The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1908-06-17
PUBLIC ROAD IMPROVEMENTS.
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT NAMES
COMMISSION TO EHENCN
ROAD CONGIn.S$


Charles S. Bromweli, U. S. Corps of
Engineers, and Clifford Richard.
son Will Represent the u. S. Coy
ernment at the International Road
Congress to be Held at Paris I'm Oc.
tObcr.
Washington. June 1O.-President
Roosevelt has directed that this ma
ton be strongly and officially repye
sented at the International Good
ROAD congress to be held at Paris the
week beginning October IL, and Gre
dentials have been issued naming Lo-
gan Waller Page, director of the Of
nee OF public roads of the United
States department OF agriculture.
chairman Of the commission. The
other members named are Col Charles
.. Bromwell of the United States
corps Of engineers, now serving as
superintendent Of buildings and
grounds of the District of Columbia,
and Clifford Richardson Of New York,
an eminent chemist and one of the
worlds acknowledged authorities on
bituminous road building materials.
This coming congress, which will
be attended by distinguished dele
gates from every country in the
world. is regarded by highway engi-
neers and experts as probably the
most important ever summoned for
the discussion of an economic ques-
ton. Its need is the direct outgrowth
OF the advent OF the automobile, for
while thousands are ignorant of the
fact, the soft tires Of th modern mo-
tor-car are the greatest menace the
hard surface thoroughfares of the
world have ever been calld upon to
face. To understand how a pneumat-
ic tire made Of rubber could possibly
injure road surfaced with particles
OF crushed rQck. one must have at
least faint understanding Of the the
ories on which first Tresauget of Ii
moges and then MacAdam of Ayr
built that class of highway. They
figured that road composed of
crushed stone would not only endure
the constant traffic of iron-tired We
hicles. but would Improve because the
wheels would be con-
stantly crushing the stones and
forming rock dust. That dust would,
they argued, not merely sift itself into
all cracks and interstices. but would
fill all surface inequalities and when
wet would be rolled into a smooth,
impervious, water-shedding she'll
like surface.
They reasoned well. built wisely,
and for over century and a quarter
the so-called macdam road did every
thing that the famous French and
Scotch highway engineers claimed it
capable of. 1t came to be the ideal
road for suburban sections, and thou
sands Of miles were built France to
date has spent $3.50, ,OO0,O 900 on her
Incompatible system Of rock-surfaced
national routes and the United States
has followed to a degree, possessing
at the present time approximately 3D.
600 miles Of this class of highway.
Prior to the advent of the automo-
bile the roads improved, but the
modern speed vehicle had not been
traversing the suburban highways
long before a pronounced retrogres-
sion of the most generally travelled
stretches was very noticeable Com
plants came from farmers and from.
dwellers Along suburban roads that
a great dust nuisance had also sprung
up and that emerald lawns were TAX
Ing on the hue of London fog and
that box hedge was dove grey rather
than green. Fruit farmers noted
their products becoming gritty and
prices fell off.
investigation proved at once that
the new conditions had been created
by the automobile and highway ensi.
neers In every civilized land began
studying the new condition and seek
ing for a remedy. In this country.
Director Page conducted series Of
interesting experiments in which va
rious classes of automobiles were sent
at varying rates of speed over Sc
iected stretches Of road while expert
photographers pictured their progress
and produced proof that the tractive
force OF the rear tires did the dam
age. While he was watching that
work and was experimenting with
various dust laying liquids, France
was doing the same on an even larger
scale. That country, which expends