The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1909-05-01
ccme compact under travel.

~ iu'S uhuci lidNel anu is not In any
sense as smooth as a macadam road,
it has proved satisfactory in that IT
has held up travel and only rutted to
slight depth, and is still in reason
| ably good condition after three years
of wear.
The cost Of 1905 when something
more than a mile of road 16 feet
| wide was treated, was about II cents
a square yard, using little less than
| one and one-half gallons of oil to
the square yard. The road was treat
ed second time in 1906, using seven
tenths of a gallon to square yard,
| at cost of 1913 cents a square yard.
This made something more than two
gallons Of oil to the square var Of
road. 1t was patched somewhat in
the last year.
During the hot weather the oil
comes up to the surface, and it will
ne necessary next pear to fill ruts and
depressions in the road to put in
good condition. The cost of the road
up to the present time has been about
$2,40O a mile.
1t was the experience Of the COM
mission with this road that decided to
try other experiments to see if sand
| roads could not be built, using oil,
asphalt or tar as a binder, without
the use of stone.
1t is evident that if satisfactory
roads, which will withstand ordinary
| travel, can be built with sand and
these materials the first cost of the
same will be only about one-fourth to
one-half of the cost of the macadam
| road.
The oiled roads will probably cost
from $1,000 to $4,000 a mile, using a
heavy residum asphalt oil, which
costs about 1-2 to cents a gallon
and using about two gallons to the
SQUARE yard. Undoubtedly, after sew
eral years, such roads will have to be
treated with a second coat of oil
and all ruts and depressions will have
to be filled every year.
Last season there was built south
OF Eastman, State road Of oil and
sand in Harwich, Brewster and Or
leans, where a section of about three
miles in length is being constructed.
The method was, in general, the same
as that used in Eastman. Up to the
present time, though the oiled road
seems to be much better than the
sand road, 1t has heretofore had
many defects. 1t has been impossible
to secure an even layer Of oil and an
even thickness Of the oil and sand.
mixture throughout the width of
the road, and this defect can undoub-
tedly be cured in some way. 1t is due
to the fact that during construction
the horses feet made holes in the
sand and the grade was rutted deep
ly by the wheels of the carts. The OIL
no matter how evenly it was spread
tends to settle into the depressions.
The big problem which highways
commissions, engineers, park boards
and all others interested, directly or
indirectly, in the cause of good roads
have set as a task for themselves
s the finding of a remedy to counter
act the effect on improved roads of
automobile travel. The old-style
road is a success when used as a
highway for horse-drawn vehicles
The action Of wagon wheels is entire
iy different from the action of a
vehicle propelled by the friction Of its
rear wheels on the road. In one case
1t is that of roller packing the road
way; the other it is an excavator
scraping and digging it UP. To de-
velop at a reasonable cost a type of
road that will withstand this scrap-
Ing and digging is the task to which
all States, with Massachusetts, lead
ing in experimentation, have applied
themselves.
The experiments of the engineers
have shown that it is absolutely nee
essary to know the exact character
OF the materials used to be able
to procure good results and
| account for failures. With this end
in view the Highways Commission en-
ployed the State Chemist to make an
analysis and physical tests of the ma
terials.
The engineers say that SO far as
their experience goes it seems evident
that to produce good results by the
| use Of oil-which means to accom-
plish more than the temporary laying
of dust-it is necessary to use oils
a hox l.olx