The new enterprise. (Madison, Fla.) 1901-1908, 1907-10-31
Il. rnrope Preseryes Roads.

- g. lesson for our road
ins,' IN the following from Farm
~ Americans have a great deal
.orn from Europe as to the maxi
m md preservation OF roads. On
s ather continent there is a con-
'us , so,ieitude for the public high
s.sr' which would perhaps surprise
N1 Americans. In England, for ex-
~ ~ the country roads are cared
snP Nv the country council Of each
~ an elective body numbering
.Sout fifty. Our consul at Noting
s.m Rev. F. w. Mahin, says Of the
80 exercised by these bodies;
,'Tbe official in immediate charge
=. ,he county surveyor, an appointive
.moer. who serves during efficiency,
M Is an expert engineer. All the
Ids are macadamized, or similarly
,sooted. and for ordinary traffic are
vsrv satisfactory. In recent years au-
,omohiles and heavy traction engines
and motor wagons have created new
and serious problems. Automobiles
rot only cause sitting clouds of dust,
INIT loosen the macadam by suction,
vblle heavy engines and motor wa
ems crush and destroy the surface
smoothness of the roads. The result
has been. to heavily increase the ex-
nense of road maintenance and to ex-
srelse the ingenuity Of county sur
Teyors in devising means of suppress
ing dust, and constructing roads
suited to present traffic conditions.
sThe Nottingham County surveyor,
after experimenting for many years,
has apparently solved the problems
Of both dust and durability. Ten
years ago he tried tar washing, a
process now much talked about for
roads, but found It only a temporary
palliative. The tar was chiefly ABB
sorbed by the joints Of the paving.
and only partially adhered to the ma
terial, and after a few months dust
resulted which he considered worse
than the ordinary soil dust. He
next tried tarring Stag, granite and
limestone by the roadside, but the
heating Of the material to point
necessary to make the tar adhere
made it brittle and not suitable for
heavy traffic. and the process was, be-
sides, very slow and a public nuis-
ance. He then removed his appara-
tus to an iron foundry and tried hot
Stag taken from the furnace, the first
attempt Of the kind. The experi-
ment worked to a charm, and with
the mixture of a toughening adjunct
a waterproof road material was ere
ated. He has patented the process.
Not only is the former work of heat
ing dispensed with, but the material
is not brittle, and being uniformly
hot to the centre It sucks in the tar.
The process of artificial heating
leaves the centre of the material rela-
lively cold, and the reverse effect en-
sues, the tar being in a degree re-
jected. The preparation is styled
tarmac' It IS applied to a road vita
out any digging or grading beyond
mere leveling Two layers are used,
the lower two and one-fourth, and the
upper one and one-fourth inches
thick. Steam rolling reduces the
thickness to three inches. A FIVE
mile section Of road between Noting
ham and Radcliffe was used to test
the preparation. It lies near the
Trent River and canal. is below the
level Of both and has gravel bed.
Consequently, water could seeD
through upon It. It was notorious
ly bad road. dusty in dry weather
and almost impassably muddy 10 wet;
at the same time. one Of the most i'm
portant and most used roads in the
country K therefore offered a SUI
preme test to the efficacy OF a road
paving material This stretch Of road
is now one Of the finest in England.
i is as smooth as asphalt; mudless
IN wet weather; In dry weather dust
less with ordinary traffic and nearly
90 with the. swift passage OF automo-
biles. A dry road absolutely dust
less when traversed by automobiles
Is an utter impossibility. The tar
mac road IS impervious. Surface
water flows to the sides, and no dust
Is possible, except what IS dropped
or blown upon &C.
OIL -, rr~.,1- . 60 urI.f.r.