The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-01-29
VIEWS Of EXPERT
ON ROAD BUILDING
]. H. Dodge, Attached to Agri-
cultural Department, De-
livers Address.
REPORTS ON RESULTS OF
TESTS OF UTAH MATERIALS
Analysis Shows Some of Rock
Found in This State Is EX-
celIent for Purpose.

y. Ii, Dodge, noteu expert coH'
nected with the good roads bureau of
the department of agriculture, deliv-
erod an interesting talk at the good
roads convention Friday. Mr.. Dodge
has built roads in thirty states and
knows all about them. In the after
noon Mr.. Dodge was frequently asked
to answer questions propounded by del
egates, and this he did.
In addition to his principal address,
MIR. Dodge made report on the sam
pies of material submitted for analysis.
The government finds that by no means
are all the materials in Utah of which
samples have been tested surprisingly
good for road making, but 1t is con-
ceded that q great many of them are.
In his talk Mr.. Dodge said in part:
II have never attended a convention
IN all my life where was shown greater
enthusiasm than at yesterdays session.
You came expecting TO be instructed on
question OF vital importance i have
been doing this work eight years. con
structins roads In various parts OF the
country and in using all kinds OF materi-
ais, and il is the experience you get In
the school of observation that Is the best
farmer and have been on a farm twenty
five years. during which time l and my
wife paid off a $4,000 mortgage.
the most important matters the Amer
lean mind can consider today. Whether
to pave or not TO pave, that is the ques-
tion, / am here to make the statement
that the dirt roads OF today are not in
keeping with the civilization OF the day,
The dirt road does not approach In
good roads should have. If cannot con-
vince you that you must have roads con-
structed OF materials other than OF dirt
and in the ordinary way of country road
i
vain,
Essentials for Good Roads.
q modern road must be properly
graded. of good material and surfaced
with a hard smooth material. It may
be constructed principally of sand, clay
gravel. tar, macadam and other materi-
ais, and oil IS sometimes used. Almost
anything available may be used In the
general construction Of the bottom. but
the upper parts and the surfacing are
the important parts to be considered
IN the construction Of twentieth-cen-
tury road, 1t should be nolseess, dust
less, mudless,, water tight. not too. ex-
pensiye, and low in the cost of mainte-
nance. You have no such roads here.
Your roads arc muddy, they are dusty,
therefore they are not properly con-
that the road will not show the passage
OF a vehicle over #. That is the kind
OF a road 1 am here to tell you about
The dirt road is gone next year: for 125
doing that thing over and over again
or until ten years ago Now we have
some modern roads there.
THE first and great crying need OF
a community is good roads; their effect
on CIVILIZATION cannot be estimated: All
branShes iS oi hum5n nan indHs.Ty M are gi anecTed
celved by the producer. and the price
paid by the consumer, The time to haul
9Sds o aRd the fso S oF % the
products. II the time Is short and the
force small. the cost will be correspond
ingly low. Both depend upon the condi-
Good roads will lessen the time of
the haul; will lessen the wear and tear
on vehicle and animal, and Will enhance
the value OF property.
Will Be Economical.
There are over 100000 farmers In
the effects OF bad roads. There has been
but little accomplished along the line UP
TO the present time. Only per cent OF
the public highways are improved roads.
The highways OF this country are of
vastly greater Importance TO the develop
ment of this country than the railroads
gether for road betterment, 1t will be
a long time before conditions will i'm
prove.
Splendid results have been obtained
by bonding for roads in various counties
In Ohio and other eastern states, Good
roads resultant from the bonds had in
s35 TO $50 an acre TO $500 and $3.50 an
acre, in another county. from $40 to 800
an acre. and the bonds did not seem such
Il burden to the people. That was the
result OF building macadam roads OF the
best type.
And now come to how to build good
roads. You nave right here ample rocle
OF all kinds for road purposes, you have
the Stag You must have good material
as wc!! as good Workmanship. The body
Of the road may be built up Of broken
rock. gravel and Stag. But the Stag here
seems deficient in binding, or cementlng
material, which deficiency you must sup
ply. Every good road must have these
three essentials: hardness, toughness and
Raise your roads up high, and squat
them down tight is a motto good enough
for any road builder. The surface must
be of hard smooth and durable material.
Our best roads are cemented with tar
which binds the other materials tightly
together when put on hot"
About Utah Materials.
Mr.. Dodge reported as follows on
Utah road building materials:
Stag marked No. /. gray. from prop
erty OF j. P. Calhoun, submitted by j. T,
Yoshnell OF the office OF public roads.
from Salt Lake City-French co-efflcient
from 3 to l3 is called medium, and be-
low s, low). cementing value low. hard
ness and toughness tests not made on
slags OF this nature, sample Of acid type.
and therefore deficient in binding power.
II properly used in connection with
limestone or ealcareous gravel. good re-
suits should be obtained
Stag. marked No. black, from same
property. has a French co-efficlent OF
wear Of only 72, and a fair cementing
value.
Sandstone, submitted by F W. c.
Hathenbruck, vice president of the good
roads boulevard committee at Provo
French co-efficent. l75; hardness 10.
where II and above Is cIassod as hard
toughness, II. where from 13 10 10 Is
called medium, and ccmentlng value
good. A hard rock with high resistance
to wear medium toughness. and good
cementing value. Only recommended for
use in foundation course in macadam
road construction.
Gravel from public property by Mr.
Hathenbruck-Will make satisfactory
road building material II combined with
proper binder when used on roads hav-
Ing light traffic
Bitumen. from property OF w S. Hold
away. Provo. submitted by Mr.. Voshnell
French co-efficent, 1o.G; hardness, 10;
toUghncss, IL; as compared with rocks
ordinarily used for road construction this
material Is rather soft. with rather low
toughness and medium resistance to
wear