The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-03-24
IS TAKING UP
GOOD ROADS PROBLEM

the average yearly maui bS the ran
roads. All of this 400 goo. 600 tons
had to be hauled from the farm to
the railroad and from the railroad TO
the consumer Bad roads Increase the
cost of every loaf of bread we eat 1t
Is figured that i'm this way $3.50, 100000
is annually wasted in delayed trans
portation. This does not include the
minus quantity for neglected improve
ments in land lying idle for want OF
disable roads.
This tangible yearly waste would
build 10000 miles of A AZ bituminous
roads every year. or in ten years
would turn every country road into a
superb highway The cost of this
construction varies greatly, depending
on local conditions, from $4,000 to
SIS, 900 mile. Many roads have been
restored for 1900 a mile. Further
more, if it were not for bad roads
making transportation difficult at Ger
tain times of the year, 1T would not be
possible for SPECTATORS to manipulate
the grain. cotton and corn market
Storage prices would be reduced or
eliminated and an excessive burden in
speculation, transportation and stor-
age charges removed from the pocket
book of the man who eats bread
With the advent of the automobile
and the crying demand for good roads
IL new era III TOdu IOllELA AlthciA Aiea7
been established. In addition to i'm
proving the old mud country road 1T
has been found that the hitherto ser
viceable macadaniZed road Is made
quate for the new demands made
upon ii.
When steel shod vehicles were used
these roads were found serviceable be-
cause the tires pounded the surface of
the road and packed it down. 1t was
only necessary to keep this style Of
road well watered to have perfect
highway. The watering cart has long
since disappeared, and this is why:
The effect of automobile tires on a
macadami2ed road is quite the reverse
of that of steel shod vehicle. In
stead OF pounding down the surface of
the road the rubber tire forms q vac
uum st the point of contact and the
consequent suction tears up the sur
face of the road and strews It around
Some of this flies in the dust, some Of
1t comes TO the surface in form of loose
stones. Furthermore, the automobile
weighs many times what the horse
drawn vehicle weighs It weighs theu-
sands where the other weighed hum
dreds of pounds. 1t must have a more
solid and compact roadbed to run on
IL the roadbed is to stand up under
any kind of wear and tear. This fact
became known ten years ago, when
the automobile began TO make its APP
pearance.
At first the road engineers tried TO
find something that would lay the ex-
cessive dust that the automobile
raised. The roads were oiled with a
low grade of petroleum. While this
was better than water, 1t was soon
found utterly inadequate and a more
solid method of construction was
sought.
After many experiments in all parts
of the country well-nigh perfect road
has BEEN evolved. This is how 1t Is
made:
First of all the sub-grade is shaped
in the form of an arc, higher on the
middle than on the sides, On this sub
grade a heavy stone ballast is laid
from four to ten inches deep, accord
ing to the amount OF traffic to be car
ried by the road. This is rolled down
by a twenty-ton steam roller. On the
/ top OF this ballast another layer o.
one and one-half inch stone is iaio
The second layer is about TWO anu q
half or three inches deep, ana IL Gov
cred with coal-tar product.
The second layer of stone after hav-
ing been covered with finely crushed
stone and rolled until 1t is solid. This
third coating of stone is again covered
with coal tar product of lighter CON
sistency. which sinks into the INFER
stices and binds the whole structure
together in one compact vitreous mass
, This. is rolled again until II Is soito'
The road Is now finished.
1t is kept in condition by being
sprsnkled from time to time with a
very thin solution of crude petroleum
merely to lay the dust. The coal tar
can best be supplied from n tank
truck. The tank is filled with hot tar
and is kept hot by coil pipes running
] through it attached to the exhaust
pipe OF the engine. 1t is absolutely
/ necessary to keep the tar hot. and for
this reason horse drawn wagon is in
adequate for the service. With truck
/ distance is an unimportant feature
! Roads have been constructed fifty
miles from the base OF the coal-tar
supply Hauling the material TWEEN
| ty-five or fifteen miles by truck is q
/ frequent experience,
| In operation. the motor truck takes
on a load of the coal-tar product
| keeps 1t hot while it is transporting il
/ to the stretch OF the road to be con-
| structed, and then sprinkles it where
! desired. The sprinkler system is OPP
| Grated by gear pump, which forces
! the liquid through the noZzles at the
rear. Different sized nozzles are used
| for the three different grades of the
| tar. motor truck for this exactine
service has been designed by the engi-
neers of the Locomobile Company OF
America. With this motor truck a
| road may be constructed in stretches
of ten miles without disturbing traffic
/ Qna-halfL afthe- road is constructed,
| and after that IL finished it is thrown
open TO traffic and the other half COM
| pleted.