The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-10-24
Plan to Relieve Congestion in All Great Cities
Made by Inventor Edgar Chan1bless--f is Novel One
This Week Special Committee
Appointed by the New York
Board Of Aldermen Meets to
Consider This Project.

wow xOIks OCSs b1.-bSlOIe inc Cuo
Of this week. the New York City Com
mission on Congestion Of Population.
recently appointed by the mayor pur-
suant to . resolution of the board Of
aldermen. will hold . special session
to consider the merits Of plan In
vented by Edgar Chambless OF this
city for the organization Of produc-
ton. transportation and consumption
which Mr.. Chambless has named.
"Roadtown."
Roadtown. In . word Ii plan to
build . city every part OF which shall
be In the country. and which shall
still retain all the advantages Of city
life. The future Roadtown has been
described as the noiseless. dustless.
smokeless. germless. stretches. horse
less, trustees. graftless CITY,"
The appointment for q hearing by
the New York city commission 10 the
first recognition by any official body
OF Mr.. Chambless' remarkable plan
which already has secured recogni-
tion. however from some Of the most
eminent authorities In this country.
Thomas A. Edison thinks SO we'll OF
Rosdtown that he has offered 1t the
free use Of his patents for building
cement houses by the use OF moulds.
Mr.. Boyes. inventor OF the Boyes
monorail traction system, Ia SO favor
ably impressed with the Roadtown
plan that he has offered 1t free use
Of all his traction patents.
The United Electric Light and Pow
or company became 30 interested In
Mr.. Chambless' scheme that 1t re-
Quested him to place q picture OF
Roadtown and . description of its
plans In its booth at the electrical
show at Madison Square Garden.
Pictures Of Roadtown are displayed
In over nifty Of the most prominent
show windows in New York City, and
crowds daily gather on the sidewalks
before these windows, studying the
novel scheme.
Mr.. Dana w. Bartlett of Los Angeles.
representing the Municipal Refer
ence Bureau Of the Los Angeles 1915
Movement" has written and asked
Mr.. Chambless to make an exhibit OF
his Roadtown plans at the first South
west City Planning Conference to be
held In Los Angeles next month.
At the hearing to be held this week
before the New York City commits
sion. Mr.. Chambless' plans will be ad.
vocated by the Rev. DR.. John Haynes
Holmes, who succeeded the Rev. Ly-
man Abbott ~ pastor Of the Church
Of the Messiah.
vY>-~A~R~~A hA AnnAanrv ~ NffV
hujlding. operations has been upward.
The evolution Of the sky scraper was
brought about by the necessity for
more office space within q limited
area, and tho birth Of the tenement Is
due TO the congested population Incl.
dent to the close grouping Of the city's
enormous industries.
Chambless would revert building
operations from the vertical to the
horizontal.
His invention calls for the building
OF concrete dwellings In long rows out
over the country. mile upon mile. with
means Of transportation running
through each house, instead Of outside
Il, coupling housing and transports
tion In one mechanism and utilizing
the tops OF the houses AZ boulevard
Roadtown will thus embody all the ad
vautages Of the modern skyscrapine
apartment hotel with . house In the
country.
Immense saving. both Of labor and
money. will be made possible by mod
ern improvements and the co-opera
tion that can be effected by the pc
culiar construction Of the new town
Refrigerating plants. placed every
few miles, will cool the water and
keep food sweet and wholesome
Drinking water can be obtained by
tapping any Of the numerous rivers
Roadtown will cross. Express trains
averaging 30 miles an hour. will take
the Roadtownist to his destination
Hts apartment will be heated by hot
water circulated from . heating plant
BY means Of pumps. The heat can be
regulated by pressing button. Pneu
matte tubes will carry scraps from
the kitchen to q common crematory
Telephone. electric light. baths-in
short, all the luxuries Of the pampered
city dweller-will be combined with
the manifold advantages to be derived
from life In the open country.
Chambless has sought the advice Of
the best consulting engineers In the
country and has obtained estimates
showing that the plan Is practicable
In every sense OF the word. One mile
OF Roadtown would cost the owner oi
each house $22.76 . month for upkeep
This includes his heat. light. tele
phone. vacuum cleaner. water. gas FOL
cooking. laundry and transportation
The cost for constructing . mile ol
Roadtown 10 estimated at $3,109 pei
house fully equipped.
In q book entitled 'roadtown" writ
ten by the inventor and just publish
cd by the Roadtown press. $50 Nassau
street. In this city. Mr.. Chambless de
scribes his plan In part a. follows:
'The Roadtown II . scheme to or
ganise production. transportation and
consumption into one systematic plan
In IN age OF pipes and wires. and high
speed railways. such . plan necessi
tates the building In one dimension In
stead OF three-the line distribution
OF population instead Of the pyramit
style Of construction. The rail-pipe
and.wirs civilization and the increase
In the speed Of transportation 10 Ger