The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1906-11-14

three rows Of trees on each side of
the street. and have macadamizeI
about 80 miles of the roadway. These
macadamized roadways are well
cared for and are kept as smooth
as floor. The results have been
wonderful The object lesson has
been followed BIS an era Of improve
ment in every section Of the city
and it certainly has been made
good place to live in, as far as the
physical features are concerned.
But when we get outside Of the
city limits, we find an entirely diff
ferent condition. I did not have
time to make an investigation to as
certain the reason for existing con-
ditions, but from a superficial in
quirv and examination. it seems that
the country, seeing the wonderful
results of the work in the city, pro-
ceeded to build number of macad-
amized roads leading from the city
and made a good start in the right
direction. However, in their ambi
tious undertaking. they spent all
their money in constructing new
roads and made no provision for
their care afterward, consequently
the heavy rains of summer and the
snow and frosts of winter weak
ened the stone work, little depres-
sons being neglected soon became
large chuck holes, and finally many
of the roads became almost as bad as
they were before they had been i'm
proved. It is costing these people
large sum of money to renew the
work and it is hoped that It will
soon be equal to the best, but the ex-
perience in neglecting these roads
has been very expensive.
around Los Angeles and in
southern California generally, hun
dreds of miles Of coads have been
nicely graded, surfaced and oiled.
These are known as oiled roads and
when properly cared for are first
class. The best method of treating
them is to grade the road and roll it
down hard, then harrow the top with
a fine tooth harrow until ii is loosen
ed up for about two inches in depth;
thick crude petroleum oil is then APP
piled. The surface IS rolled down
hard again and a thin coating of fine
gravel is added and rolled smooth.
This makes it a fine roadbed when it
is new, but it requires constant care.
The oiled surface must be kept in
tact or it will become full of chuck
holes just the same as neglected
macadam. The people in this sec
ton seem to have devoted their ener-
gies to oiling new roads and have ne
elected to care for the old ones, to
such an extent that many of them
are so rough that an automobile
cannot be run over them at a speed
of more than eight or ten miles an
hour with any degree OF comfort to
the occupants. A movement is now
and they will undoubtedly be put in
good order by the first Of the COM
ing year. The cost of these repairs
will run into a large amount, the
greater part of which might have
been saved by keeping the roads in
repair from the beginning. There is
no place where the wise old saying,
"a stitch in time saves nine applies
with greater eXactness than in keep
ing roads in repair
Il hope that the movement to
build one great trunk line through
the state of Washington from north
to south and another from east to
west will not flag and that the ac-
ton of the convention will stimu-
late the sentiment in favor of it.
1t IS not a difficult undertaking; if
all the counties would take it up and
build a few miles each year, it would
be completed before the people real
lied that it was really commenced.
Il believe that a strong legislative
committee should be appointed that
the much needed road laws may be
enacted at the next session of the leg.
islature. That is where the most
effective work of the Washington
Good Roads association must be
done Let us have it we'll done"
A few opening remarks were made
by the president and then Mr.. LAM
caster gave a long lecture on the
Improvement of our roads in connec-
ton with some fine lantern slides he
had taken of different scenes that
illustrated the work he has been so
II 80 ~ 81, toI IN,