Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-11-19

things OF the past. They must go.
The quotations are from the language
of Winthrop Z. Scarritt, of New YORK.
referee Of The Journal Herald good roads
tour. He was discussing the lessons OF
the tour, conversationally reviewing some
Of the observations that during the l'OVO-
miles of varying road had stamped them
selves upon the attention OF the TOURISTS
"a campaign is needed to show the non
sense of this obsolete practice" said Mr..
scarritt. Modern road-building does not
recognize the water-break, or the spring
break. or the thank-you-ma'am, or the
bunlp-the-bump, or whatever one chooses
term those obnoxious humps across the
roads of some communities.
MANY a mile of excellent road Is ru-
ined by them today" said Mr.. Scarritt.
Many thousand dollars have been spent
in paving roads in which these water
breaks have been built; and better had
the roads never been paved at ALL Bet
ter that a road be a smooth straight away
dirt road, good during at least part
of the year, than paved road cursed
with one of these water-breaks every
hundred feet or so. For every thank
you-ma' am means .straining horses and
mules backs, and straining harness leath-
er. and grinding traces. and cracking
is equivalent to = EsG6hole as wide as
tie road. -..-.... ..--.s
IT talked with scores or cit.seas along
the national highway through Pennsyl-
vania and other states-but particularly
through Pennsylvania about these water
breaks. And there was no one to defend
them save a few who believed they are
necessary TO keep the road from washing
away.
WATER BREAKS NOT NECESSARY.
Nothing could be more mistaken than
this latter view. 1t was held formerly
BY reasonable men, but they soon chang
ed their opinion. The correct theory of
road building does not take into consid-
GRAFTON the flowing Of water down the
length Of the road-a flow to be curbed
and diverted to the side suIleys by these
water breaks, so-called. The road build
ers OF today give the proper crown to
their roads-arch them toward the mid
die from the gulleys or cutters on either
side: and water flows directly off from
the top of this arch to these gulIeys.
And then where this flood crosses the
line of the road, 1t is conducted across
through culverts under the surface.
That is the approved theory. It leaves
the road smooth on top, and always dry
But water breaks-spring- breaks! a
campaign is needed to check
the building of any new ones and to OBJ
literate forever those that have already
been built. On dirt road or paved road
the water-break IS a mistake that in my
mind is almost an Improbable offense
chargeable against the public officers who
permit them to be built.
IT find that farmers condemn these
water-breaks quite as heartily as motor
lists and for the same reasons-the dis
comfort of riding over them, and the
gradual ruination they bring to vehicles
whether buggy, wagon, or automobile)
and the unnecessary strain they put on
motive power"
Mr.. Scarritt gives to the national high
way a commentator that is valuable
coming from him. for he has toured many
thousand miles Of road in America and
abroad.
NATIONAL HIGHWAY is GOOD.
Speaking broadly, this new national
highway is not even now in the dawn of
the water breaks on the Pennsylvania
and Virginia roads are taken out. Many
Of them will be taken out before next
year, believe. Many county authorities
pledged themselves to do this. I noticed
very few IN the southern half of the high
way. MeclClenburg county, n. c., has a
few of them, in unfavorable contrast with
in Guilford county. n. c., where the ex-
cellent roads are absolutely innocent Of
them, &C.,. .
veterans Of the Glidden tours found IN
q single days run of the Glidden tour
more bad roads than they found on the
whole national highway between New
York and Atlanta
Mr.. Scarritt commends a new type of
road that he believes will soon supplant
macadam in perfect favor-a road that
has been tested in several quarters OF the
east and found superior to everything else.
1.-THE day Of macadam roads is past"
predicts Mr.. Scarritt. 1.-The Imperial
road as this new type is called. win sup
plant macadam. Macadam will stand
the travel of automobiles of wagons, but
not the travel of both. The two together
ravel a macadem road. The iron tires
of wagons grind the road and the rub
Der tires Of automobiles whisk It away
Were IL not for the latter the road
would be packed again by the next rains.
Were It not for thhe former the latter
would have nothing to sweep away. The
Imperial road withstands both.
IMPERIAL ROAD BEST.
"The imperial road is first plowed; then
the loose dirt is soaked with a chemi-
cal mixture adapted to the soil; then
the whole is kneaded to a paste; then
it is leveled and rolled 1t gets hard
as traffic packs 1t. It is self-healing
from the wounds Of horseshoe caulks
and iron tires. 1t won't melt like as
phalt. 1t is impervious to water Au-
tomobiles can't skid on It, II grows bet
ter with age. On the whole, II is the
best road known nowadays. believe.
]. G. Robin. who has an office in the
Times building New York. knows more
about this type of road than anybody
else whom I can remember. The impe-
rial road involves practically no ex-
pense Of maintenance. 1t costs about
ss much as macadam, understand, but