The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1908-05-07
Automobiles Destroying
Good h0adS.

Soft Rubber Tres olAAP
Highways of Rock Dust Binder. France
Sounds Alarm.
The office of Public Roads of the
United States Department OF Agricul-
ture has recently been conducting a
series of yery interesting experiments
to learn the amount of damage done to
the rock surface thoroughfares by auto
mobiles. The results prove that the
modern fast moving motor car Is the
greatest menace to macadam roads
that has ever made its appearance.
On some stretches of thOr0ughfare,
especially in New England, where
many broad and smooth roads have
been constructed, the retrogresslon is
not less than 40 per cent ana u mas
been forced upon the director OF the
office of public roads, and upon many
highway engineers, that II some plan Is
not speedily devised Tor overcoming
the bad effects of mems latest and
most sensational mode OF land Trans
portation, the monetary loss will be
stupendous and the good Work OF many
years will go for naught.
1t is not only in America that TINS
condition prevails. The men of Eng
land. France, Germany, Holland, Bel
gium and other countries of the old
world where hard surfaced highways
are appreciated have also learned that
the big soft rubber tires of the automo-
bile are doing AL almost incredible
amount of harm. France has officially
taken cogniZance of the condition and
has called an International Congress
to meet at Paris on October 18th to dis
cuss plans for saving the roads, while
in no way interfering with the develop
ment of the automobile, for no scientist
will condemn one worthy clvlllzlng ID
huence because it temporarily conflicts
with another. He Will merely admit
that new coalition has arisen and
then set on foot an investigation with
the idea of mastering it.
To many it may seem beyond belief
that 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 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
Tresauget of Limoges, who wisely
figured that slowly moving iron tired
wagons would crush dust particles
|
thai those particles would be constant
ly sifted between the interstices of the
| large stones; that every passing wagon
would crush them firmer 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
slight change in the laying of the road
foundation and gave to such thorough
fares his name. For a century and a
quarter the wisdom of the road engi-
neers of Limoges and Ayr was justified.
Then arose condition they had never
figured on; fast moving vehicle run
ming on broad soft tires. The roads be-
gan 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 constant sup
ply of that material. 1t is the surface
binder that keeps the road smooth
cracks filled in; that maintains the
evenness and binds the rubbIe stones
into one impervious mass. Every iron
tired wheel does its own small quota of
good by acting as a rock dust maker
and miniature road roller. The auto
whirring along at dizzy speed simply
| flattened its tires against the ground as
/ it sped and the tractive force so exerted
hurled the precious rock dust into the
air and from where it was swept it to
the adjacent farms and lawns in blind
ing clouds. So pronounced was the
mere dust nuisance created in many
/ portions of the country that real estate
/ doe Sp6 V1lnp annrprla hi o
! extent and farmers complained that
the ever-increaSing dust on their fields,
vines and trees made it impossible for
them to sell their harvestS at as good
prices as formerly.
When these conditions had been estab-
lished by scientifically gathered data the
Director of the Office of Public Roads
set on foot numerous Investigations
and ordered many experiments; the re-
suits of which it is believed will ulti-
mately prove the automobile to be Il
great benefactor, for in the struggle to
overcome the conditions created high
way engineers must do one of two
things; find road surfacing material
which makes no dust and needs no dust
to maintain its integrity, or discover a
method of controlling the dust on the
roads already laid. When that is done
one of the greatest problems of the
centuries will have been solved and
humanity will have gained one of the
greatest blessings imaginable. Abso.
lutely dust-proof thoroughfares would
add UNNECESSARILY to the comforts of
the human race; multiply the beauty OF
vast stretches of country; add countless
millions of wealth to suburban and
country property and do much to re.
tard disease. for dirt means disease and
the 2,15O,00O miles of highways in the
United States make not less than &C
per cent. of the dust which a long-suf
fering people take into their lungs each
year.
To the time of present writing nc
duSt-prOOf road surface material CHEAP
enough for use in country districts has
been found, and the experiments now
proceeding are therefore along the sec.
ond line; the controlling of the dust by
various methods of spraying and by the
use of binder materials. In some sec.
lions, especially through the great fruit
belts of California, splendid success in
dust suppression has been attained by
spraying the dirt roads with oils pos
sessing asphaltic bases. In other por-
lions of the country the wise admins
tering of coal tar preparations has aid
ed to a great extent, and drenching
| with paJaiI,n, oblnridp has chnuyn 10 +