The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-04-19
FAST MOVING AUTOS
ARE DESTROYING rnr worap,s
 GOOD ROADS.

| soft Rubber Tires Strip Hard Surface Hfshways of Beck Dust Bfnder-- Frsnee Sounds AIsr1n---CsIls sa international Congress for October te DIseuss serf-
 GUS Ccnditien.
 . | Washington, April 1s.--The cflce of Public Roads of the United States De-
 partment of Agriculture has recently
 been conducting series of very in-
 terestins experiments to learn the
 amount of damage done to the rock surface thoroukhfares by automobiles.
 The results prove that the modern fast
 moving motor car is the greatest men-
 ace to Macadam roads that has ever
 made its appearance.
 On some stretches of thoroughfare.
 especially in New England. where many
 broad and smooth roads have been cori-
 structed. the retrogression Is not less
 than 70 per cent. and 1t has been forced
 upon the Director of the once of Pub
 lie Roads and upon many highway en-
 gineers that if some plan is not speed
 fly devised for overcoming the ba (
 effects of mems latest and most sem
 sationai mode of land transportation.
 the monetary loss will be stupendous
 and the good work of many years will
 go for naught.
 It is not only in America that this
 condition: prevails. The men of Eng
 land, France. Germany, Holland. Bel
 gium and other countries of the old
 world where hard surfaced highways are appreciated, have also learned that
 the big soft rubber tires of the au- tomobile are doing an almost incred- ible amount of harm. France has Of fioially taken cognizance of the condi- tien and has called an Internakional Congress to meet in Paris on October II to discuss plans for saving the roads. while in no way interfering with the development of the automobile. for no scientist will condemn one worthy. civilfzing influence because it tempo rariIy conflicts with another. He will merely admit that a new condition has arisen and then set on foot an investi- gation with the idea of mastering 1t.
 To many 1t may seem beyond belief that a pneumatic rubber tire can work any injury to road composed of bits plain when the theory of such roads is explained. The Macadam road. named after John Louden Macadam, of Ayr, Scotland, who was for years Highway Surveyor of Bristol, was first laid down by the eminent French road engineer Tresauget of Limoges, who wisely hg- ured that slowly moving iron tired wagons would crush dust particles from the stones of the roads surface: that those particles would be constantly sifted between the interstices of the large stones: that every passing wagon would crush them firmer into all ruts and inequalities; that rains would aid and the ultimate result would be a smooth surface. water-shedding high way.
 Tresauget planed wisely; Macadam came two decades later and made slight change in the laying of the road foundation and gave to such thorough fares his name For a century and quarter the wisdom of the road ensi- peers of Limoges and Ayr was justi- hed. Then arose a condition they had never fgured on; fast moving vehicle running on broad soft tires. The roads began to suffer at once for the follow ing reasons: The rubber tire, being soft, creates no rock dust itself. as does the iron tire of wagon, and the very life of these roads demands constant supply of that material. It is the surface binder that keeps the road snaooth.> cracks filled iFi; that maintains the Avenstess and binds the rubbfA stones into one fmpervious mass Every iron tired wheel does it's own small qucta of good by acting as a rock dust maker and miniature road roller. The auto wllirring along at dizzy speed simply hattened its tires against the ground as it sped and the tractive force so exerted huri- ed the pFecious rock dust into the air and from where 1t was swept to the adjacent farms and lawns in olindfng clouds. So pronounced was the mere dust nuisance created in many portions of the country that real estate de- creased in value to an appreciable ex- tent and farmers complained that the ever r-increasing dust on their fields, vines and trees made 1t impossible for them to sell their harvests at as good prices a$ formerly.
 When these conditions had been es- fablished \ by scientifically gathered data the Director of the Office of Pub lie Roads set on foot numerous in- vestigations and ordered many experi- ments, the results of which 1t is be" lieyed will ultimately prove the auto mobile to be a great benefactor, for in the struggle to overcome the conditions created, highway engineers must do one of two things: find q road surfacing material which makes no dust and needs no dust to maintain It's integ- rity, or discover a method Of controli- in the dust on the raods already laid When that Is done one of the greatest problems of the centuries will have been solved, and humanity will have gained one of the greatest blessings imaginable. Absolutely dust-proof thoroughfares would add immeasurab- iy to the comforts of the human race; multiply the beauty of vast stretches of country; add countless millions of weaIths to suburan and country prop erty and do much to retard disease. for dirt means disease and the 2.i50,00o miles of highways in the United States make not less than 90 per cent. of the dust which a long suffering people take into their lungs each year.
 To the time of present writing no dust proof road surface material cheap enough for use in country districts has been found. and the experiments now proceeding are therefore along the second line; the controlling of the dust by various methods of spraying and by the use of binder materials. Tn some sections, especially through the great fruit belts of California, splendid sue" cess in dust suppression has been at- tAiped by spraying the dift roads with oils possessing asphAitic base. In cth- CT portions of the country the wise ad- niinistAring of coal tar preparations has aided to great extent. and drench- ing with calcium chloride has shown that the dust can be kept at a rntni- mum. These methods, however. are not perfect solutions of the vast prob lem of road maintenance and dust sup pression. They are merely paliatives and while they are being advocated in such sections of the country as will be immediately benefted. the bigger prob