Evening journal., 1908-04-29
MACADAM ROADS
DAMAGED BY AUTOS
Rubber Tires Iniure Where
Iron Wheel Tires
Improve
FRANCE TAKES UP MATTER

Few would think that the soft pneu-
matte tire of the whizzing automobile
could so shorten the life of the mac
adam roads as to absorb the atten-
ton of highway engineers of every
civilized country of the globe, yet they
are doing an incredible amount of
damage daily to rock surfaced high
ways. and France has called an inter-
national congress of highway engineers
at Paris on October IL to discuss this
latest and most startling road prob
lem.
To understand how the broad, soft
rubber tires of the modern gasolena
propelled juggernaut kills the roads
which iron tired wagons improve one
must have at least an inkling of the
methods adopted by Tresauget Of
Limoges and Macadam of Ayreshie.
when the so-called modern first rock
surfaced highways were planned and
put down. Macadam figured that the
constant passing of iron tired wagons
over crushed stone highway would
grind dust particles from the stones;
those dust particles would fill in ali
interstices. and that wettings and roll
ings would not only give a hard,
smooth surface but that the highway
would improve with the passing Of
years
For century and a quarter the wis
dom Of the Scotch road builder was
justified. Every country that laws
claim to civilization adopted it, and
thousands of miles of road were laid
annually in France, Germany, Eng
land. Holland and the United States.
Then came the automobile and a few
years after it's arrival the road over
seers began to notice tine deterioration
of these highways. Broad level
stretches became strewn with surface
stones. ruts became frequent and dust
/ clouds were constantly settling on the
adjacent property. The trouble was
quickly traced to the automobile.
Action of the Wheels.
These machines through the tractive
and centrifugal force exerted by their
rapidly turning wheels were pulling the
rock dust from the roads and swiFling
/ 1t away in binding clouds While
every ironbound wagon tire was doing
its own small percentage of rock crush
ing, dust making. road smoothing and
rock tamping everv rubber automobile
tire was undoing that work by talxine
the dust away.
Treasuget and MacAdam knew that
/ the effects of wagon traffic would be
! beneficial to rock surface roads, but
they never suspected that in future
years chugglng machines, guided by
begoggled, speed mad enthusiasts
would rush frantically across the face
of nature or that the wheels of the
strange vehicles in which they jour.
neyed would be bound by air stuffed
rubber.
The antidote lies in the discovery Of
a method which will benefit both the
road and the car. Study to overcome
existing conditions by creating better
conditions is now going forward, and
1t is practically certain that when the
international congress meets there viii
be a solution of the road problem and
the evil effects of the automobile will
be turned to a benefit.
Director Page. of the Office OF public
roads of the United States department
of agriculture. who recently received
through the French ambassador. j
Jusserand. an invitation TO attend the
congress at Paris in the fall. was ask
ed recently If the life Of the highways
was so seriously menaced as to justify
a condemnation of the motor car and
to warrant an international congress
TO discuss.
Shortens Roads Life.
Nobody who has made a study OF
the hard surface roads oe this or any
other country would attempt to deny
that the motor car is constantly short
ening the life of such thoroughfares.'
said the director. but that is no rea.
son for the condemnation of the auto.
mobile. The arrival of this machine
has created a new and unlocked fol
condition. That means that the new
condition must be studied and Ia,
problems which have arisen must b'
solved. It does not mean that becaus,
the roads suffer through the arrival o
the motor car. the motor car shall pas
in the interest Of road preservation.
Il regard the automobile as an i'm
portant factor in the upbuilding o
civilization, and it has come to stay
It has created conditions demanding
the best thought Of the highway on
gineers Of the world. 1 see in the solu
ton nothing short of ideal dustles
roads"