The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1915-03-12
WILL OIL ROAD
FROM This CITY
TOCOUNTY Seat
Highway Commissioner Sci
valIy Tells Commercial Club
County Will Pay $500.
WANTS AUTOISTS TO
GIVE AN EQUAL SUM
Gallon of Oil Will Be Used to
Square Yard, Businessmen
Hear.

Highway Engineer Dennis Scivally
at the meeting of the Commercial
Club last evening, reported IN behalf
of the Highway and Parks Committee,
of which he is a member. In speaking
of contemplated improvements on the
public highways, made the following
statement:
eve have been talking some of oil
ing the road from Cape Girardeau to
Jackson, and it has been question
with the commissioners and the
men in charge of the work, as to
whether the expense would be justi-
fled.
"The oiling of road does not keep
it from wearing out, but is more of
a dust preventative. We felt as
though we could not put up the money
unless we had assistance from people
who would receive direct benefits, and
we thought that the automobile own
ers and men living along the road
would be willing to help.
"a number have spoken favorably
of the movement and it seems that we
will have no difficulty in raising the
necessary 5000 by subscription. There
are 200 automobile owners | believe
who would be willing to subscribe S.
each, and if we are successful in get
ting the 5000, the township will fur
nish the additional 5000, necessary to
carry out the work.
at will have to be done every year
and it is a question Of whether we can
keep it up, and we thought we would
demonstrate the use Of it for a year
and if we felt justified, continue it.
"The first year the road should be
oiled twice, but we have oiled a Sec
ton of 1000 feet for two successive
years, and it still shows the effect
pretty well. You can tell it yet, along
the hedge fence at the two mile stone
1--WE secured the city street role.
and used it three days last week, and
we find that the results were well
worth the expense. If we had the
money to tear up the road and mix
the gravel with the dirt it would hold
better. After l put the gravel on, ]
put clay on top and had it rolled and
find it worked satisfactorily, but it
must be oiled or we will have dus-
ty road.
at will require a gallon of oil to
the square yard, and we should make
the application in the latter part of
June or the first of July. It will be
necessary to use it every year, but VIZ
will not be troubled with the dust to
amount to anything.
"Some discussion, was had as to
building the concrete road, but We con-
Guided that it is hardly time to begin
such an undertaking. think inside of
10 years it will be done, but not until
we bring up the earth road in the
county to higher state of improve
ment Nearly all the county roads of
this township are now rock or gravel
except the Gordonville road, and we
are doing quite a bit of work on it.
but until the other roads are in bet
ter shape, / don't think we can figure
on a concrete road from here to Jack
son. When we do begin, if we can
build a couple of miles a year, it will
not take long to get our six miles built
in this township.
"My idea would be unless we had
unlimited money, to build a concrete
track on one side and have gravel on
the other. Teams would prefer to
travel on the gravel. Some one sug-
gested the other night that we build
two tracks three feet wide for tn
wheels of the automobiles. That could
be done for perhaps $500 per mile
and would answer the purpose of traf-
fic because automobiles follow one nut
invariably. There are some roads il
the East built that way, but two 3-foot
strips would cost almost as much a.
9-foot solid roadway.
"In a great many places they are
building macadamized roads 9 feet
wide on one side, and on the other
side of dirt, and in the summer time
the traffic is over the dirt and in the
winter, on the rock. I have heard
teamsters say that when they came tn
corners where a gravel street turns
off from the concrete, the teams would
invariably want to go off of the con-
crete on to the gravel, and that is the
reason we decided on a single track
concrete road, and a gravel road on