Milford chronicle., 1908-06-12
French Read Congress.

the week beginning October II
and credentials have been issue
, naming Logan Waller Page, ID
rector of the Office of Public Road
of the U. s. Dept. Of Agriculture
a Chairman of the Commission. TIL
other members named are Col. C
= S. Bromwell of the U. S. Corps o
Engineers, now serving as Supt. o
Buildings and Grounds of the Dist
, of Columbia, and Clifford Richard
son. Of New York, an eminent
chemist and one of the world &C.
/. knowledged authorities on bitumi'
nous road building materials.
This coming Congress, which will
be attended by distinguished dele
gates from every country in the
world, is regarded by highway en-
gineers and experts as probably
the most important ever summon
ed for the discussion of an econom-
ic question. Its need is the direct
outgrowth ofthe advent ofthe auto
mobile, for while thousands are
| ignorant of the fact, the soft tires
of the modern motor car are the
greatest menace the hard surface
thoroughfares of the world have
ever been called upon to face. To
understand how a pneumatic tire
made of rubber could possibly in
lure a road surfaced with particles
of crushed rock, one must have at
least a faint understanding of the
theories on which first Tresauget |
of Limoges and then MacAdem of |
Ayr built that class of highway.
They figured that road composed
of crushed stone, would not only
the constant traffic of iron
tired vehicles, but would improve
because the metal bound wheels
would be constantly crushing the
stones and forming rock dust. That
dust would, they argued, not
merely sift itself into all cracks,
and intercises, but would fill sur
ace inequalities and when wet
would be rolled into smooth, i'm
oervious water shedding, shell-like
They reasoned we'll built wisely. l
7or over a century and quarter the
nacadam road did everything the S
amous French and Scotch highway i
ngineers claimed it capable OF. 1t T
anne to be the ideal road for SUI b
urban sections and thousands of P
niles were built. France to date G
as spent 5000, 600, 900 on her in ?
system of rock-surfaced c
Jational routes. and the United P
tates has followed to a degree, c
at the present time APP o
roximately $4,000 miles Of this e.
lass of highway. p
Prior to the event of the auto
Iobile the roads improved, but the Il
Iodern speed vehicle had not been OF
aversing the suburban highways 10
ng before a pronounced retrogres- s.
on Of the most generally travelled Il.
retches was very noticeable. Com eq
aints came from farmers and from OF
Vellers along suburban roads that nj
great dust nuisance had also pc
rung up and that emerald lawns OF
ere taking on the hue of London IN
g, and that box hedge was dove sa
ey rather than green. Fruit far 81
ars noted their products becoming Ok
itty and prices fell off.
Investigation proved at once rel
at the new conditions had been shl
eated by the automobile, and high ito
~ engineers in every civilized Ac
I'd began studying the new CON
ion and seeking for a remedy. ag'
this country Director Page CON pal
cted a series Of interesting ex- ira
-iments in which various classes Tie
automobiles were sent at TIL
wing rates of speed over select or
stretches of road, while expert ira
Otographers pictured their pro- ing
IS and produced proof that the ials
ctive force of the rear tires did tails
damage. While he was watch OF
that work and was experiment wei
with various dust laying liquids me-
Ince was doing the same on an the
n larger scale. That country, car
ich eXpends large sums annually trai
maintaining the well-nigh per I iess
system of highways, it has .aDl
n building since the days of the u a. !,
/ Napoleon, made a most COM euIl
e set of measurements and IA d,
ned that the automobiles had 9na
sed the roads of the Repub- any
o retrograde fully forty percent. ION ION
was decided to summon the uIsl
1ght, skill and intelligence Of CON
world to combat a condition 4 lI
oh means great financial losses .lioI ~,
the official invitations to the III u
gress were sent out, the French S -
eminent formally requesting use