Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1909-10-13
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How Not to Oil Roads.

81
sThe maeadam streets Of Louis
7ille," says Mrs. Caroline Bartlett
Crane, in her rerort upon ",she Sani-
:ary Conditious and Needs OF Ken
lucky" aare in need of much repair.
It would be great advantage If the
.ity could connect all Of its parks, and
their beautiful Paducah gravel roads,
5y boulevards such as bel* Kansas
City, for example; a road made 0y
blowing up the ground to the depth
of four inches, mixing it thorougly
With crude oil containing much
asphaltum and rolling 1t with heavy
rollers. Such a road may be flushed
and hand-swept like an asphalt pave
ment, and lasts well If heavy wagons
with narrow tires are kept of OF 1t.
It is, Of course, much cheaper than
asphalt pavement. Oil Of a proper
kind might be we'll used to lay the
dust of some of your unpaved streets.
Why not use oil as freely to allay the
dist nuisan :e 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 source
Of humiliation to the. citizen who
would have the visitor appreciate the
beauty Of tie 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 tremendous asset,
but 1t remains, to an extent. >unavail-
able when the ways to the PARKS end
to parkways, are so difficult of pas
sage as to discourage the pleasure
seeker.
A more general use of oil as dust
layer and road preserver would, OF
course, prove beneficial But in the
meantime much good would result
from more careful-or, rather. less
careless-distributi Of oil upon
roads and streets where It 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 woolen and cotton Oil ap-
piled In puddles makes road lmpas-
! sable for a considerable length Of
time, then g!ust passable.;and finally
good. BY The time it res.ches the
stage last described the work is done
over again, and again those who use
the road splash through slippery
loblolly at the risk of wheel and limb
and life in motor car and with DAM
age to vehicle, clothing anG disposi-
ton In either car or carriage. Gobs
from the parent mass Of oil disen-
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 unequalied by that of liquid court
plaster. A little more care-a little
more time perhaps, even listle more
money If .necessary-expended upon
distributing oil evenly, makes road
upon which 1t is a pleasure to ride or
drive.
A private driveway oiled with some
care for consequences is tho best IL
lustration OF the carelessn ess 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
adago 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 1t.
It should not be dumped and left to
distribute itself at leisure over the
road, the running gear of passing ve-
hicles and the wardrobe of the body
polite Courier-Journal.