The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1908-04-23
A ROAD QUESTION.
Fast Automobiles Destroying The
Worlds Coed Reads.
CONGRESS In OCToCER
Called by France TO Discuss This Serl.
GUS CGndIliCR- National Read OF.
flee WIFI be Represented.

| The Office Of Public Roads cf tn,
United States Department of Agri
culture has recently been conducting
a series of very Interesting expert
ments to learn the amount of dam
age done to the rock surface
thoroughfares by automobiles. The
results prove that the modern fas1
moving motor car is the greatest
menace to macadam roads that has
ever made its appearance.
On some stretches Of thorough
fare, especially in New England
| where many broad and smooth roads
have been constructed, the retro.
gression is not less than 40 per cent
and it has been forced upon the Di.
rector of the Office of Public Roads
and upon many highway engineers
that if some plan IS not speedily de.
vised for overcoming the bad effects
Of mems latest and most sensational
mode of land transportation, the
monetary loss will be stupendous
and the coed work Of many years
Will go for naught.
It 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
learned that the big soft rubber
tires Of the automobile are doing All
almost Incredible amount Of harm
France has officially taken cogni-
zance OF the condition ard has called
an International Congress to meet at
Paris on October il to discuss plans
for saving the roads, while in no
way interfering with the develop
ment Of the automobile, for 10
scientist will condemn one worthy
civilizing influence because it tenn
porarily conflicts with another. He
will merely admit that q new condi-
ton has arisen and then set on foot
an investigation with the idea Of
mastering it.
To many it may seem beyond be-
lief that a pneumatic rubber tire
can work any injury to road COM
posed of bits Of crushed flint rock,
but it becomes plain when the theory
of such roads is explained. The
macadam road, named after John
Louden Macadanl Of Ayr, Scotland,
who was for years highway surveyor
Of Bristol, was first laid down by the
eminent French road engineer
Tresauget Of Limoges, who wisely
figured that slowly moving iron tired
WAGONS would crush dust particles
from the stones of the roads's sur
face; that those PARTICLES would be
constantly sifted between the inter-
stices of the large stones; that every
passing wagon would crush them
frmer into all ruts and inequalities;
that rains would aid and the ulti-
mate result would be a smooth sur
face, understanding highway.
Tresaught planned wisely; Mac
Adam came two decades later and
made slight change in the laying
of the road foundation and gave to
such thoroughfares his name. For
a century and a quarter the wisdom
of the road engineers OF Limoges
and Ayr was justified. Then arose
a condition they had never figured
on; fast moving vehicle running
on broad soft tires. The roads be-
gan to suffer at once for the follow
ing 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
constant supply of that material.
It is the surface binder that keeps
the road smooth; cracks filed in;
that maintains the evenness and
binds the rubble stones into one i'm
pervious mass. Every iron tired
wheel does its own small quota OF
coed by acting as g. rock dust maker
and a miniature road roller. The
auto whirring along at dizzy
speed simply fattened its tires
against the ground as it sped and
the tractive force so exerted hurled
the precious rock dust into the all
and from there it was swept it te
the adjacent farms and lawns II
binding clouds. So pronounced was
the dust nuisance created IN many
portions Of the country that real es
tate decreased in value to an appre
ciable extent and farmers complain
ed that the ever-increasing dust or
their fields, vines and trees made i
impossible for them to sell their har
vests at as good prices as formerly
Whom these conditions had beer