The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1908-04-22
AUTOS IND ROADS
Interesting Faces Relative TO thu
lAcst 81 Vehicles TN the
iuadwayS.

ing q series Of very interesting ex-
reFiment- learn The amount of
DAMAGE doae to the roek surface
| thorouehfare. by automobiles. The
results prove that HE modern fast
moving motor ear is the greatest
menace to macadam roads hat has
ever made it, appearance
ON some stretches Of thorouehfare.
especially in New England. where
many broad and smooth roads nave
been constructed. rhe refrogression
is not less than 10 per cent and it
has been forced upon the director Of
the Office of public roads and upon
many hishway engineers that If some
plan is not speedily devised for over
/ coming the bad effects Of mems lat
est and most sensational mode Of
land transportation. the monetary
loss will be stupendous and the good
work Of many years will go for
nausht
i is not only in America that this
condition prevails The men Of Eng
land, France. Germany. Holland.
Belgium and other countries of the
old world where hard surfaced high
ways are appreciated have also learn
ed that the biz soft rubber tires of
the automobile are doing an almost
incredible amount of harm. France
has Officially taken cognizance Of
he condition and has called an in
ternational congress 10 meet at Paris
on October | ! to discuss plans for
saving the roads while in no way in
terferine with the development of the
automobile. for no scientist will con
denim one worthy civilizing influence
because i; temporarily conflicts with
another He will merely admit that
Ia new condition has arisen and then
set on foo an investigation with the
idea OF mastering it.
TO many il may seem beyond be-
lief that a pneumatic rubber tire can
work any injury to road composed
| of bits Of crushed flint rock, but it
| becomes plain when the theory of
such roads is explained. The macad-
am road. named af or John I.ouden
Macadam OF Ayr, Scotland, who was
for years highway surveyor of Bris-
tol. was first laid down by the en-
inent French road engineer Tresau
get of Limoges. who wisely figured
| that slowly moving iron tired wag
ons would crush dust particles from
the stones of the roads surface;
tina, those particles would be con-
stantly sifted between the interstices
of the large stones that every pass
ing wagon would crush them firmer
rain would aid and the ultimate re-
suit would be smooth surface. wat
er shedding highway
Tresauget planned wisely; Macad-
en- came two decades later and made
a slight change in the laying of the
road foundation and gave 10 such
thoroughfares his name. For a cen
fury and a quarter the wisdom of the
road engineers of Limoges and Ayr
they had never figured on: a fast
moving vehicle running on broad soft
tires The roads began to suffer at
once for the following 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 a constant supply Of
that material 1t IS the surface bind
or that keeps he road smooth; cracks
filled in that maintains the even
ness and binds the rubble stones into
one impervious mass. Every iron
tired wheel does its own small quota
OF good BY acting as rock dust maxi
er and miniature road roller The
auto whirring along at dizzy speed
simply hattened its tires against the
x QuHu d. II SptQ anu ti4C AAaAAiNN
force so exerted hurled the precious
rock dust into the air and from
where Il was swept to the adjacent
farms and lawns in binding clouds
So pronounced was the mere dust
nuisance created in many portions
of the country that real estate de-
creased in value to an appreciative
extent and farmers complained that
the eyer-increasing dust on their
fields, vines and trees made it i'm
possible for them to sell their har-
vests at as good prices as formerly.
When these conditions had been
established by scientifically gather
ed data the director of the office of
public roads set on foot numerous
investigations and ordered many ex-
lperiments; the results of which it is
believed will ultimately prove the