The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1906-09-13
Oil For County Roads.

Fulton County is making an envi-
able reputation through the whole
country for the number and extent
Of its excellent roads. 1t has Joined
the Good Roads movement with en-
thusiasm and success. OF course the
cost of building these roads has been
great and the expense of mainten-
aIce for those already built is con-
siderable. After a careful and thor
ough investigation of the subject, the
Journal wishes to suggest to the
county authorities the plan of using
the crude oil process, to save the
cost of sprinkling with water, to lay
the dust more effectually than it can
otherwise be done, and to save in
great part the heavy expense of main
tenance,. due to wearing and wash
ing. The automobiles now bowl
along in every direction with a good
degree Of speed and the dust rises
before them and trails behind them
to the discomfort of the following
vehicles, be they automobiles or car
riages and to the annoyance Of Pc
destrians. This fine dust Is then
washed off by the next heavy rain
and the road has to be repaired to
go through with the same process
again.
The first experiment of oiling the
roads was tried in California in 1899,
with the view Of laying the dust only,
the contract being undertaken by the
"Dustless Roads Company" Since
the roads Of southern California have
been regularly treated with sprink-
ling Of oil for improvement and main
tenance, with the additional advan-
tage, Of course, of rendering these
roads practically dustless. The use
of oil on macadam roads has been es-
pecially satisfactory, and the process
is cheaper than on ordinary roads.
In fact, from the testimony Of ezpe-
rience it would seem that the use of
Oil makes macadam road the ideal
highway for both summer and win
ter. -. :.
The process is much cheaper than
would appear at first glance. Crude
oil can be delivered in Atlanta at
cost of about y cents gallon. The:
cost of the oil sprinklers Is triling.
A good job would require the use Of
some 1000 gallons Of oil to the mile,
or, with a layer Of sand to absorb it
and make hard, contract top dress
ing, of indefinitely lasting qualities,
it would take 1000 gallons to the
mile 1t costs the property owners,
on the extension of Peachtree street,
beyond Fourteenth, thousand dol
lars a season to sprinkle two miles
of that road every summer, besides
the cost to the county Of mainten-
ance. At the largest estimate it
would cost only $3.50 worth of oil
to sprinkle the whole distance of four
miles from Fourteenth street to At
lanta Heights, and this would make
an infinitely better road and with
no other cost of maintenance for a
vo,r :, ...... -.-t,.... -
It is well worth the experiment on
a short stretch of this road or some
other in the county, and we offer the
suggestion to the county commis-
sioners. We feel sure that fair
trial of the oiling system will lead to
its extension to the Fulton County
roads generally, to their great i'm
provement, to an enormous saving
in the cost OF maintenance and to the
increased comfort Of; all who use,
these highways. ~ q - - :. -
After the first application Of oil,
the first year, less and less IS re-
ouired with each succeeding year,
and almost no other outlay Is neces-
sary to keep the road in perfect con-
dition. The macadau road thus
treated becomes finally as smooth as
asphalt and it's freedom from dust
and the hardness of the surface has
caused such roads frequently to be
mistaken for the genuine asphalt IT.
self. 80.
It would seem to be clearly .estao-
lished that the next step forward Tor
the improvement Of our present
splendid road system in Fulton Coun-
ty should be the oiling process.-Ab