Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-03
IT'S SCOPE BROADENED
WORK OF THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC
ROADS.
Object Lessons Being Given Through
out the Country-Awaking
Popular Interest.

the Department of Agriculture for the last
fiscal year indicates considerable broaden
ing Of the scope of that office. The name
has been changed from office of public
road Inquiries to office of public roads
on the theory that the work has now
reached such a stage that the seeking for
information should be supplemented to
greater extent than ever before by the CIV
ing of information.
Heretofore part of the work now con-
nected in the Office of public roads was
done in the bureau of chemistry, the divi-
sion of tests of that bureau, having in
charge the testing of all road materials
and materials of construction relating to
agriculture. Under the reorganization the
tests and Investigations comprise one divi-
sion of the work of the Office, under the
immediate supervision of the assistant d.
rector. All the field construction work in
the building of object-lesson and expert
mental roads comprises another division,
and is placed under the immediate charge
of highway engineer The collection and
compila ton of information on all phases
of roads and road improvement is concen-
trated under the chief of records. while
the routine, clerical and administrative
work is provided for by the appointment
of a chief clerk.
Object-Lesson Roads.
The object-Iesson method, which has
been found SO efrectual in many lines of
educa tional work, has been found to be
peculiarly appropriate for the purpose Of
the office in giving instruction in road
building. larger number of object-lesson
roads were built by the office during the
past fiscal year than In any year since its
establishment The plan, briefly stated, is
as follows: Upon request of a local COM
munity an engineer Is detailed to make
preliminary examination for the purpose
ota ,t,f,, ,l,,r Sc
best suited to the locality, what materials
are available and what the probable cost
will be. In many cases he makes the neces-
sary surveys and prepares plans and esti-
mates. Later road expert and road ma
chnery expert are sent, and in many cases
a full complement of modern bodybuilding
machinery. The men and machinery are
allowed to remain at one place a sufficient
length of time to demonstrate practically
how an improved road should be construct
ed, and to so instruct the local officials
that they may continue the work of their
own accord thereafter. During the year
twenty-one roads were built in nine differ
ent states, in the construction of which
stone shale, burnt clay, sand clay, shell,
gravel and mari We're used. The individual
reports on these roads show a maximum
cost of 9S cents and an average cost of
10 cents per square yard for macadam
roads, and an average cost of 31a cents for
sand clay roads. The cost of the one
burnt clay road S shown to be % cents per
cents per square yard. Three of the object
lesson roads We're built in Ohio, in
Illinois, three in Missouri, one in Kansas,
two in Washington, one in Texas, one in
Louisiana and seven in Florida.
Burnt-Clay Road Building.
1t is a well-6nown fact that in many sec
tons of the country natural hard road ma
terals are not available. In some cases this
difficulty has been overcome by cheap trans
Dortation but there are vast sections Of
the country where the problem cannot be
solved in this way. 1t has, therefore, been
one of the chief aims of the office to devise
means of adapting and utilizing the local
materials for road building. In the great
Mississippi delta experiments have been con-
Quoted in the burning of the clay or gum
boz in order to obtain suitable road ma
tarial, and the successful results realized
from an experimental burnt-clay road at
Clarksdale. Miss, would seem to point to
at least a partial solution of the problem.
In the preparation of the road for burning
it was first plowed up as deep as four mules
and a steel plow could break It, from ditch
to ditch a width of 90 feet, after which it
was crowned with a road machine. Trenches
were then cut across the road feet apart
and about - inches deep, earth being
thrown up so as to form ridges between the
trenches. Next n layer of coTuwood was
placed over each trench, the ends of the
sticks resting on the tops of the ridges, the
intervening trenches forming flues across
the road Upon this floor of wood was
thrown gumbo, or clay, in Jumps and clods,
as to form an open layer only partially
covering the wood. On this was placed
second floor of wood, the sticks being laid
at right angles with the road and as close
together possible, being supplemented
with sticks, chips, bark and brush. On this
floor was thrown layer about 10 inches
thick of gumbo, partly clods and partly
pulverzed. Firing was then begun and
continued much the same as with brick
kiln. After the road was burned 1t was
smoothed down so as to form proper
crown and opened to travel. A report
received from the chief engineer of the
Yazoo Mississippi delta district indicates
that the burnt-clay cost only One-fourth
as much as a gravel road adjoining it, and
that after being used all winter the gravel
showed signs of deterioration and was in
good condition. Later on he states that
the burnt-clay Idea has taken wonderfully,
and that the county board has appropriated
$25,OG0, most of which is to be expended in
burnt-clay roads.
In a great many instances it has been
found sufficient to send engineer to ex-
anime into the local conditions and give
advice as to what course should be pur
sued. Much of the work that was done
during the past year was of this character.
Participation in conventions of road or
ganizations has been somewhat curtailed,
but there have been a number of cases
where country road officials have met in
conventions to discuss ways and means for
improving the country roads, and engineers
have been detailed to give them practical
information and to answer such inquiries
as were pertinent to the subject.
Work of Schools and Colleges.
Schools and colleges throughout the coun-
try are now directing considerable atten-
ton to highway engineering, and the office
has undertaken to cooperate in this work
to the fullest extent. A plan has been
adopted of employing each year several