Montana oil and mining journal. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1931-1953, 1938-07-02

i ever dissatisfied animal, soon tired OF
humping over niger heads and bog
| ging down after q California dew, and
besides he had to wear spurs to stay
| with some OF Montana's alleged auto
roads in those days and that scratched
the paint job. SO we entered the third
or getting out-of- the-mud epoch, and
/ with it came the birth OF an official
state highway department
Big State
Now Montana is q big state This de-
partment knows because we have
measured a lot Of 1t. Moreover, when
rural neighbors move in within a few
miles of him, the average Montanan
feels right cramped and crowded. This
combination spelled a magnificent
mileage to be doctored up and not
much in the kitty TO finance the work.
Who they really needed to take on
this task was one of those sons Of
witches known as a wizard. Old estab-
lished alignment was used insofar as
predomtnated and coarse gravel went
on the surface. Tt whipped the gumbo
most of the year, but during the spring
breakup frost boils broke out In rash
and festered prodigiouSly due to lack
of proper base and drainage. At least
this new type of highway connected
towns and cities and gave the rural
the same day they started. It did
whittle down many farmers revenue
though in other ways. There wasn't
the demand for teams TO haul unfor-
tunate flivvers out Of the morass that
there used to be.
Lay Dust Ghost
Automobile development Outstripped !
road construction. No sooner unham- |
pered by goo than the speed-crazy |
motorists found that new models could
do q dizzy 40 per hour If properly |
nursed. That kicked up q lot of I'M
pleasant, evil-tasting dust and immed-
lately the harassed engineers were i'm
portuned TO do something about 1t
and do it darned quick. The brilliant
brains Of the highway department staff
started fomenting feverishly and the
fourth epoch rolled In.
We squirted the gravel surface with
oil and laid the dust ghost-temporari-
ly. We experimental with oil mats still
sticking, through force Of circum-
stances to old grades and alignment
while making surface betterments but
going to completely new standards Of
design for new construction. 1t was a
respite but auto wheels rolled faster
and faster every year. Gargantuan
trucks and buses appeared. Cars had
reached the point Of being necessities
and these conditions brought us to our
fifth but probably not our last phase.
Safety and new concepts Of speed de-
manded lighter grades, straighter align
ment, greater width and gentier side
slopes Mounting maintenance costs
cried for sturdier, more adequate base,
and efficient drainage with grades
raised above capillartty and drifting
snow. More traffic and heavier vehicles
required new methods, mixes and thick
ness Of oil mat.
Looking TO Future
SO the Montana highway department
recently embarked on q program cover
ing such betterments. Obsolete design
win be replaced as rapidly as possible;
new construction will incorporate ideas
looking to future conditions, and about
the time we think we are sitting pretty,
some inventive genius viii take his
brain child to Detroit and motor We
hicles and travel habits will present
some unforeseen problem for the high
way engineer. Well, we have licked
other riddles and we can do it again.
There is one nice thing about highway
engineering offers infinite variety.