The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1909-02-15
GOOD ROADS


ment, is taken from the last amman
report of Secretary Wilson,:
The demand for men specially quail
fed in highway engineering is increas-
ing at a rapid rate, and our colleges
and universities are realizing that spe-
cial provision must be made In their
engineering departments for this I'M
portant branch. The usual course in
civil engineering does not provide
graduates capable of Immediately tax
ing up and directing highway WORK
Accordingly, the Department has CO.
operated with educational institutions
and urged the establishment of courses
in highway engineering or the modifi-
cation of civil engineering courses SO
as to provide the necessary instruc-
ton. The University Of Washington
has established a chair of highway en-
cheering, to which an engineer or the
Office of Public Roads of this Depart
ment has been appointed, and many
other colleges are now making definite
progress along this line.
In addition, the Department has Tor
several years successfully carried out
a plan of appointing each year a small
number of graduates in civil engineer
ing and giving them thorough and
practical training in highway work for
a period of one year. This is not
gratuitous instruction on the part of
the government, as the young men,
while receiving a small salary and val
liable instruction, are. on the otner
hand rendering service to the govern
ment. At the end Of one year these
students may be retained in the serv-
ice without further examination and
promoted to the position Of assistant
engineer The plan has worked out
exceedingly well, and number OF
young engineers have passed from the
government service to important posi-
lions in state and county road work.
Object Lesson Roads.
Measured by comparison with pre-
vious years results, the object-lesson
work of the past year was the most
successful in the history of the De-
partment. At the close of the year 81
object-lesson and experimental roads
had been completed or were In course
of construction, illustrating the best
methods of road construction as
adapted to conditions in each section
of the United States. These object
lesson roads were instrumental in the
giving Of instruction in the art OF road
building, and it may therefore be salo
without exaggeration that the Depart
ment maintained 81 temporary schools
in road building.
The engineers from the office made
the necessary surveys and prepared the
plans and estimates and supervised the
construction, instructing the local roae
builders at each stage Of the work. II
all 10 macadam, 6 sand-clay gravel
earth. 8 burnt clay, 1 shell, 2 tarred
and Q oiled roads were constructed
making a. total of 223,208 square yards
of road surfaced. Object-lesson ant
experimental roads were constructed IL
Massachusetts, Virginia, West Vir
ginia, South Carolina, Kentucky, Ten
nessee Georgia, Florida, Alabama
Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Wiscon
sin, Missouri, Arkansas, North Dakota
Nebraska, and California during tn
year.
The demands upon the Department
for expert advice on road constructio
and maintenance have grown continu
ously in recent years, both in volum
and in complexity. The result has bee
F.. that a corps of consulting highway en-
gineers of the widest possible expert
ence and adaptability has grown up
the Office of Public Roads, supplement
al nv specialists in the various meth