The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1917-11-04
ROAD IMPROVEMENTS
SMOOTHE run IL POSSIBLE NOW
FROM COAST TO COAST.
Goodrich Fleets OF Tir~ Test Make Re
ports Of Highways-Nine Months
Tour Covered Approximately y Total
Of Five Million Milcs.

The millions that the government. the
states and other agencies have spent
this year in goOv ,pads have not
been spent in vain. Crews OF fleets
testing tires for the II. r. Goodrich
Rubber company Of Akron. returning
from every part OF the country after
nine months OF steady touring in which
they made approximately 100000
miles--the equivalent of glrdling the
globe 200 times--report that there isn't
"A nook or Granny today that Is not ac-
ccssible 10 the motorist, owing to the
volume of road Improvement. Even the
desert no longer holds terrorS for the
automobilst with nomadic tendencies.
In fact. the t,listeninl: trails across the
Great American deserts testify 10 great
e. tourist travel, perhaps, than any
other two roads in the country.
Condensed, these ara the principal
observations of the tire fleets:
The Pacific Coast has the fines, roads
in the country. and In consequence the
motorists there get more tire mileage
and use less gasoline per mile than in
any other region OF the country.
der the weight OF motor trucks engaged
in haulage--an industry sprung into
being since railroad freight congestion
made the use Of other conveyances i'm
perative. Particularly Is this noted
between Boston and New York.
Prosperity in the farming states OF
the west has never been greater.
There am not many farmers in the six
big farming states who do not POSSESS
automobiles. Al! the field work Is done
by tractors-the horses are used in the
making OF the new roads for the auto
mobilist.
The 1900 mile run from Chicago TO
Los Angeles is the finest pleasure run
in the country. Gasoline can be had
every fifty miles. and there in only one
tough spot in the entire route--a forty
mile stretch near Askfork. Arizona.
Maine is the most backward in road
betterment. Along the seacoast the
roads are good. but in the interior one
is apt TO encounter much trouble.
The best single stretch Of road is on
the new ridge highway built by the
great oil interests for travel between
Los Angeles and bakersfield, Cal.
ting this great thoroughfare.
Transcontinentd travel has been
greater than in any previous year. the
war notwithstanding.
Stones are the worst enemies OF the
motorist. They bruise the fabric and
oeteroration starts at once. although q
Blowout" may not occur for five hun
dred miles afterwards.
The shallow streams crossing the
Dixie highway should be brldged. The
sharp pebbly bottoms cut the tread
and make possible punctures. Aside
from these disadvantages, found more
m Georgia than in any of the other
states. the highway is much improved
The Lincoln highway between Phila
delphia and New York is showing the
effects of heavy traffic. II being neces-
sary now to negotiate several miles Of
this short run in low gear.
"On the whole there are few bad
roads In the country today" said one OF
these bronze visaged pilots. The war
has not, contrary to expectations, les
sened the volume OF road building and
Improvement States have been arous-
ed TO the necessity of keeping up their
roads. because the better roads the
greater the volume OF business There
are at least 1855 600 automobiles in
ms country To-Day and every owner
spends money. He will follow good
roads. The more attractive the roads,
the more picturesque the surroundings
the greater the community's pros
perity, hence the general alertness on
the part OF the local governments.
1t doesn't take much to make a
good road. OF course. asphalt, con
crete. macadam and brick make the
best roads but any road Is a good road
that does not have loose stones in the
autoisi's path. Stones, We have found,
do more damage to the motorists car
than any other obstacle he will encoun-
ter. They bruise tires. destroy wheel
alignment and break springs"
The west Is striving To maintain its
supremacy In good roads. the test tire
men find, by big campaign in 1918;
North and South Dakota are getting
busy and Georgia il making plans that
should please the southern tourist.
The five tire testing fleets. altogether
20 cars. of the Goodrich company have
been out on the roads since early last
March. They have negotiated every
road in the country. good. bad and in
different They have done this solely |
for the purpose OF giving their tires
the most thorough test. They use every !
model OF car. They run the cars until !
the castings are worn out. And all this |
expenditure which approaches the |
$500 900 mark this year. is for the sole |
purpose OF finding ways 10 give The |
autoist more tire wear.