Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1909-09-24
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ville,- says Mrs. Caroline Bartlett
Crane, in her report upon -The Sani-
tary Conditions and Needs of Ken
lucky" ~are in need of much repair.
II would be great advantage II the
city could connect all Of its parks, and
their beautiful Padueah gravel roads,
by boulevards such as belt Kansas
City. for example; a road made by
plowing up the ground to the depth
of four inches, mixing it Thoroughly
with crude oil containing much
asphaltum and rolling It with heavy
rollers. Such a road may be flushed
and hand-swept like an asphalt pave
ment, and lasts well IL heavy wagons
with narrow tires are kept off of 1t.
1t is. Of course, much cheaper than
asphalt pavement. Oil of a proper
kind might be well used to lay the
dust of some of your unpaved streets.
Why not use oil as freely to allay the
dust nuisance of roads as to abate
the mosquito nuisance on stagnant
water?"
Louisville's lack of outlets has long
been an annoyance to all persons who
ride or drive or motor. and a source
of humiliation to the citizen who
would have the visitor appreciate the
beauty of the parks, but who knows
that the deepest impression left upon
anyone who goes to them is that part
of the journey must be made over ILL
paved streets. A park system such as
Louisville has is a tremendous asset,
but 1t remains, to an extent, unavail-
able when the ways to the parks and
to parkways, are so difficult of pas
sage as to discourage the pleasure
seeker.
A more general use of oil as a dust
layer an resi- l-ieF V aid. of
course. prove beneficial. But in the
meantime much good would result
from more careful-or, rather. less
careless-dlstribut of oil upon
roads and streets where II is used. To
attain results the oil should not be
applied in wide pools and deep pud-
dies unless the object in view is to
increase the business of persons who
earn an honest livelihood by repaint-
ing gasoline-driven and horse-drawn
vehicles, and those who sell divers gar
ments of wooden and cotton. Oil APP
piled In puddles makes road impas-
sable for a considerable length of
time, then just passable and finally
good. BY the time it reaches the
stage last described the work is done
over again, and again those who use
the road splash through a slippery
loblolly at the risk of wheel and limb
and life in a motor car and with dam
age to vehicle, clothing and DISPOSE
tion in either car or carriage. Gobs
from the parent mass of oil olsen
gage themselves and land here and
there upon the person or property of
the unoffending user of the road
where they display an adhesive quail
ity unequalled by that of liquid court
plaster. A little more eare-a little
more time perhaps. even little more
money if ecessary-expended upon
distributing oil evenly, makes a road
upon which 1t is a pleasure to ride or
drive.
A private driveway oiled with some
care for consequences is the best IL
lustration of the carelessness with
which public roads and streets are
usually oiled. And the public roads
and streets, oiled upon the wide pool
and deep puddle plan illustrate the
adage that what is eyeryone's busi-
ness is nobody's business.
Let US have more oil on the high
ways, by all means, but it should be
applied with view to usefulness and
in a manner calculated to cause the
least annoyance, Inconvenience and
expense to those who travel over it.
1t should not be dumped and left to
distribute itself at leisure over the
road, the running gear Of passing We
hicles and the wardrobe of the body
politic.-Louisville Courier-Journal.