The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1908-10-02
COL. SWAMI ON ROADS.
Tells of the Most Perfect Highway in
the Country.

A tne COuntry.
Col Sherlock Swami, president of
the Police Board, who is also men,
Der of the Automobile Commission ap-
pointed by Governor Crothers, has
sent a letter to the Governor telling
of his observations OF the roads of
New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island,
Massachusetts,. Vermont and New
Hampshire, through which he recently
travelled in an automobile. We copy
below the most interesting part of his
letter:
In all the States mentioned many
State roads have been constructed
Massachusetts, having the most COM
-plete system of ,bEl in my Judgment
those of Rhode Island, for wear and
economy of maintenance, are as near
ly perfect as it is possible to make
them for any kind of traffic.
Il got in touch, with one of the men
who built these roads and obtained
from him this information. They are
ii feet in width and have crown of
from one-half to three-quarters of an
inch to the foot, but he told me they
should be 20 feet wide and that the
lesser crown of one-haIf inch is
plenty, for the flatter they are the less
they wash, and therefore the less the
cost of maintenance. Where the IA
foot roads run through village or
town, and such village or town desires
greater width, it is built any width
desired, but the village or town pays
for anything over the IA feet.
THE greatest care is taken in grad
ing. In places you will find fills or
IS IT. lob
shows how careful the construction is
The system lately adopted, the re-
suits of which can be seen on the
running through to Narragansett
Pier, is to first grade the road and es-
tablish the proper crown, then lay a
stone, which is thoroughly covered
with tar and rolled out with lotion
roller. Then a smaller grade of stone
is mixed with tar, on a platform, and
laid six inches thick, which is again
rolled out; the whole nine inches be-
ing f1attened to about six inches. On
top of this is spread what they call
dust, or a very fine s;one.
Il was surprised to be told that
this depth Of only six inches is used,
for / had supposed that such thick
ness would be affected by frost, but
l was assured that it was not; that
some of this new character of road
had gone through three severe win
tiers without damage from that source
that, of course, the old style of ma
cadam road could not stand it, but
this tar treatment had made it abso
! lutely impervious to moisture, which
accounted for the results obtained anG
the great economy in original cos
that it meant.
| my informant also told me tina
the repair of such a road was extreme
| Iy simple, for if a depression was OBJ
served land they have the roads con
stantly inspecte0, tnat it was onl!
necessary to roughen the place, pu
some tar in it, then roll in some tar
red stone with hand roller, cover i
with dust and it would knit togethe
and make perfect repair.
HE also told me that the Traction
of automobile tires, no matter ever
II the machine was driven at yer.
high speed, had no bad effect upol
them, and as there is no limit of specs
in the open country in that State, tn
test has been severe one.
after some use these roads Loo
almost like asphalt and are practi
cally dustless without the necessit
of using oil, which is constant eX
pense. He told me also that sue
construction, only with thicker course
of stone, could be used in cities wit
the heaviest traffic, and was compare
lively cheap to lay.
II must say that of all the road
I have ever seen in this country, thes
are the most nearly perfect, and
only wish you could see them, for
am sure you would agree with me-.