The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1908-04-30
FAST MOVING AUTOMOBILES ARE
DESTROYING THE WORLDS
GOOD ROADS.
Soft Ruther Tires STRIP Hard Sur
face Highways Of Reek Dust
bipaer.

GtRNNfs
The Uaice n pEhlie Raads - tAo
t'niloa STATES Department u Agreed
isv has mcsBily been oondneiAng .
ssnles Il very Interesting experiments
H. learn The amount q damage done %
he rock rariacs li.omagllAnes ~ asss
mobiles The results prove that the
MODERN iast moving motor car y the
greaiea msnaes 10 macaslam roajsibai
has ever made ils appearance.
GA sone stretches q thgruaghisfe.
especially Ia New Engiand, where
many broad and smooth roads have
been constructed, the relrogresslon IS
nol less than 40 per cent and q has
been forced upon the Director 81 the
ofina 81 Public Roa,ls and upon many
highway engineers that i some plan u
not speedily devised for overcoming
the bad effects 81 men latest and most
sensational mode Of land transporia
llon. The monetary loss will he stipend
oas and ,he good work Of many yeary
will 90 for nanght,
II Is not only 10 America that this
condition prevails. The men Of Eng
land, France, Germany, Holland. Bel
gum and other countries Of the old
world where hard surfaced highways
are appreciated have also learned that
the big soft rubber tires Of the auiomo'
bile are doing an almost incredible
amount Of harm. France has officially
taken eogniEance Of the condition and
has called an international Congress 10
meet at Paris on October IL 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 civiliting influence
because il temporarily conflicts with
another He will merely admit that a
new condition has arisen aud then SET
on foot an investigation with the idea
Of mastering II.
To many il may seem beyond belief
that pneumatic rubber tire can work
any injury to a road composed Of bits
Of crushed flint rock, but il becomes
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
Tresaugei OF Limoges, who wisely fig
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 hrmer into all ruts
and inequalities; that rains would aid
and the ultimate result would be a
smooth surface, water shedding high
way.
Tresauget planned wisely; MacAdam
came two decades later and made a
light change in the laying of the road
foundation and gave 10 such thorough
fares his name. For century and
quarter the wisdom of the road engin-
GERS of Limoges and Ayl WIS justified.
Then arose a condition they had never
figured on; fast moving vehicle run
ming 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 MS does
the iron tire of a wagon, and the very
life OF these roads demands constant
supply Of that material. II is the sur.
face binder that keeps the road
smooth; cracks filled in; that main
tains the evehness and binds the rub
bic stones into one imperyious mass.
Every iron tired wheel does its own
small quota OF good by acting ms a
rock dust maker and miniature road
roller. The auto whirring along at
dizzy speed simply flattened its tires
against the ground as il sped and the
tractiye force so exerted hurled the
precious rock dust into the air and
from where il was swept to the adj
jacent farms and laws in binding
clouds. So pronounced was the mere
dust nuisance created in many portions
OF the country that real estate decreas-
ed in value 10 an appreciable extent
and farmers complained that the ever.
increasing dust on their fields, vines
and trees made il impossible for them
to sell their haryests at as good prices
as formerly.
When these condition had been es-
tablished by scientifically gathered data
the Director Of the Office Of Public
Roads SET on foot numerous investiga-
tions and ordered many experiments;
the results Of which il is believed viii
ultimately prove the automobile to be
a great benefactor, for in the struggle
10 overcome the conditions created
highway engineers must do one or two
things; find a road surFacing material
which makes no dust aud needs no dust
10 maintain It's integrity, or discover
method Of controlling the dust on the
roads already laid When that is done
one Of the greatest problems Of the cen
turies will have been solved and hui
mainly viii have gained one Of the
greatest blessings imaginable. Also
lutely dust proof thoroughfsres would
add immeasurably TO the comforts Of
the human race; multiply the beauty
Of vast stretches Of country; add count
less millions Of wealth TO suburban and
country property and do much to re-
iArd disease, for dit means disease
and The 2, ia, 0O1 miles Of highways in
the United States make no, less than
80 per cent. Of the dus, which long
suffering people take into their lungs
each year.