The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1907-06-27
How Auto. Iniure Roads.

Do motor cars wear out a road
faster than horse-drawn vehicles? This
question is answered in the affirmative
by James III. Macdonald, highway COM
missioner of the State of Connecticut.
who asserts that automobile owners in
his part of the country generally agree
with this conclusion. The public-spir
tied owner of motor car should be
willing, he thinks, to contribute to-
ward the extraordinary repair expenses
entailed by the use Of his class of We
hicles, and most owners are ready to
do so, he believes provided they can
be assured that the money will be used
solely for road repairs But how do
the automobiles injure the roads? Says
Mr.. Macdonald in report republished
in part in the Good Roads Magazine:
I'm nine out of ten of our towns
where macadam roads have been con-
structed, artificial mostening of roads
is not resorted to by the officials. The
use of the sprinkling cart seems to be
a lost art, and the only moisture the
macadam receives is from the rain and
the dew, except, of course, in winter,
when there are occasional snowstorms.
For that reason only macadam roads
are very dry in summer and become
an easy prey for rapidly moving auto
mobiles. The low-hanging machinery
Of the car restricts the space from the
top of the road to narrow opening
which the rapidly moving cars trans
form into draft, the suction from
which removes all loose or insecure
particles from the surface of the road,
very much as the carpet sweeper OPP
crates
The screenings top has two use
full purposes. One is to form cush-
ion to protect the second course of
stone, which is the course Of the stone
Immediately under the screenings or
finishing surface of the road. This
cushion protects the underlying stone
from direct contact with the shoe of
the horse and the tire of the wagon.
Its second Office is TO retain moisture
in the summer time, thus preserving
the cementing properties of the screen
ings, and in winter furnishing cover
| ing that lessons the entrance of frost
into the road, and also removes the
| possibility of disiptergation and heav-
| ing of the road screenings. 1t also op-
crates to prevent autumn rains from
penetrating into the courses of stone.
thus inviting frosts and leaving the
| road, when the frost departs, green
and very susceptible and responsive to
travel.
''In the summer time. particularly
when our roads are very popular and
are used largely by all kinds of vehicles
either for business or pleasure, the
passing of one Of these rapidly NOV
ing cars removes from the road its in
tended protection. Horse-drawn We
hicles that follow are by this stripping
process brought into direct contact with
the stones that have been uncovered by
| the automobile These stones are early
dislodged from where they were i'm
bedded, and fracture is made in the
road. The stones thus loosened act as
an irritant TO the other stones when
struck by hoof or wheel, the bond is
| thus broken, and the road Immediately
| demands repair, or a large bill of ex-
pense will result. II the road is not at
once taken care of, the influence of
even slight fracture is far-reaching.
| This destructive force has been at work
for some time but It's effects have
| been more noticeable during the past
year than ever before.
This way in which roads are in
| jured is apparent not only to the men
who make business of the art Of road
building, but is the subject of grave
| consideration in towns where macadam
has been laid. All over the State where
we have macadam, officials are inquir-
| ing how TO remedy the evil.''
| Mr. Macdonald recommends the mix
ture of coal tar or crude oil with the
| top layer Of screenings, and he adso-
Gates assessing the additional expense
upon the owners of motor vehicles.