The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1908-05-08
Z Good Roads. T
Autos Damage Hard Roads.

pneumatic tire OF the whiZZing auto
mobile could so shorten the life of
the macadam roads as to absorb the
attention of highway engineers of
every civilized country of the globe,
yet they are doing an incredible
amount of damage daily to rock sur
faced highways, and France has
called an international congress of
highway engineers at Paris on Oc-
tober IL to discuss this latest and
most startling road problem.
To understand how the broad, soft
rubber tires of the modern gasolene
propelled juggernaut kills the roads
which iron tired wagons improve one
must have at least an inkling of the
methods adopted by Treasuget, OF
Limoges, and Macadam, of Ayrshire,
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; that those particles would fill
in all interstices, and that wettings
and rollings 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
wisdom of the Scotch road builder
was justified. Every country that
lays claim to civilization adopted it,
and thousands of miles of road were
laid annually in France, Germany,
England, Holland and the United
States.
Then came the automobile, and
few years after its arrival the road
overseers began to notice the deter.
ioration of these highways. Broad
level stretches became strewn with
surface stones, ruts became frequent
and dust clouds were constantly set
Ting on the adjacent property. The
trouble was quickly traced 70 the
automobile.
These machines through the tract
i've and centrifugal force exerted by
their rapidly turning wheels were
pulling the rock dust from the roads
and swirling it away in binding
clouds. While every ironbound wagon
tire was doing it's own small percent.
age of rock crushing, dust making.
road smoothing and rock tamping
every rubber automobile tire was un.
doing that work by taking the dust
away.
Treasuget and Macadam knew that
the effect of wagon traffic would be
beneficial to rock surface roads, but
they never suspected that in future
years chugging 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 method which will benefit both
the road and the car. Study to over.
come existing conditions by creating
better conditions is now going for.
ward, and it is practically certain
that when the international congress
meets there will be solution of the
road problem and the evil effects OF
the automobile will be turned to
benefit.
Director Page, of the Office of pub.
lie roads of the United States Depart.
ment of Agriculture, who recently re-
ceived through the French Ambassa
dor, M. Jusserand, an invitation tc
attend the congress at Paris in the
fall. was recently asked if the life OF
the highways was SO seriously men.
aced as to justify a condemnation OF
the motor car and to warrant an in.
ternational congress to discuss it.
Nobody who has made study OF
the hard surface roads of 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 au.
tomobile. The arrival of this machine
has created a new and unlocked fof
condition. That means that the new
condition must be studied and the
problems which have arisen must be
solved. 1t does not mean that be.
cause the roads suffer through the
arrival of the motor car the motor
car shall pass in the interest of road
preservation.
Il regard the automobile as an i'm.
portant factor in the upbuilding OF
civilization, and it has come to stay
1t has created conditions demanding
the best thought of the highway engi.
neers of the world. l see in the solu.
ton nothing short of ideal dustless
roads. Washington Correspondence
of the New York Sun.