Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1910-01-13
GOOD ROAD MATERIAL.
Best In the World Scattered
throughout United States.uc.
Is DUSTLESS AND DURABLE.

posts Of AsphaItum Rock Give
Country Great Improvement Chance.
The people of the United states have
ready 20 their land the best roadmaE-
InE material in the world Deposits
" it are scattered throughout the coun-
Try 80 hat &c cannot be "corucred'
and its use will bring dustless era.
conbmed with safety FOR horses and
automobiles.
These are some OF the conclusions OF
Howard II. Gross, one OF the four
United States commissioners to tho
international good roads congress at
Paris. who recently returned. Mr.
Gross is an enthusiast on roads and u
preparing to put his observations to
good use in acquainting the American
people with tile results OF experiments
abroad ana the opportunities which
lie at their own doors. .H
r. Il have found while abroad that we
have more to learn OF Great Britain
'han of France regarding the building
of modern roads" said Mr.. Gross to a
representative of the Chicago Post.
France has enjoyed reputation in
the past for having the best roads In
the world. but they are wearing out
under thc strain OF automobile traffic,
and comparatively little new work is
Being done. In Great Britain, how.
ever, they are taking up the task with
modern, Up tu date methods and are
conducting experiments which will DO
OF value 10 every country. u
"EvcrywiIcre the difficulty is the
same--thc automobile riddles the pave
ment, the tires lifting out the fine par
ucles which compose the surface OF
the mncadam road, leaving the rough
stone. Therefore the English have
adopted the new plan o. Increasing the
'ize or the crushed stone In the top OF
the pavement Just before the top dres,
ing, or binder, as it is called, is added
Instead OF having the stone an inch
or an inch and half In diameter the
size Is Increased to two or two and q
half inches and sometimes three
There are three methods OF top dress-
Ing. One is to apply the coal tar prod
acts in heat ted condition: Il better one
Is the use or an asphaltum mixture
and the third and best is the use of a
natural graduated asphaltum rock. -f
The asphaltum rock is crushed and
spread over the surface, being rolled
until it fills the spaces between the
stones and the inequalities OF the sur.
face. The stone shows on the surface.
making gritty hold for horses shoes
IN slippery weather and eliminating to
Iu NnV,f Al. ILL
biles. 1t does not crumble into dust
like the ordinary macadam pavement
and Is more durable than any other
road material
lin the United States we have large
deposits Of rock containing from : TO q
per cent OF aspl,altum-in Tennessee
Kentucky, Oklahoma, Texas. Utah and
California. Thus the material Is
spread all over The country. II is not
controlled by any patent and would be
q hard thing to corner 4 road built
'n this plan would last for years. 1t
would cost probably 20 cents Il souar0
yard more than macadam. but would
more than make up Tor the initial cx.
peu5' DO the chcapurss Of maintenance
The dusless feature alone Is worth
'tt NLAtttiiCt IN cost.
Studying the practical aspects OF
road building abroad. Mr. Gross has
found that government aid has been
the plan generally adopted in Europe
de has found also what he considers
ample reasons for the United States
government doing the same thing.
with measure OF assistance from
the states themselves Furthermore.
he holds that the conditions of Tho
country's roads is matter OF uni
versal concern and should be left on.
tirely to the farmers Of each locality
when payment Of the initial cost is
| provided for.
The country roads are part OF the
nations mighty system OF transporta.
don he declared. when the roads
are bad every one feels the results. ib
the cost OF the articles on his table
and practically everything else Inc
uses
"fhe tax on the individual purse
both rural and urban, extends to the
cost cf running the national govern
ment The postal department uses 40
DER cent of ihe roads Of the country
FOR rural delivery 70 has been stated
. semionicialiy that the expcnse of .bIs
service IS augmented 20 per cent by
thc state Of the highways Now the
pOstOtice department cvpcnds every
year S3jOOO,OOO on rural delivery.
twenty per cent OF this Is $1,000
all waste. which would ~ n long way
in paying the interest Ou an issue OF
i1W Interest government bopda tes,ted