The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1908-05-08
SPEEDING OF
AUTOMOBILES

sUl IlglB!bI ] ! /
DIRECTOR or Ne oFFicE o.
s PuHEic DADS oNpucTs
ExPERiMENT
A Il two-t ton racing ant omobile now
ing at somethin ina excess $of ID mile
6 minute. while an imp enetrabisi,
cloud OF fog.grey5 rock dust hung to-
the horizon and marked the speeding
course OF the big machine. was the
sight witnessed BY travellers on. the
famous conduit road a dozen miles
from Washington ION Thursday, April
20,
The seemingly pronounced violation
OF the speed ordinances was counten-S
anced by two Of the Nations federal
departments; Agriculture and War
however. the rushing motor:car hav-.s
ing been pressed Into requisitlon by.
LEV. Page, Director OF the Office Of
Cushman. Assistant Director, in tho
effort to determine the effects Of auto
ways. and the stretch of thoroughfarei
was placed at their disposal by War
Department officials. .' i.43;
While the racing car and others, OF
various weights and types made many
trips over the selected stretch OF a
mile and a half at varing rates OF
speeds, from s to G5 miles an hour.
corps of skilled photographers, equip
ped with the most modern devices for
photographing vehicles at very high
speeds. made accurate records OF the
various tests. "A ~ "a Z. n N
It has long been known to highway
engineers that automobiles were rap
idly shortening the lives of the rock
surface roads OF the world. and many
experiments have been made In the
past six or seven years to determine
the actual cause of the damage done.
To understand how the soft broad
tires OF the modern motor car can
work an injury to surface that not
only withstands. but improves under
the constant passing and repassing Of
vehicles with Iron tires, one must be
apprised briefly of the theory on which.
first Tresauget of Limoges. and later
MacAdam OF Ayr. worked when giv-
Ing such highways to the world. They
reasoned that road surfaced with
bits of stone would improve under
wagon traffic because the iron tires
of the passing vehicles would con-
|stantly chush the stones and form rock
dust particles: that those rock dust
particles would not merely fill In all
the interstices between the stones
but would also form surface dust
binder; the MEETINGS and rollings tend
| ing to cement the dust into a she'll
like surface anu thus make the entire
road one notwithstanding, water
shedding mass. 81!
They reasoned well and wisely.
The macadam ronds lived up to the
i theories Of. their inventors and I'M
|proycl with the passing years until
the advent OF the automobile. It was
but a short time after 1t came into
vogue TINT highway engineers In all
civilized lands learned that new con-
4 dltion was confronting them and that
established customs were being men.
ncei. The trouble was quickly traced
to the automobile and 1t was studied.
1t was soon noted that the soft rub.
her tire was the highway menace. 1t
crushed no rock itself and therefore
contributed no quota Of the ncedful
surface dust binder. while the tromelr
dous tractive force Of the rear wheels
drew UP the dust made by, the iron
tired wagons and sent 1t whirling
away over adjacent lands.
Those who witnessed the expert
ments Of Thursday near the National
Capital could not doubt for moment
that the various road experts all over
Z the world are correct in the opinion
that very rapidly driven. automobiles
! are rapidly tearing up tho surface oil
I the mncndnm road. for not only were
~ : d + Z q Up
3 huge. clouds of dust lifted into the ali
i md blown off the road, but careful ex
} animation showed that the mnteria
/ under the wheel tracks of the machine
was distinctly loosened and travelled
even during the short period of these
tests.
i No such effects were noticeable
after the passing Of iron tired vchi
Giles; the series Of tests beginning
with the passing OF horse drawn
vehicle. This was photographed rs II
moved along and also as the wagor
tires passed given mark. Then the
automobiles were sent over the course
The first was heavy weight touring
car moving at five miles an hour. A