
of machinery that are absolutely nee
essary, regardless of conditions and
materials
Equipment That Is Necessary.
The first is the transit, in the hands
of competent engineer, to lay out
the grades.
The second is grading plows, scrap
ers. graders and roller which are also
necessary for throwing up the soil to
conform with the engineers grades.
One short piece of grade work, or
on short fills, where the soil is not to
be moved over 100 or $50 feet, the
grading plow of the proper construc-
ton and the wheeled scraper is con-
sidered the most economical tool.
On work of greater lengths, the re-
versible road grader. or the elevat-
ing grader. when properly operated,
are the best. The reversible grad is
a machine mounted on four wheels,
with a cutting blade of about seven
feet in length. which can be thrown
in various positions according to the
work to be done. and can be operated
by two men and from four to six
horses. With this machine thorough
ly operated in soil free from rocks
of large size. or roots, one mile of
| 10
without the use of plow and from
three to five miles of old road can
be nicely graded up in the same
length of time.
Some of the gentlemen present,
who have used one of these machines
with less result may be inclined to
doubt this statement, as l find but
very few men i'm this country operat-
ing these machines to the best ad-
vantage.
The elevating grader and ditcher
is a machine that is being used quite
extensively through the East and
Middle West for road building. 1t
is also a machine mounted on four
wheels. equipped with a very solid
plow (either a disc or mold board)
that throws the dirt over large ele-
vator made of rubber betting about
SO inches wide, that is driven from
one of the rear wheels of the machine.
This elevator is made of different
lengths, according to the work being
done and 1t delivers the dirt either
upon the embankment, or in dump
wagons, as desired.
Economical Dirt Handlers.
This is really one of the most
economical dirt handlers known to-
day. Dirt ca nbe delivered upon
embankments or in dump wagons
with one of these machines for an
expense not to exceed three cents
per yard. 1t can also be successfully
used in cutting down the grades on
the hill roads, of which the Northwest
has it's share; also in making irrigat-
ing bitches.
Several years ago, when these ma
chimes first came on the market. one
of them was being operated on a new
railroad under course of construction
in the state of Kansas. Amongst the
people witnessing its operation were
number OF lrishmen who had been
working on the railroad with pick
and shovel and after seeing the ra-
pidity with which the machine han
died the soil one of the Irishmen
was heard to say: "B'Jabers, you can