Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1908-06-24

over a crushed stone highway woul
grind dust particles from the stones
that those particles would fill In al
interstices and that wettings and roll
ings would not only give a hard
smooth surface, but that the highwa.
would improve as the years pass.
For century and a quarter the wis
dom Of the Scotch road builder wa
justified. Every country that lay
claim to civilization adopted 1t, an(
thousands of miles Of road were lai(
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 deteriora
ton of these highways. Broad ant
level stretches became strewn witt
surface stones, ruts became frequent
and dust clouds were constantly set
Ting on the adjacent property. The
trouble was quickly traced to the au
tomobile.
These machines through the tractlve
and centrifugal forces exerted by thelI
rapidly turning wheels were pulling
the rock dust from the roads and
swirling it away in binding clouds
While every iron bound wagon tire
was doing Its own small percentage Of
rock crushing, dust making, road
smoothing and rock tamping, every
rubber automobile tire was undoing
that work by taking the dust away.
Tresauget 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
odd vehicles in which they journeyed
would be bound by air stuffed rubber
The antidote lies in the discovery Of
q method which will benefit both the
road and the car. Study to overcome
existing conditions by creating better
conditions is now going forward, and 1t
is practically certain that when the
congress meets there
will be a solution Of the road problem
and the evil effects Of the automobile
will be turned to benefit.
Director Page Of the Office of public
roads of the United States department
Of agriculture, who recently received
through the French ambassador, NJ.
Jusserand, an invitation to attend the
congress at Paris in the fall, was ask
ed recently if the life Of the highways
was so seriously menaced as to justify
q condemnation of the motor car and
to warrant an international congress
to discuss 1t.
Nobody who has made a 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 auto
mobile. The arrival Of this machine
has created a new and unlocked for
condition. That means that the new
condition must be studied and the
problems which have arisen must be
solved. 1t does not mean that because
he roads suffer through the arrival
IF the motor car the motor car shall
pass In the interest Of road preserva-
ion.
81 regard the automobile as an i'm
)ortant factor In the upbullding OF
and 1t has come to stay.
L has created conditions demanding
he best thought of the highway en-
yineers Of the world. see in the So
ution nothing short Of ideal dustless
Dads"