Crossville chronicle. [volume] (Crossville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1916-09-27
GOOD ROADS DISCUSSION.
Mr. Converse Talks Of the Drag and
the Wide Tire.

Editor Chronicle:
notice recently in the Chronicle
you praising the recent work done on
the graded road west of Crossville /;
namely, the working of this road with
the road machine in such a way as to
put from a to 8 inches of dirt in the
road at once.
This is a mistake. We will never
have good graded roads as long as we
neglect them from II to Is months.
then put inches of dirt up at once. >
Since Cumberland county is on her
way to graded roads why cannot or
will not the county paper advocate the
only things that will make SUCH ROADS
satisfactory and permanent: the drag
and the wide tire.
The drag should be used after each
rain, if possible, and If used the ma
chine will never be needed for the drag
will bring the dirt to the middle OF the
road In small quantities and 1t will
pack and the road will become hard.
/ don't want to argue this statement !;
it is a fact and has been demonstrated
thousands of times.
1t will not make roads equal to con-
crete or macadam, but will keep our
roads passable for motors II months
each year.
The wide tire will work hand in hand
with the road builders and are unpop-.
ular only by those who have never tired
them. Those who have used wide tires
are loud in their praise.
| would compel wide tires on our
graded roads by a law, for one VIDE
tire and one hundred narrow tires Will
not make a road, but will likely be q
hardship on the team hltched 10 the
wide tire.
Such law could allow time to wear
ont ar nut on wide tires and at the ex-
piration of that time put tax on all
wagons that appear on the roads not
complying with the proper width OF
tire.
This law could tax at once all new
wagons brought into the county, whicn
do not comply with the provisions OF
the wide tire law.
It's haru to make such change, out
when made it will help all. Such a
change Will mean good graded ROADS
and as we are to have graded roads IL
will mean GOOD ROADS.
The old system of narrow tires ana
infreouent workings have been tried
on our first graded roads and falleo,
for the roads become impassaple IN
winter and are each year becoming
more sandy and heavier draft. ,o
IT 10 a fact that teams that drew ~
t,es when the west end of the road was
new are taking only about ~ this sum-
mer.
The expenditure of our bond money
will not give US good roads unless we
take care of the road after building.
some force must be set to work to
make this change. Is the Chr onicle
able to take this stand for REALLf 4
BETTER ROADS?
Yours truly,
j. E. Converse.
Gt Mr.. Converse had been an attend
ant at the meetings of the Cumberland
County Business Association he woulo
know that this association has had the
question of the upkeep of our ROADS un'
der consideration for some time, that a
committee has been appointed to draft
q law and the question of wide tires
has been unanimously accepted by ev'
ery member of the association, so TAI
as the writer is aware. The Editor oil
the Chronicle is heartily in sympathy
with the wide tire idea now and always
has been, but did not feel that the
right time had arrived for discussing
it in the columns of this paper.
We certainly favor the idea OF the
drag that Mr.. Converse mentions, ane
the more frequently 1t Is run over the
roads the better we will be pleased
We only meant to commend work tina
was done as against the attitude tha'
has prevailed of doing nothing. w
have found long ago that 1t is Otter
the shortest route to what you reall!
want to praise the thing that is hal
done. when it leads in the direction o
what you really want. Working tn
road with the machine is step IN tn
right direction, but it is tar from wha
ia really needed. We agree with Mr.
Converse that the proper and often u.s.
of the road drag will render the use o
the machine almost unnecessary. "A
for the wide tire, we think they ar
the only route to good roads, whel
coupled with the proper use OF the ma
chine and drag. There IS no real dis
agreement between this editor and MI
converse when we come to understan
each other, but these discussions some
times are helpful to clarity the rea
no,nt of view held by people who migh
seem to ditfer.-Editor Chronicie.)