The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1921-12-11
A Boost for the Gravel Type of Road

II am moro thoroughly converted
10 tho gravcl type ~ roads than over
before said Floyd Thompson man
ager ~ tho Witt.Thompson Motor
company. builders OF the Tulsa mo.
tor cars ana president Of the okla
homa Automobile Dealers nAsocip-
ton, on his return from an au,omo-
bile trip through Texas. Louisiana
and Arkansss this week, visiting dis.
trtbutors and dealers at Galveston,
I Houston, Ncw orleans. Shreveport
I Hot Sprlngs. Little Rock and inter
mediate points. "Tho long stretches
OF gravel road On Texas and i.oulsi-
ana were a dulirht and especially IN
Louisiana, the best ever had the
pleasure of travelling but don't
get the impression by that state
mont that these good roads
stretched all the way Thorc wprc
hundreds uf murs OF roads 400 hut
lmpassa bic. some Of them in Louisi.
ana and much al them n Arkansas
and Oklahoma,
81 left Tulsa November l3 tho
spcedomctcr showing 2.452 miles ON
my return 20 Tulsa, making tho irlp
I'M 1O1 hours' running time Tho
longest single stretch ~ bad road"
! found in oklahoma The countic'
OF Tittshurg Atokn ana Bryan. /
think. would take the premium fot
having the poorest roads I'm the
state The only plece NJ hard sur.
face road / found between the South
Canadian and Rcd rivers was about
zoo feet of concrete, or asphalt,
road that / understand former GOV
ernur Robt l.. Williams built Win
an nppropr.a ION OF about $4,000
from the state. had understood
that this road reached from ihe eN
governors farm to- the city ot III.
rant. " 70 does I failed To find any
ot 10 but THE goo feet.
After crossing the RED river :
had fine gravel roads to Dallas
From Dallas to Waco tho roads were
mostly concrete or asphalt About
80 per cent OF this rond was worn
out and was worse 20 drive on than
the average country dirt road In
the entire trip ! had approximately
1000 miles Of hard surface roads
the major part OF which wore
gravel or gravel and clay. rnd ]
want TO say without any qnalifica-
ton. that the best roads ! encuun
tered were made Of gravel and clay
II may he news to tho people ot
Oklahoma Go know that they are
building gravel ronds In Louisiana
and Texas al cost of from $1,000
20 $4,000 mile with a maintain
ance appropriation of $50 per mile
per year
~ can SEQ no reason why we
should huild concrete roads ia okla
homp which I am told cost from
53t.oo0 90 $4,000 per mile whom
gravel roads which ! have seen IN
the past three weeks. can he bul
for $4,000 TO $4,000 mile. which
assures the people OF at least -four
miles Of gravel TO one OF concrete
There II only one question about
any road: II must be maintained
and The maintaining OF a gravel
road IL much more simple than the
maintaining Of concrete or asphalt
There IL at least % miles OF asphalt
road IN Texas thls side Of waco that
! am told ~ not over five years old
that the only way II can be repaired
is with "a complete now surface.
II made 1t point to stop at
county seat towns on occasions
after / had passed over stretch of
good gravel roads and ask to sec
/ their specifications aud the cost OF
I construction. The best information
obtained was from Mr., CRANBERRY.
county commissioner at Atlanta