Southern good roads

              >
tSOUlHEI^Ni,
Pablished Monthly
By Southern Good Roads Publishinfr Co. Lexington, N. C, December 1919 Entered at Lexineton Post Officers
second clafis matter
Speeding the Road Building Program
By THOMAS H. McDONALD
Chief of the Bureau of Public Roads, Department of Agriculture
IT IS A MATTER in which the State Hig-hway De- reeted towards increasing shipping facilities for road
partments may take a large measure of satisfaction methods; first, by the more efficeut iise of open top
that road building is the one big public activity which ^-ar equipment, and second, by a large increase in the
, -, 1 • lain 1,- 1 11 supph' of new cars. During frequent conferences with
got under *= way' earl•y' m 1919, which opened a large +113 -i 1 a j • • 4. <-• -i 1 1
,
. the Kailroad Administration it has become apparent
field for unemployed labor, which offered a market for ^^^^ ^^ ^^^.^ efficient use may be made of the present
construction materials, and which has contuiued to opgn top car equipment by starting the shipping sea-mcrease
m volume as the months have passed. It is gg^ ^.^^i^^^ than has been the general practice in the
too early to have definite figures available for this ^^^_ It has been customary to wait until contractors'
year's production of roads and total expenditures, but organizations were ready to begin work before start-it
is estimated that the expenditures durmg 1919 for j^g. ^he shipment of materials. Under these condi-hard
surfaced highways, exclusive of sand-clay and ^^^^^ ^^any thousands of open cars lie idle during the
simHar types, wall total approximately $138,000,000. letter part of February, all of March, and the earlier
The largest previous year's total expenditures for like p^rt of April. In the spring of 1919 the number of
purposes, that of 1916, was $136,000,000. ,,pe^ top cars that were idle totaled more than 2-50,-
But the test of the road l)uilding organizations is qOO. As the season advanced and road contracts were
ahead. The estimated summary of the funds which actually under way, the car shortage manifested itself
will be avadable for highway work during 1920 for i^grg and there almost continuously, but at three dif-the
construction of surfaced highways is as follows: fgrent times complaints received at this office were
Brought forward from unfinished work o-eneral.
191!) ccnt'-.HCL-; $16.1.000,000 ^^ ^^^^ recognize that if a strike threatens the
Funds available from State and County railroads, road material will not he moved because it
taxes and Federal Aid '273,000,000
j^ ^^^ perishable. If -the movement of coal demands
One-fifth State and Coimty bond issues the cars, there will be a shortage of ears for the move-not
before available .^0.000,000 ^^^^^ ^^ ^^^^^ miaterials. The importance of the move-
One-third of the unexpended halance of u^ent of road materials must be impressed upon the
State and County bond issues pre- public and the railroads, and for the present the road
viously available 45,000,000 buii^jers must correlate their calls for service so far
Available from new bond issues to be ,as possible with the situation which exists,—that at
voted on the fall of 1919 and spring any critical moment; when shipping facilities are in-of
1920 100,000,000 solved, road materials will be the first to suffer.
d>cqo 000 nnn Therefore, everything possible must be done to fa-
°* ' ' cilitate transportation of road materials under these
This large total is more than four times the amount handicaps. Kailroad transportation has become too
of money that has been expended during any previous important a factor in the amount of work that can
year for like purposes. To accomplish the physical un- ^g accomplished to allow it longer to be regarded
dertaking of putting into actual road construction this as incidental. It has become the biggest item m road
sum or anywhere near this sum is tremendous. It is production. Contracts should be awarded as early
so much gi-eater than any program that has heretofore ^s possible that the contractors may know the amount
been attempted that a great increase in the principal ^^ materials they will require at different points and
factors controlling the actual production of highways ^j^gy should be "encouraged to place their orders for
is absolutely essential. These principal factors are the materials requiring rail transportation as long in
material supplies, shipping facilities, labor supply, and advance of the time they will be actually required as
contractor's organization. The acute deficiency of possible. The placing of materials in storage piles
open top ears demands th.»t our first *tt«ntion bd di- inTolTes some expense, but this expense is small in
•Letter to the Highway Deparements. comparison to the loss occasiou^d by lack of mate-
SOTTTITERN GOOD ROADS DeeemhRi-, 1919
iiiuLerials. These facilities may be increased by two
rials when tlie conitractors' org-auization is waiting.
From the experience this year and in view of the
greatlj' increased program for aext year, it seems ap-parent
that contracts which are not awarded during
the Avinter months will have little opportunity of
being supplied with materials which require rail haul-ing.
Again contracts should be awarded early and con-tractors
should be encouraged to place their orders so
that the material producers will operate -their plants
during all seasonable weather. In the past, too man.y
contracts have been held until later in the year and
material supplies have not been started moving dur-ing
the period when the ear supply is at its maximum.
Also, contract prices have usually been lower for work
awarded early in the season, and the State Depart-ments
and the Federal Bureau must recognize and re-spond
to the public confidence which has been sIioaati
by the appropriations of large sums for highway im-provement,
by adopting every method that will help
to secure the lowest prices and the most efficient ex-penditure
of these funds.
In view of the greatly enlarged program of i-oad
construction and the large amount of luifiuished con-tracts
which will have to go over because of lack of
road materials, it would seem unnecessary to further
accent the need for taking advantage of the supph' of
open top ear eqitipmeut in February, March, and April.
It is apparent that many contractors who have not
before been so engaged are looking to the highway
field, and that the contractors' organizations will be
expanded. The labor shortage may in part be met by
improved machinery and equipment, but the trans-portation
and the supply of materials cannot be so
readily or quickly expanded to take care of the greatly
increased needs. Unless a foi*ward looking policy rec-ognizing
these conditions is adopted at once, it is not
apparent that a greatly increased production of roads
will be possible next yea/r over the miles constructed
this year, yet the public is demanding of road build-ing
organizations a greatly increased production.
Every official in an administrative capacity in the
road building organizations knows that it is common
for the pubic to demand great activity and immediate
production of roads as soon as bonds 'have been voted.
The fact that more than four times as much money is
available for roads next year than 'has been trixe here-tofore
means that these demands will become intensi-fied,
and it will be impossible to show the public the
fact that the production of roads is controlled by fac-tors
largely outside of the control of the highway of-ficials.
The only possible relief is to use the present trans-portation
and materials production agencies in the
most efficient manner possible and at the same time
bend our efforts to obtain an increased car supply and
an increased production of road materials. But tliese
policies, to be eifective, must be adopted by the Fed-eral
Bureau individually and collectively, at once, and
the fir.st step is to place under contract during Decem-ber
and January as great a mileage of roads as possi-ble.
In doing this the Bureau wishes to co-operate
with and aid the States in every way possible.
News oomes from Lynchburg, Virginia, that owing
to the fact that cars cannot be obtained at the quar-ries
for the shipment of stone, work is being held up on
roads that are ready for stone in this section, the For-rest
road included.
National Highway System.
The demand for a national highway system, says the
Federal Highway Council, has found expression during
the past month in an imexpected quarter. Resort hotels
have taken up the slogan, "See America First," in the
hope of stimulating travel to ofl:'set the loss in revenue
which has resulted from the shut-down in the liquor
traffic and the consequent closing of hotel bars. To
make such a campaign result in permanent increase in
travel, it is now recognized as never before that a trunk
line system of national highways is tlu" first important
step.
When the slogan, which the public is now getting be-hind
with renewed vigor, was first presented, the pri-mary
purpose was to stimulate travel on railways.
With the knowledge that America can be seen to best
advantage from a touring car, traveling by easy stages
and with ample time to stop where Nature lures to re-freshing
side trips, the larger functions of the public
highway become more distinct. Oddly enough, it ap-jjears
to have remained for prohibition to put in a
good punch for good road development on a compre-hensive
scale, a result which even the most ai'dent dry
advocates failed to include in their predictions of na-tional
Ijenefit.
Advocates of a national highway .system, to be con-structed
and rtiaintained under federal control, have
been keeping in close touch with congressional action
and are prepared to press the Townsend Bill (S. 1309)
to a conclusion during the coming session. This meas-ure,
it will be recalled, has already been introduced in
Congress bj^ Senator Townsend, Chairman of the Sen-ate
Committee on Post Offices and Post Roads. It
proposes to create a Federal Highway Commission for
the express purjDose of taking over such lines as may
l)c designated as a part of a national system, and to
construct such highways upon a basis that will not only
insure the sound investment of highway funds, but to
create a system of highways nation-wide in their struc-ture
which Avill serve not onlj- as the backbone of a
l)erfected highway transportation system in itself as an
auxiliary to the railways, but which by example will
lead to better construction of State and county lines
connecting therewith.
Highway officials and others interested in the adjust-ment
of the public road to all types and conditions of
traffic, long or short, are pleased over the fact that
the pulilic locally is beginning to see the advantages
that will accrue to every community through the flow
of long distance travel. It has been a theory, national
highway supporters assert, that the building of roads
for tourist traffic, so-called, would in no way benefit the
man who is in need of more dependable roads to his
local market. But wherever tourist traffic has been
given an open road, local trade has increased, both for
the farmer who has produce to sell and for the local
merchant as well. Instances of this phase of highway
travel are found all along the main routes across the
comitry. and new stopping points for motorists are de-veloping,
thus supplying greater stimulus to local
trade.
The movement inaugurated to increase nation-wide
travel promises to profit those who travel far more
than those to whom mere coin is paid for such personal
service or comforts supplied along the way.
Supporters of the national highway project expect to
get in action and successfully launch the building of
federal highways, the greatest public enterprise sin-ce
tlie building of the Panama Canal.
December, 1919 SOUTHERN GOOD ROADS
Road Making at Front in France
By F. G. GASTON*
Captain C<». A, 317th Engineers, U. S. A., Senior Drainage Engineer, Bureau of Public Koads
IT was very instructive, as well as interesting, to at-tend
the 188 various schools conducted in France
by the Army for the purpose of imparting the best
methods of constructing roads and other engineering
works at the front during active operations. It was
also most amusing to see the way all of these technical
methods were "shot to pieces" under actual working
conditions at the front. It resolved itself into a ques-tion
of simply doing the best one could with what hap-pened
to be at hand in the shortest space of time.
The golden rule in the Army is "do it now." Never
mind how or what, do it. And it is in ,iust such in-stances
that the American engineer on the front was
enabled to put over the big jobs by bringing into play
his remarkable faculties of ingenuity and resource-fulness
coupled "vvitli quick action ; all of which com-bined
made him a winner and helped to break down
the Gennan war machine.
Imagine arriving at a section of the front new to
you and your men and receiving orders that a certain
piece of road must be opened at once. The road sur-roundings,
and materials are all unknown to you. Tliat
calls for quick reconnoissanee to get a line on the work
Work by the "Touch System."
This article will deal primarily with road construc-tion
during active operations at the front in mobile
warfare, as this was the phase of fighting mostly en-countered
by the Americans. This will, of course, not
be applicable to the conditions of fighting in France
which obtained for four years before the Germans
were driven from the trenches and compelled to re-sort
to the former style of warfare.
It is rather difficult to draw a mental picture of con-ditions
at .the front during the advance of a big drive.
Everyone must have impressions from childhood of the
day the big circus came to town ; ever.\'thing was hus-tle,
noise, crowds, and seeming confusion. Things at
the front were in very much the same shape; the
comitry unfamiliar, the location of units not known,
the roads impassable in nearly all instances from either
density of traffic or large shell holes and mine craters.
The incoming shells and aeroplane bombs only tend
to make matters worse and add to the confusion. This
was the usual condition under which the road engineer
had to work and if it happened to be night on a road
you had never seen the task became almost hopeless
and about all that could be done was to fill shell
holes by the "touch system," for, of course, no lights
were allowed.
During such times and under such conditions as
those .iust described raad work resolved itself into a
question not of building or repairing but simply one
of keeping the roads open in an.v manner possible
so that the continuous stream of ambulances, ammu-nition
and supply trucks, artillery, motorcycles and
automobiles cnuld pass on uninterruptedly. To this
end many expedients were resorted to for obtaining
material and repairing the roads.
Yawning Mine Holes to be Filled.
The French roads are .justly famous. The prevail-
*From "PubliciRoads," June 1919.
ing type is the water-bound macadam, and in normal
times these are kept in a wonderful state of repair by
the most painstaking methods of maintenance clone
under the patrr)l system. Tbis does not apph' in a
measure to conditions at the front, f)r there it was
not possible to give the roads such attention, and the
constant heavy traffic played havoc with them.
Through "no-man's land" the roads have been prac-tieall.
v obliterated by constant shell fire and mines, and
it was there that the engineers had their hardest wark.
It was, of course, cpiite necessary that the roads
across this stretch be opened up at once.
Almost without exception the main roads across
"no-man's land" had been mined by the Germans,
and upon their retreat the mines were set off, blowing
the road off the map and leaving gaping holes 30 to
50 feet deep and with a diameter of about 100 feet.
In such a case the only thing to do was to construct
an entirely new road around the crater until things
had quieted do\^Ti a bit. and then to go back and either
fill the hole or bridge it. Then, upon getting back
to the old road, the chief trouble would be with shell
holes in the road. These varied all the way from
2 feet to 20 feet deep and a diameter of 3 to 30 feet.
This called for quick filling methods, with any hard
material at hand, and right here was where one of
the greatest difficulties arose : that of getting proper
materials for filling these numerous holes. If one
were lucky enough to have a few trucks bringing up
rock from the rear, things would I'un along smoothly
enough, but this was more often the exception than
the rule.
German Shells Furnish Material.
The houses in the French villages are almost with-out
exception built of stone with a rather dry mortar.
These bouses were, for the m-ost part, shot to pieces,
so that the stones were available for use in filling
these holes along the roads, and the engineers did not
hesitate to use this material wherever possible.
The Germans were not sparing with the use of
concrete on their trenches, dugauts. and "pill-boxes."
These were in many cases torn up to obtain material
for road work. "When this was resorted to there was
nothing left but the steel-rod reinforcement.
Tliere are, in many sections of the Argonne Forest
and the adjoining country to the east, a substratum of
clay with rocks ranging in size from a man's fist to
his head. In sections where the shelling had been
heavy, large quantities of these rocks would be blown
out of the ground and others left loosened up in the
holes. These were used when nothing else could be
had. It was no uncommon sight to see men in the
fields along the roads collecting these rocks in sand
bags, sacks, boxes, and on sheets of corrugated iron,
for filling the holes in the roads. Other sources of
materials were stone fences along the roads, roofing
tile, sand bags filled with earth, etc.
There was one thing that could be found on the
front without fail during active operations, and that
was rain. Some of the roads through the Forest of
Argonne and surrounding country that were of minor
SOUTHEBN GOOD ROADS December, 1919
importance suddenly became of great importance
dm-ing a drive, and had to be opened up. These were
given the same kind of attention as the other roads
except in cases where the soil was a very sticky clay,
in which case it usually was necessary to corduroy.
The same scouting around for suitable material would
occur again, but usually it was found. A company of
pioneer engineers has constructed in half a day 75 to
100 yards of corduroy road in addition to scouting
around for material.
Worked 96 Hours at a Stretch.
In passing, it might be stated that it was very dis-heartening
to finish up a section of road and then have
to go back and do the work all over again as a result
of new shell holes. The work had to go on day and
night. In some cases it could be done only at night,
for where the enemy had direct observations, large
liodies of men working on a road were almost certain
to draw fire.
This also was one place where the eight-hour law
was not strictly enforced. Working day and night
for 72 to 96 hours was not an uncommon occurrence,
and at the end of such a stretch, the ground or a hard
board felt pretty good in lieu of a bed.
All big oifensives slowed down after a few days of
hard fighting and a lull in operations ensued. This
gave the engineers an opportunity to secure some
much-needed rest and to do some road work of a
little more permanent nature than the rough work
just described. Things got on a more normal basis
and then the engineers opened up and operated
quarries or brought up materials from the rear.
There are several of these quarries in the Argonne
country with a good quality of limestone which was
used quite extensively on the roads in that section.
There is also in this section a poor quality of soft-clay
rock which outcrops on the hillsides. This was
used considerably to fill holes and as a temporary
measure did very well. Under constant heavy traffic
and wet conditions it would break down and turn to
mud in two or three days and it would have to b?
shoveled out and replaced.
How They Blew Up Bridges.
The Grermans are a very ingenious people, at least
so far as the art of war is concerned, and they never
overlooked anything that hindered the enemy in his
advance. To this end the roads were mined and
bridges destroyed. One rather novel method of de-stroying
the small bridges consisted in making a girdle
of from 12 to 15 hand grenades around each pile, un-der
the bridge, putting a cap in one of them and con-necting
themi up to a battery. Upon firing, the pile
would be cut off and down came the bridge. The
hand grenades used for this purpose were those with
the handle for throwing, called by the American
doughboys "potato mashers." This is cited merely to
show one in.stance of where the Boche used his head.
In order to handle the endless stream of traffic at
the front, the plan of one-way traffic now in vogue in
some of the cities was adopted and proved quite suc-cessful.
The routes of travel would, of course, have
to he worked out hurriedly and many a poor truck
driver has had to drive all over the world to get to
his destination of a few kilometers, as he would have
to follow the 'route of travel on the one-way roads
and th*t was not always in the direction he wanted
to go.
Unless a man was on staff or some special duty
which carried him to different parts of the front, the
knowledge he gained was confined solely to the im-mediate
vicinity in which he was working. This is
true to a remarkable extent. It is surprising what
little one knew of what was going on around him
during active operations. His vision was quite re-stricted,
and limited only to the immediate part of
the front in which he happened to be. As to what
was going on in other parts of the line he was utterly
oblivious and knew nil. Those in the rear, in the
S. 0. S., and in the States knew far more concerning
the general operations. This makes it rather diffi-cult
to generalize, and what has been written is con-fined
to the Forest of Argonne section.
Lack of Transportation.
The Americans in the big Argonne-Meuse offensive
of September 26 to November 11, 1918, fought under
many great disadvantages. Many of the men had
never before been in a battle and things were bound
to be confused at times. However, one of the great-est
disadvantages was lack of transportation. This
tied up certain phases of work very materially at
times. A company of pioneer engineers is supposed
to have two motorcycle side cars, four bicycles, and
the usual quota of wagons, water carts, rolling
kitchens, and so on, with 41 head of horses and mules.
Companies that had 10 hoi-ses to pull their equip-ment
were lucky and motor transportation or
bicycles were imknown. But in spite of all obstacles
and set-backs the Americans had the fighting spirit
and the determination to drive the Germans back,
and they did it.
Successful Patrol System Decreases Cost of Mainten-ance.
(By Cecil L. Rood, Road Surveyor. Lucas County, Ohio
From The Highway Magazine, November 1919.
The most complete paralysis of railroad facili
ties by war-time transportation during the win-ters
of 1917 and 1918 greatly sti'midated the use of mo-tor
trucks on public highways. Their successful oper-ation,
in spite of bad roads and weather conditions,
foretold vividly the traffic of the future.
Today this traffic is still on the increase and is mak-ing
demands on the public highways of the country
which could not possibly have been predicted even five
years ago. Thus the day of motor transportation has
dawned with a prospect of each successive day bring-ing
into new routes for the movement of more commo-dities
to be transported by passenger automobiles,
trucks and trailers.
The writer, anticipating the age that was to come,
began in the spring of 1916 to experiment and devise
a satisfactory system of patrol maintenance. First we
experimented with the patrolman assigned to certain
sections of roads; and east it aside as inefficient, first,
because each patrolman thus employed soon acquired
the feeling that in working for the county "anything
went," and that "it was useless to do today what
could be put off until tomorrow"; and second, because
in covering a county as large as ours, it took at least
twenty-five patrolmen, and owing to a scarcity of labor,
December, 1919 SOUTHERN GOOD ROADS
it was hard to maintain a one-hundred-percent organ-ization.
The writer then selected one district, bought a mo-tor
truck, placed three men with the truck, and start-ed
patrolling all the roads in that district. At a cen-tral
point in the district, we deposited broken stone,
K. P. Tarvia (a cold bituminous binder) and a mix-ing
board and spent one day mixing raw material and
the next day patrolling holes with the mixture.
We met with such success that, in the spring of 1917,
we established five central points throughout the
county, placed five men in the patrol truck (the same
little truck) and attempted to patrol the entire county.
Considering our equipment, we obtained remarkable
results and found several glaring weaknesses in the
system. We found that at our five outdoor mixing
points our materials were often stolen—tarpaulins,
mixing boards, etc., and that when it rained, wet ma-terial
caused a delay of a day or so. On that account
we planned, for 1918, a more complete system.
We erected patrol stations at a cost of $750 each
at the center of each of the five districts into which
we had divided the count}'. These stations had a bin
capacity of one carload of broken stone and a mixing
floor, 15 X 15 feet square, of concrete. We purchased
two, 21/4-ton trucks; two, 7-foot gasoline-motor driven
concrete mixers, and four, 400-gallon tank wagons for
bituminous materials.
The county now has five patrol stations, all located
at railroad points of delivery
:
Patrol Stations.
St. No. 1. Maumee, 42.4 miles of road in district
Sta. No. 2, Whitehouse, 43.8 miles of road in district
Sta. No. 3, Reynolds Cor., O. . . . 71.9 miles of road in district
Sta. No. 4, D. T. & I. Crossing. . , , 46.7 miles of road in district
Sta. No. 5, Booth, O C3.8 miles of road in district
Total 268.6 miles of road in district
District No. 1 is taken care of jointly by patrol
gangs No. 1 and No. 2 ; Districts No. 2 and No. 3 are
taken care of by patrol gang No. 2, and Districts No.
4 and No. 5 by patrol gang No. 1.
Each patrol gang takes the concrete mixer with it
when it moves from one station to another. Each gang
consists of truck driver, who is the foreman, and five
men, who mix the material, clean out the holes and
fill them with bituminous concrete and tamp the same.
Gang No. 3 consists of a motor truck and three
men, who act as a "flying squad" to repair damaged
bridge floors, guard rails, wash-outs in Vermes, etc.
In addition this gang paints guard rails, places and
keeps in repair danger and warning signs, and at-tends
to the thousand and one complaints that come
into the surveyor's office.
The cost of operation has varied as regards patroll-ing
roads, but the big saving has been made in the
general cost of maintaining them. The patching of
holes, when small, alone has made the general cost per
mile per year decrease considerably. The following
A Connecticut Good Road
8 SOUTHERN GOOD ROADS December, 1919
.$57.10
. 35.95
. 33.67
table give some idea of the cost of patrol and main-teuauue
:
Cost of Road Patrol.
Including Cost and Maintenance of Equipment
1916, road miles patrolled.. 13.5 Cost per mile..
1917, road miles patrolled.. 67.0 Cost per mile..
1918, road miles patrolled. . 404.9 Cost per mile..
General Maintenance.
1916, road miles maintained.. 95.7 Cost per mile. . $890. 7!>
1917, road miles maintained. . 183.1 Cost per mile.. 725.44
1918, road miles maintained. . 214.5 Cost per mile.. 561.12
The above figures are all on macadam roads of va-rious
types, aud clearly show the point I am making
:
Tliat, as the efficiency of the patrol increases, the av-erage
.cost of maintenance decreases.
The success obtained by this method of patrolling
roads in 1918 is more than being carried on this year;
and we feel that the cost per mile, in spite of in-creases
in cost of labor and material, will be decreased.
That Lucas county, Ohio, has the best maintained
system of highways in the State of Ohio is an un-disputed
fact, testimony from tourists, material men
and automobile dealers and many others being daily
given, unsolicited, at the Automobile Club and the
writer's office.
Status of the Townsend Bill.
((Senate Bill 1309.)
By Federal Highway Council.
A conference was held with Senator Townsend con-cerning
the status of the Federal Highway Bill and
when it would be taken up by the Committee on Post
Offices and Post Roads for hearing on the amendments
that have been suggested. He advised that due to
the urgent aud important questions now before Con-gress—
namely the Peace Treaty, League of Nations,
and railroad legislation, he believed it would be impos-sible
to hold hearings on this bill until sometime in
December, or near the first of the year. At that time,
however, he said the Committee would immediately
take up this measure, hold hearings, ai,id put the bill
in its final form to be presented to the senate. It is
therefore very important that anyone wishing to make
suggestions in regard to any amendments should im-mediately
send them in.
Senator Townsend stated that the purpose of the
bill was to take care of interstate traffic, to serve the
large centers of commerce in each State, to meet the
military needs of the country, and to tie the country
together in a unit so that it will be possible for the
States to plan and connect their systems with the na-tional
system, and thus connect the important com-mercial
centers. The counties would then connect
with the State system, and build out from the centers
of population Into the farming communities like the
spokes of a wheel, forming a road plan that would do
the largest number of people the greatest good. Each
unit would be made more effective and efficient and
the farmer would be given a number of markets, in-stead
of one, for his produce. Tliis road plan would
greatly reduce the cost of transportation, and lower
the cost of living to the consumer. In other words, the
national highway system would firm the backbone of
the main commercial arteries of the nation, and great-ly
stimulate the States to connect up their systems
with the national system, as well as the counties to
connect with the State system, thereby making a gen-eral
road plan that would effectively meet the road
needs of the country. A plan that could be brought
about and built in the shortest time at the least pos-sible
cost, and one that would be of the greatest val-ue
to all the people.
He further stated that all who were interested in this
measure should realize the important issue involved,
did l;);5k at it in the very broadest light; that the
purpose of the bill is to establish a national system of
highways from a national standpoint. In taking the
([uestion up with the Committee on Pest Offices and
Post Roads, he trusted the large principle of the bill —the big object that is to be accomplished b,y its en-actment,
would be studied and worked out in the most
effective way. rather than the small details, which
would be looked after by the Committee during the
consideration of the more important points, that if the
bill embodied the fundamental principles desired, and
was in such a workable form as to accomplish these
objects, the objections to the small features should not
be pressed, that the object of this bill was purely for
a national system of highways, and it should be looked
at from the national standpoint.
There's a Difference.
The editor of the Waco (Texas) Herald has ob-served
that there is a material difference between dirt
and hard surface roads, the difference in favor of the
latter type, of course, and has stated his observations
in the following language:
T'he value of good roads was never more thoroughly
demonstrated tlian it has been during the present year.
The fre(iuent rains have Miade all roads in the black
lands where not graded and graveled practically im-passable
much of the time, and in many places graveled
roads have failed to stand the test. Even the hard
surfaced roads have given way in places where the
drainage was not sufficient tc> prevent water standing
in the gutters. But all hard surface roads have stood
up under heavy traffic when drainage was adequate,
and we have seen the traveling public join the country
folk in praise of the foresight that prompted the build-ing
of hard surface roads.
An instance of the difference between good roads
that will stand wet weather and the ordinary dirt road
is forcibly illustrated by the scenes that present them-selves
where these two conditions join. Where the
road is of the concrete variety, cars and other vehicles
go dashing forward until they strike the dirt road.
Then they either bump along over the huge piles of
dirt or drag in the ruts and not infrequently stick in
the mud and stay until help arrives. For instances
going north from Waco over the Dallas road the min-ute
one strikes the Hill county line he strikes the mud.
It is the stickiest kind of the black waxy variety and
now and then one overtakes a poor wa.yfarer whose
car has exhausted its strength and given up the ghost.
It can be said for the Hill county people that they have
recognized the necessity for improvement and have
voted bonds for that purpose. In a little while that
county will lift itself out of the black mud and furnish
another absolute demonstration of the value of hard
surface highways.
December, 1919 S r T IT E R N O I) R ADS
Beautifying Highways
By JOHN A. IIAZELWOOD
Chairman Wisconsin Highway Commission
IT IS NOT enough to build good roads ; it is not
enough to maintain good roads; it is vitally im-portant
that when we are building and maintaining
our highwaj-s we should beautify them. Roads with-out
embelishments. such as trees, shrubs and flowers,
are uglj- and prosaie. We need embelishments to make
roads into parkways in order to make them intere.stiug
and enjoyable. It is not enough to consider only the
financial value of roads to man ; it is our duty to cm-sider
as well, man's enjoj'ment in traveling.
We are at the beginning of a new era in r.oad better-ment.
T'his reconstruction period suggests that we
consider at the outset all the elements essential to suc-cess.
Wisconsin is noted for its beautiful and attract-ive
hills; for its many winding streams; for its placid
lakes; for its tall pine, and sturdy oak, and bending
elm and willow. Nature lias done much to make Wis-consin
one of the mo:t beautiful spots on the face of
the earth. We should do our part to further her natu-ral
beauty. The prosaic, ultilitarian side of our na-tui-
es is apt to dominate our judgment. The greed for
the mig-hty dollar makes the matter I am discussing of
little interest to many of our people in the country.
Cities have long since realized the necessity of creat-ing
park boards and pleasure drive associations.
Any progressive and , self-respecting community
ought not to allow the mercenary spirit to cause it to
fail to give attention to beautifying the highways.
Rural forces should make scenic betterment one of
their slogans. All over the New England States we
find in connection with trolley lines, rest rooms with
trees, shrubs and flowers about them, cared for at the
expense of the trolley companies. We find in many of
our cities small parks, shrubbery and flower beds aliout
the railway depots. The companies do these things
ibecause they know they are rewarded for so doing.
Comfort stations at regular intervals along roads
would add greatly to the joy of traveling and greatly
enhance the attractiveness of the whole state.
We have been careless and thoughtless in the past.
We have permitted the woodman's ax to 'destroy trees
which we have admired as bits of forest scenery. We
have allowed the selfish farmer to cause destruction of
beauty along highways. No man, woman, child or cor-poration
should be allowed to injure the people at large
for selfish ends. How little we have regarded this
point when we have permitted telephone companies
and other concerns running wires, to destroy the heau-ty
of trees along our highways.
The expense of planting trees, shrubbery and flow-ers
along our roads, and caring for them, calls for only
a small expenditure of funds.
"Injure not Nature with absurd expense.
Nor spoil her simple charms by vain pretense
;
Weigh well the subject, but with caution bold.
Profuse with genius, not profuse with gold."
We should realize that each passing year will add
*Paper presented at the Eighth Annual Road School of the Wisconsin High-way
Commissission, printed in "Good Roads, June 21, 1919.
to our pleasure if trees and shrubbery are planted and
protected. Little do we realize that the returns ob-tained
from this class of service are not considered in
Wall Street or listed in Bradstreet.
We cannot look upon a beautiful tree or a cluster of
shrubbery without forgetting a grouch and getting an
inspiration for higher thinking. The shade and the
freshness of trees along the roads running out of any
village are needed more than ever before. Concrete
roads and hard-surfaced roads of all kinds are cold
and need some softening influence. Beauty and pro-fits
usually do not go hand in hand. However, beauty
is often combined with utility and this is true in road
building and bridge construction. One can note at a
glance whether a bridge has had the touch of an artist.
It does not take a landscape gardener to tell whether
or not thought in planning has been exercised in con-nection
Avith road construction. A curved road is
much better adapted to artistic landscape than a
straight one. A landscape architect should be abroad
in the land.
We are all interested in civic art. We like to put
our best foot forward. Civic art means a constant en-deavor
to secure in our public works the maximum of
utility combined with the maximum of beauty. Cities
have realized the importance of giving attention to
parks, playgrounds and boulevards.
Proper attention to the roadside means a definite
increase in the pleasure of traveling over it, a positive
pi*eservation of the road itself anti a substantial ad-dition
to the value of adjoining property. No matter
how smooth and well constructed the traveled road
may be, if the roadside is not properly cared for, the
highway as a whole will not give a good impression.
Macadam or gravel roads particularly need the pro-tecting
shade of trees.
We know that many European countries have spent
and are spending large sums of money planting and
caring for trees along the highways. Many trees along
highways are apple, plum and cherry, and from these
large profits are obtained. Southern sections of the
United States have given some attention to the matter
of beautifying the side of the roads. Los Angeles
county spends around $7,000 each j^ear for the pur-pose
of planting and taking care of roses along the
highways. ]Many other counties in California are an-nuallj'
spending big sums of money to beautify their
driveways.
It is essentitial that mone.y be provided in order to
get results. Therefore, I Avould suggest that our coun-ty
bonding law be so modified that a per cent of the
money obtained for road improvement be expended for
tree, shrub and flower planting.
We all admire a home with trees and shrubbery and
flowers and trailing vines about it. We know the
pleasure that is excited in our hearts at seeing these
adornments. The setting aside of 2 per cent of the
funds that will be obtained from bond issues in the
counties of the state will soon transform our ugly,
barren roads into things of beauty.
There are three causes of pleasure, that the mind
10 SOUTHERN GOOD ROADS December, 1919
receives from beautiful highwaj's.
First, congruity, the proper adaption of the several
parts to the whole. There are places for all the tall
tree, for the low shrub and for the trailing vine. The
congruity of the scheme of parking in cities strike us
with such force that we much admit that there has
been planning.
The second cause of pleasure that the mind receives
is order. System or order pleases. Cliaos and discord
grate on our nerves. Order is one of Heaven's first
laws. It is necessary that it be observed in order to
make highways beautiful.
The third cause of the pleasure that the mind re-ceives
from beautiful drives is due to symmetry, or
that correspondence of parts expected. So natural is
che love of symmetry to the human mind that man
must help nature by planting trees in rows, or at exact
or equal distances, and frequently of different kinds
in alternate order. Civic art means the right doing of
things. The careless manner in which the unskilled la-borer
luidertakes a skilled laborer's job points to us
the importance of exercising civic art in this move-ment
to beautify our highways. Wisconsin has sur-veyed,
graded and built many thousands of miles of
roads under the state aid policy, but not enough at-tention
has been given to tree planting along our high-ways.
One distracting thing along the country highway is
advertising. We see the billboard destroy the heauty
of many pretty glens and beautiful curves. The greed
of advertisers has destroyed many beauty spots by put-ing
up advertisements of liquor, jiatent medicines, Bnll
Durham toliacco, and cnrsets. This destruction of
beauty has been somewhat handled through city or-dinances,
issuing permits or licenses. Women's clubs
in our cities have done much in the matter of curb-ing
landscape destruction by billboards. Little has
been done in rural districts to restrict such advertising.
It seems that the most effective way of handling the
question is the exacting of a tax. I believe we could
drive away much of our advertising billboards by
levying an annual tax of ."iO eents square yard on all
advertising on billboards tliat can reach the eye of the
traveling public. In order not to be unduly hard on
those who have already erected their billboards, half
or quarter the rate might be charged them until they
take them down or have them repainted. This is one
of the effective ways of handling this munnci- nf de-stroying
the beauty of our highways.
l\Iiss Ada L. James, Richland Center. Wis., chairaian
nf the Wisconsin branch of the National Woman's
Party, makes the following criticism of our road
builders:
"Everything nature has done to beautify country
roadsides is soon undone by a zealous road l)uilder.
IMany of us have felt almost pli.vsical pain when our
road builders not only neglected beautifying the road-sides,
but ruthlessly destroyed all that nature had
done to beautify them. One road leading directly into
Richland Center was bordered on l)oth sides witli a
rail fence into which snuggled hazelnut brush, wild
rnses and blackberry bushes, and here and there a wild
crabapple tree, or a thornapple. The transformation of
this road seems almost brutal. Everything has been
'grubbed out.' Bare spots mark the places where all
this beauty went up in smoke. This change from the
beautiful to the ugly was not necessary."
We all enjoy a beautiful road or drive. Nothing is
more pleasing to pass over than a road running by
farm's, houses, wayside schools, churches, and villages.
The automobile has crowded two, three, and even four
hours into one hour, as compared with the horse-drawn
means of transportation. In passing over stretches of
road we see the oak and elm, ferny dells and waving
cornfields. A road seems to have moods and whims.
Sometimes it stretches on and on into infinite space;
sometimes the eye loses it in some wistful curve ; some-times
it loiters in a sunny vale.
Someone said, "The important thing to me about a
road, as about life, is not that it comes from somewhere
and goes somewhere, but that it is livable where it
goes." The invitation to explore the unknown road is
very alluring. You notice the roadside foliage thrown
into prominence. The unknown road as it winds along
is a perpetual garden of wild roses, goldenrod and
gentian—a perpetual revelation of beauty. One per-son
rightly says that he greets a new road with almost
as much pleasure as a new person and usuall.v parts
Hnrses and Automobiles'
—
Not HogS'
—
Are Supposed to Use This
Tennessee Road
with it with rather more reluctance. It is curious, in-deed,
how closely roads are linked with humanity; how
v,-aunly companionable they are. A .public road talks
business all the time. It tells us new things about
everything that appears in a panoramic view on the
roadside. lb tells about the farm homes, and the type
of farming l)eing carried on by the owners.
We never receive our friends in our wDodshed and
break bread with them in a corner of the kitchen, us-ing
our ordinary linen, silverware and disihes. No.
We receive them and entertain them in the most com-fortable
rooms in our homes. We dine them in our
most pleasant room, and we use our best linen and sil-verware.
What for? Why, for the purpose of impress-ing
upon them the fact that we are maintaining good
homes. Our visitors are usually our friends. They
bless us and make us happy and contented.
We take a great deal of pains in providing attract-ive
lawns and beautiful entrances and pleasant living
rooms. The portals, the gateways, the doorways, the
entrances to our community homes are the highways.
IMany of our cities understand the value of having
inviting streets for guests to enter. Large attention
is given to the main entrance to commercial and res-idential
centers. They beautify the streets with park-
December, 1919 SOUTHERN GOOD ROADS 11
ings, with trees, hedges, shrubbery and flowers, so that
visitors may feel a warmth of welcome. T'he crfuntry
people should take the same interest in their roads.
They should not only build, not only maintain, but they
should beautify liighways in order to give their friends
a good impression of their community homes.
It is appropriate to close by paraphrasing -a little
part of an old familiar poem
:
"There are brook-gladdened meadows aheiad.
And mountains of wearisome height.
The road stretches on through the long afternoon.
And reaches way into the nig'lit.
There are pioneer souls that blaze a path.
Where highways never ran.
Let me live in a house by a beautiful road.
And be a friend of man.
"I see from my house by the side of the road.
By the side of the highwaj^ of life.
The men that press on with the ardor of hope.
And the men that are faint with the strife.
And I turn not away from their smiles and their tears
Both part of an infinite plan.
Let me live in a house by the side of the road.
And be a friend (to man."
A Good Road System.
It is possible to build a hard surfaced system of
50,000 miles so located as to serve directly 46 per
cent of all the counties of the United States and in-directly
41 per cent of all the others. For an annu-al
expenditure of $100,000,000—^liardly one dollar a
person per year—this fundamental road system could
be completed in 12yo years and it would serve 87 per
cent of the total population of the United States.
Such is the statement of the United States Department
of Labor.
"T'he growing needs of the country demand that
some such comprehensive highway S3'f3tem be con-structed,"
says R. E. Fulton, vice president of the
International Motor company.
"In the past there has been too great a lack of fore-sight
on the part of road builders. They have lacked
vision to foresee the requirements of even five years
ahead. A road built today must be built, not with the
idea of present traffic, but that of ten years in the
future.
The growing need of the day is for transportation.
We have simply got to provide it. We cannot stop it,
and the sentiment of the country will not tolerate any
handicap of our transportation system.
"With each year the railroads are becoming more
and more inadequate. Motor transportation is a grow-ing
economical necessity, a fact that is being recogniz-ed
more and more each day as motor trucks are called
upon to handle traffic that the railroads cannot ac-commodate.
Estimates prepared by engineering authorities show
that the United States could afford to spend $1,250,-
000,000 on a hard surfaced road system of 50,000 miles
which would serve directly and indirectly 87 per cent
of the population of the entire country. Not only
would such a system be an economic asset that would
pay for itself many times over, but its construction
would provide work for many thousands of people for
a number of years, and in that respect alone would
have great business value to the country in general.
"War increases business to replace the great losses
of destruction ; but the development of a nation in
times of peace provides a more normal and healthy
market for labor and material that can be made a sta-bilizer
of business and industrial conditions.
"A well planned national highway system is a ne-cessity,
and as soon as the Nation can complete the
plan, conditions will force putting it into operation."
YOl'R P.UIT.
Ten years ago. ten thousand trucks
(Hauled goods from street to street;
Today five hundred thousand make
The nation's mighty fleet.
Increase at this velocity
In ten short years would mean
Some twenty million motors
In our transportation scheme.
To make this a reality
Is up to you and I
—
The past has proven that we can,
—
And figures never lie.
In the words of Teddy Roosevelt,
All men should feel they owe
Some time to their profession,
If they want to see it grew.
What part is yours to take and play
In this aggressive game?
Its in your power all the while
To give the truck more fame.
The maker, dealer, salesman, driver.
Owner of a fleet.
And everyone that transports goods
Will make success complete.
Reduce costs to a minimum
—
Don't send out half a load
—
Enlist the driver's firm support,
And keep them on the road.
Cry out the slogan—"ship by truck" —
'Till every person sees
That on hauls long and short
The truck has real economies.
But first and last and always.
These economies depend
Upon good roads, and Without them
Development will end.
Do all you can to boost good roads
And then put in your claim
To success that is bound to come
—
Because you play the game.
—P. L. SINIFIPIN,
International (Mack) .Motor Co.
Provide $15,000,000 for Idaho Roads.
Bond issues of counties and highway districts in
Idaho for road purposes so far this year have reached
.$11,000,000, and by December 31, will go to $15,000,-
000, according to Jlr. W. J. Hall, public works com-missioner.
In addition- to this the State has levied a
tax to raise $1,850,000 for road purposes in the next
two years. Only $3,360,188 is available from Federal
Aid for 1917 to 1921, and this allotment has long been
matched by the State.
12 SOUTHERN GOOD ROADS December, 1919
Texas Leading the World
(Fort Worth Texas, Teles;ram.)
Texas will lead the world in hijj'hway building dur-ing
the next twelve numths.
Already this State had made pruvisious for spend-ing
$60,480,000 during this period, almost three times
as much as auj' other of the States will spend.
Iowa will be second with $20,498,534, and California
third with $20,000,000.
Figures compiled on highway work in this nation
shows that the United States is in the midst of the
greatest road building drive the world has ever known.
It is estimated that during the next year the country
will spend $376,000,000 for better roads.
In Texas alone $70,038,000 has been voted on good
road bond issues from January 1, to October 1. This,
of course, will not all be spent during the next year,
but a large portion of it will.
This State ranks third in the amount of road bonds
authorized during the first eight months of the year
by voting the $3,450,000 issue July 26. Dallas county
heads the list with $6,500,000, and Eastland county is
second, having voted for a $4,500,000 issue."
"Tarrant county not only is to be among the first
in road construction," County Judge Small stated,
"but is to be among the leaders in road nuiintenance
and beautifieation. It is more essential to maintain
roads than it is to build them.
"This county also will soon be among the first in
well-constructed, durable and attractive briddges and
culverts."
As soon, as a part of the county lionds have been
sold, steps will be taken for work to begin on the pro-posed
highway sj'stem.
The following table shows how much the dift'erent
States of the Union will spend during the next twelve
months for better highways :
Alabama ....$1,000,000 Nebra.ska 2,000,000
Arizona 6,250,000 Nevada 1,377,000
Arkansas 4.297.398 New Hamp. . . 1,630.000
California .
.
20.000,000 New Jersey . . 6,500,000
Colorado 4,742,000 New Mexico . 4,000,000
Connecticut . . 8.000,000 New York . . . 2,000,000
Delaware 8,528,000 N. Carolina .
.
5,000,000
Florida 8.000,000 N. Dakota . .
.
1,082,000
Georgia 7,911,000 Ohio 13,321,000
Idaho 2,100,000 Oklahoma . . . 3,600,000
Illinois 6,013,304 Oregm 8,000,000
Indiana 12,000,000 Pennsylvania . 8,780,000
Iowa 20,490,000 R. Island 1,470,000
Kansas 8,000,000 S. Carolina . . 7,000,000
Kentuckv ... 3.500,000 S.Dakota.... 7,000,000
Louisiana 2,000,000 Tennessee . . . 3,650,000
Maine 1,630,000 Texas 60,480,000
:\rarvland .... 6.750,000 Utah 10.092,470
Massachusetts 6,000,000 Vermont 1,797,600
Michigan .... 15,000,000 Virginia 3,400.000
Minnesota ... 11,127,986 Washington .. 6,500,000
]\rississippi . . . 7,000,000 W. Virginia . , 2,000,000
Missouri 5,413,000 Wisconsin ... 3.200,000
Montana 6,300,000 Wyoming 6,500,000
Road Issues in Texas.
The following, arranged according to the amount of
bonds voted, shows how much each county in Texas
authorized for road bonds during
months of 1919:
the first eight
Dallas $6,500,000
Eastland 4,500,000
Tarrant 3.450,000
Collin 2,814,000
Hill 2,401,000
Johnson 2,000,000
" Hunt 2,000,000
Nueces 2,000,000
Wharton 2.000.000
Kaufman 1,950,000
Harrison 1,750,000
Denton 1,680,000
Lamar 1,500,000
Wichita 1,500,000
Bexar 1,500,000
Smith 1,500,000
Washington . . 1,500,000
Wood 1,350,000
Henderson 1,150,000
Shelbv 1,105.000
Upshur 1.060,000
Delta 1.000,000
Franklin 1.000,000
Orange 1,000,000
Titus
Limestone
Ellis
Parker . . .
Rdsk
Polk
Nacogdoche
Rockwall .
Tyler
Potter
Comanche
Palls
Bee
Grayson . .
Fed River
Montague
Hardin . . .
Tom Green
Milam
Gonzales . .
Hays
Edwards . .
1.000,000
965.000
850,000
800,000
800,000
800,000
800,000
800,000
800,000
750,000
750.000
650,000
600,000
564,000
561.000
525.000
510,000
500,000
465,000
433.000
415,000
400,000
Cooks
San Patrice .
.
Cherokee . . . .
Kelberg
Fayette
Bastrop
San Augustine
Cameron
Sutton
Webb
Houston
Rains
Uvalde
Brazoria
Lavaca
Gillespie
Fannin
Live Oak ....
Kimble
Chambers . . . .
Hood
Panola
Schleicher . .
.
^Montgomery .
Coleman
Gaudalupe . . .
Knok
Anderson ....
Blanco
Hartley
Burnet
Navarro
BoM'ie
Coke
Somervell . . . .
Trinity
Kendall
Lamb
Lee
^lorris
Reeves
Walker
Pecan
^ledina
Jloore
Wheeler
375,000
375,000
350.000
350,000
325,000
320,000
310,001)
300,000
300.000
300,000
250,000
250,000
250,000
200.000
200.000
200,000
181,000
150,000
150,000
150,000
140,000
135,000
125,000
108,000
100,000
100,000
100,000
75.000
75.000
75,000
70,000
66,000
60,000
60,000
60,000
60,000
50,000
50,000
50,000
50,000
50,000
40,000
35,000
30,000
30,000
20,000
Good Roads Foster Travel.
As the good roads throughout Florida lengthen in
mileage the people of the State travel more and more.
Aside from their usefulness for transportation of the
ii.nmense volume of products of Florida her good roads
also add mightily to the pleasure and knowledge of
her citizens. By getting about more they see and ap-preciated
what a great State Florida is, and how much
more impoi'tant it can Iiecome by means of good roads
everv where.—Jacksonville Times-Union.
The voters of La-\vrenee county, Kentucky, will be
called on, December 20, to vote on a bond issue for
the purpose of building good roads.
December, 1919 SOUTHERN GOOD ROADS 13
The Townsend Bill
By B. W. SIPE
Office Assistant, N. C. Geological and Economic Survey
"Nothing is of a more vital importance to every jnan,
woman and ohild in our country than the subject of a
definite National Highway policy." The problem of
road building in the United States, which up until a
comparatively short time ago was not taken very se-riously,
has asisumed vast proportions and is attracting
the attention of our most constructive thinkers. The
inability of the railroads to handle adequately the
transportation of the country has hastened the coming
of the motor vehicle, especially the heavier type of
truck ; and this in turn, has most emphatically called
our attention to the pro'blem of high-way construction
of the more durable sort. So gigantic has our higliway
problem become that it is felt by leading highway en-gineers,
road builders, and our most constructive states-men
and civil minded citizens tiliat this is distinctly a
National problem and should, therefore, in the main be
handled by the Nation. The only system of highways
that will be of any real value in .solving our transpor-tation
problem is not an inter-county or intra-State
system but a uniformly warked-out inter-State or Na-tional
system. ITnder the present plan of Federal and
State Aid in road building the initiative is mainly with
the individual counties, and under such a system, with
an hundred or two counties in each State and as many
different men, each working out its own system of
roads, and with forty-eight States and as many differ-ent
highAvay commissions working out the various
State systems, in most cases frmm merely a State stand-point,
it is clear that no logically worked-out, uniform-ly
constructed National System of Highways can ever
be achieved. The only alternative, then, it seems, is to
make the Nation our road building unit .just as we have
made it the administrative head of the various other
departments that pertain to the welfare of all the peo-ple
of the nation.
Pecosrnizing this fact. Senator Townsend of Michi-gan,
chairman of the Senate committee on post offices
and post roads, introduced in the United States Senate
on June 2. 1919 the bill which bears his name, and
which is in the hands of the proper committee awaiting
further consideration following the disposal of other
^'mportant learislation. If this bill is enacted into law,
and in all probability it wiH be in due time, the Feder-al
Government will, throucrh the asrency of a Federal
HiThwav Commission, take over from two to five per
cent of the total hishway mileage actually used as siieh
in any state as ascertained by the Federal Commission
in co-operation with the resnective State hiofhway com-missions
and build and maintain these hierhways. Thus
each State will be relieved of the financial burden of
future construction and permanent maintenance of its
heaviest traffic lines, leaving it free to develop con-necting
lines mthin its ovm borders. Under such a
comprehensive and ambitious program, and only under
some such program, can this vast country of ours hope
to achieve a really National System of Highways.
People throughout the country are evincing a deep
interest in this bill; but in some sections the fear is ex-pressed
that if it becomes a law. the present plan of
Federal Aid will be abandoned. In resjard to this point
Senator Townsend. author of the bill, has this to say:
"The bill does noi: in any majmer in.turi-ously affect ex-isting
law, in fact it provides that the commission cre-ated
under it shall have charge of the Federal Aid law,
and shall make reports annually to the Congress as to
what is being accomplished under existing law, and to
make such recommendations for the future as the op-eration
of the law and its re.sults seem to be necessary.
The two systems of road building are separate and dis-tinct,
except that they are under control of the same
Federal Commission. The appropriations, however,
cannot be mingled, and the results will be known and
properly appraised by the people ft-om time to time. If
the present Federal Aid law proves satisfactory, it will,
as a matter of course, be continued, and probably en-larged."
So we see that the Federal Government, un-der
the provisions of this bill, not only proposes to take
over, construct, and permanently maintain certain of
the prinrary or distinctly national highways, but also
to continue to help the various States build the feeders
to this great National System, in other words, the dis-tinctly
State and county highways.
It is no wonder that such a bill is receiving hearty
support from the various sections of the country, and
jiarticularly in the extrefne we.st, where the need of
highways is vital and essential to early development.
Various bu.siness organizations of the West have wired
tOveir respective Senators urging not only their support
of this bill, but also urging that the appropr'ation as
provided by the bill be increased from .$425,000,000 to
.$1,000,000,000. This bill provides for one of the mo«t
construtcive, far reaching programs of internal im-provement
ever undertaken by our country, and its
passage should be made certain. Other sections of the
country Avould do well to follow the example of these
western business oraranizations and likewise urge up-on
their respective Senators the importance of this bill
and request their support of it when it comes up foi
discussion. It is only by the aid of the moral support
of their constituents that our law makers can conscien-tiously
do their work, and we should let them know
that we are unqualifiedly in favor of such legislation
as is provided for in this bill.
Missouri.
At the first meeting of the Missouri State Hifrhway
Board at which Major Roy F. Britton, recently ap-pointed
a member by Governor Gardner, was present
delegations from seven counties were before the board
seeking State or Federal aid. A delegation of 14 mem-bers
from Stoddard county sought aid in the construc-tion
of a hard-surfaced road to Cape Girardeau and
another through Scott county to a landing on the Mis-sissippi
River where a dock is under contemplation. A
delegation was also present from Scott county. They
expressed their views on the necessity of hard-surfaced
roads in developing river navigation. A delegation
from Platte County sought State aid on a six-mile
stretch of hard road to be built north of Kansas City
at a cost of $56,000 a mile.
The Greensboro, North Carolina. City Commission-ers
have approved a resolution calling for the paving
of ten city blocks. The cost %\ill be $50,000 or more.
^Ir. William B. Bandy is city engineer.
14 SOUTHERN GOOD ROADS December, 1919
Published Monthly by Southern Good Roads Publishing Co.
LEXINGTON. North Cabouna
a. B. VAKNBR. Editor and Gen'l Manager FRED O. SINK, S«c. and Treaa.
DR. JOSEPH HYDE PRATT, State Geologist of N. C., Aasociate Editor
L. L. GOBBEL, Uanaging Editor
Subscription Price $1.00 Per Year in Advance
Copy for AdvertiBements shoald be in oor hands not later than Fifth of month
VOL. XX DECEMBER, 1919 NO. 6
PREPARE FOR SPRING ROAD BUILDING.
Southern Grood Roads joins Mr. Thomas H. Mac-
Donald, Chief of the Bureau of Public Roads, in his
efforts to enlist the State highway departments and the
public generally to the end that greater progress in
road building may be made next year than has been
made in the year which is about to end.
Granting that much has been accomplished through-out
the United States since the cessation of hostilities
in Europe and the return of soldiers to America, in view
of the fact that Congress has appropriated millions to
be distributed among the States for road buildiag the
fact remains that in many commonwealths little prog-ress
has been made.
Mr. MacDonald makes clear the reason for beginning
now to make preparations for spring road building.
One of the great handicaps this season has been the fact
that railroad transportation has been so tied up that
to secure road building material and supplies in suf-ficient
quantities in many cases has been an impossi-bility.
Open top cars may be more easily secured dur-ing
the T\'inter months than later, as Mr. MacDonald
points out, and it is a question of taking them when
they can be had.
The question, then, is a simple one. It may be stat-ed
in the sentence, "Make hay while the sun shines."
GOOD ROADS MEAN MUCH.
The three distinctive features of progressive coun-ties
are good roads, good schools, and good churches.
These are the considerations that interest people who
are seeking locations for homes. These are the things
that make more intelligent and better communities
which are indispensable to any county that would take
its rank among counties that do things for the better-ment
of all the people.
"Good roads—^build them now and see how quickly
good times will roll down the street," is the admonition
of the United States Department of Labor.
The Dixie Highway.
Everything seems to be going over to 1920 in the
way of good road hopes. The Knoxville Sentinel
quotes from The Dixie Highway Magazine as to the
status of the "eastern arm" of the famous highway
from which the magazine takes its name. The Dixie
Highway runs from Detroit to Miami. The magazine
article was called forth bj^ inquiries fram autoists from
all parts of the North, East and "West, as to conditions,
the inquiries indicating the heaviest auto tourist traf-fic
the coming winter ever known. It is stated that
the road has been much improved and with certain
emergency work done on ill-kept portions between
Waycross and Jacksonville, it will be possible for tour-ists
to make the trip to Florida '
' without incurring too
great a hardship." By way of curbing the impatience
of tourists for a hard-surfaced road all the way, it is
stated by the magazine "as a positive fact," that every
mile of the highway has been financed a-nd much work
is under way. The job was too big for the short time
intervening between the close of the war and the start
of the tourist season. Millions of dollars are being ex-pended,
and where work has nat been actually started,
the projects have been completed or contracts have
been let enabling the Dixie Highway Association to
guarantee a Dixie highway which will be delightful
for travel over all kind of weather before another
year rolls around.
Definite promise is given that a map of the Dixie
Highway next year will be able to show the officially
designated routings witih few if any deviations.
—
Charlotte (North Carolina) Observer.
Good Roads Meet to Be Brilliant Affair.
Mr. J. A. Eountree, director general of the United
States Good Roads Association, which will hold its na-tional
convention in Hot Springs, Arkansas, April 12-
17, 1920, has annoimced that he would go to Hot
Springs after the holidays and open headquarters be-fore
"Good Roads Week."
When tie great roads meeting convenes in April,
some of the most brilliant society, club, and literary
women in the country will be in attendance. These
women will take part in the meetings and take the
lead in the social festivities that will be tendered the
governors. United States senators, cabinet officers, and
many other distinguished guests who will be in at-tendance.
Among those who have accepted invitations to at-tend
are Mrs. Adolph Rousuet, a social leader of New
Orleans and also a member of the women's board of
the United States Good Roads Association ; ilrs. Ida
Belle Clark, the noted editorial writer ol* the Pictorial
Review, and Miss Louise B. Lindsley, the distinguished
president of the women's division of the Southern
Commercial Congress.
The "Kyva" Highway.
The State Road Department is taking considerable
interest in the proposed "Kyva" (Kentucky-Virginia)
Highway, and will put forth every effort towa,rd rais-
December, 1919 SOUTHERN GOOD ROADS 15
ing funds, in way of State and Federal aid and bond
issues, and so on, for its construction.
Starting at Lexington thence to Winchester, it goes
out over the "Iron Works" pike, thence through Stan-ton,
Camptoo, 'Jackson, Hazard and Whitesburg to
Big Stone Gap, Virginia.
Some of the counties along the route have alread.v
voted 'bond issues and others have the mattter under
consideration \\-ith good prospects of success.
The Virginia people are ready to meet Kentucky
with a first-class road and probably are willing to
"deaden over the line" to some extent.
W. G. Coutts, one of Big Stone Gap's live wires and
good roads enthusiast, is on the job.
Vast benefits would accrue to Winchester and all
central Kentucky as well as to Virginia from the es-tablishment
of the "Kyva Highway."—Winchester
(Kentuckv) Daih- Democrat.
Farmers Favor Good Hard Roads
Good roads are the greatest economic needs for agri-cultural
commuiiities. This is the answer of 200 pro-minent
fanners of the State of Maine to ((uestionaires
which asked them to summarize urgent necessities to
bring their district up to the desired economic stan-dard.
The farmers who answered the questionnaires
were selected as those best fitted to answer the ques-tions,
and they were asked to furnish a digest of the
situation in their respective communities with refer-ence
to the acreage, crops, farm improvements, civic
and social conditions, etc. The definitions of the great-est
needs covered a wide and interesting range. The
largest record of needs was good roads, 85 emphasiz-ing
the urgent necessity of adequate highways. There
were 45 who asked for more farm laborers, 44 for coop-erative
buying and .selling, 35 for better school privi-leges,
29 for more blue-blooded stock, 29 for more
manufacturing plants, 29 for better marketing facili-ties,
and 21 for greater credit extensions by banks. —^Hiawatha, Kansas, World,
Now For Road Building,
(By Walter C. White, in the Nashville Temie.sseean.)
The release of laJbor and i;niaterial incident to the
demobilization of our army and the slowing do^\^l of
the manufacture of war supplies otfers a golden op-portunity
for a program of road building more exten-sive
than any in which the country has ever engaged.
Not only must we make good the neglect which our
roads have soitfered during the period when road con-struction
has been ofBciall.y frowned upon, tout we must
go further and bring our entire road s.ystem up to the
standard of the far-famed roads of Prance.
While 'We often hear of the tremendous part played
uju^aj jfaq; naqAV sjaipps jno jo n^ ^Bti; jaaj ^nq dfsq
^ouuBO I -uoi^sanb pBO.i aq; pj'BAVo:> uAVoqs SBq '.ibav jo
France, and now that the last shots have been fired, the
roads imiay justly be termed one of the eountr.y's great
assets in the work of rehabilitation.
During my recent mission in France, as I traveled
hour after hour over roads which were maintained in
perfect condition almost up to the front line trenches,
I could not help but comipare what France was doing,
even in the midst 'of war, to the almost scandalous in-difference
which OUT country, in time of peace as in time
in the war by the motor transport, we are apt to for-get
that this part was made possible only because
France has a splendid system of roads—not simply a
from France will demand that our roads be brought up
to the French standard.
Let us anticipate that demand ! Let every township,
every county, every state, let our national Government,
begin to plan this very day to build roads adapted to
the traffic of today and tomorrow. I need not argue
the economic question involved. That good roads soon
pay for themselves many times over is known to every
community which has made investments in this direc-tion.
We have done our share to make the seas safe for
the commerce of the world. Let us now turn some of
our energies, released from war, to the task of m/iking
our highways safe and practicable for our internal com-merce.
Mississippi.
Mr, J. T. Thomas, of Grenada, Alississippi, president
of the Grenada Bank and organizer of its great chain
of branch banks, one of the most progressive men i]i
Mississippi, was unanimously elected presideiit of the
Mississippi Highway Improvement Association .-it a
great State convention held there recently, an.' Mr,
Cliff Williams, Meridian, was elected general vice-president,
Capt. W, T. Plate, of Jackson, was elected
secretary and Mr, Oscar Newton, president of the
Jackson State National Bank, treasurer.
A board of vice-presidents—one from each congres-sional
district—was provided for by the convention
without dissent. A resolution introduced by Senator-elect
Wamble, of Tallahatchie coimty, favoring a State
bond issue of .$25,000,000 to aid in highAvays develop-ment,
was also adapted. The promoters of the confer-ence
were very much gratified at the representative'
character of the men in attendance, which included a
number of members-elect of the incoming Legislature,
who are pledged to good and better roads.
With just 10 "points" less than those embodied in
the historic address to the Congress of the United
States in January, 1918, by the President, upon which
peace terms with the central powers wnuld be possi-ble.
Governor Theo. G. Bilbo, speaking before
a great convention, in brief terms discussed his po-sition
on the four points or propositions which he will
submit to the next Legislature for tlie stabilizing of the
State's highway system. Briefly stated, the Governor
advocates the State bond issue of $25,000,000 as point
No. 1, which he believes will be duplicated by the
Federal Government.
Furthermore, he will advocate a direct motor vehicle
tax, a gasoline tax, the proceeds of which would go as
a bond interest sinking fund, and an oil and gasoline
inspection fee s.ystem, to add to the others.
The contract for the construction of 85 miles of per-manent
hard-surfaced roads in the Tri-County High-
Ava.v Improvement District, Arkansas, has been award-ed
by the commissioners to Mr. John R. Scott, of St.
Louis. The contract for the steel bridge work was
awarded to the Vincennee Bridge Company, of Vin-cenne,
Indiana. The district includes Green, Craig-head,
and Poinsett counties.
Special elections have been called in various parts
of Missouri to vote this month on highway bond issues
totaling $5,196,700.
16 SOUTHERN GOOD ROADS December, 1919
Kentucky Rock Asphalt
By RODMAN WILEY*
Chief Kngineer, Kentucky Kock Asphalt Company
I
DEEM IT A GREAT HONOR to address this as-sociation
upon the subject assigned me. Nothing is
more beneficial to us than meetings of this kind where
we exchange ideas. Many years ago the trails made
by the buffalos served for the convenience of man
in matters of transportation. With the settlement of
the CLiuntry came a greater demand for better trans-portation
facilities, consequently the trails were wid-ened,
later the general direction was followed, but it
was necessary to relocate the roads, install proper
drainage structures, etc. Finally the roads were sur-faced
with some sort of material, and ultimately with
broken stone or gravel. For years it was believed that
the macadam road was the acme of perfection. All of
you remember when dirt instead of screenings was
thrown over the stone—those were the days of steel
tired vehicles when the tires would knock dust from
the stone, and such particles would settle in the in-terstices
and with the moisture from the air and earth
bound the stone together. Still later screenings were
used so the roads would be smooth when finished and
also more lasting. Now-a-days the steel tired vehicles
still produce dust but the automobile and automobile
truck throw the dust from the surface and it is blown
away by the winds. The aiitomobile and the automo-bile
truck are here to stay. The steel tired vehicle is
a thing of the past. The nibber tired traffic, owing t">
its destructive effect on plain macadam and gravel,
tears such roads to pieces ; so it may be said, and
truthfully, that the plain water-bound macadam road is
the most expensive of all types today ; requires re-construction
every 2 or 3 years, and never at any pe-riod
of its existence do we have what we might call a
GOOD ROAD for longer than 4 or 5 months at a time.
It is therefore necessary from a standpoint of economy
to "build roads to stand the loads", and I know of
no type that more admirablv satisfies all requirements
than KENTUCKY ROCK ASPHALT, a Natural Prod-uct
composed of about 921/4 per cent silica sand and
Ti'o per cent of bitumen. It is quarried, crushed and
pulverized to about the consistency of coarse meal.
It is not heated and no material, either sand or bitu-men,
is added. It is transported by water from the
plant to Bowling Green, the nearest available railroad
station—unlooaded from the barges into railroad ears,
or else stored ready for shipment. It is therefore pos-sible
at all times to make prompt shipment.. "Wlien
building an entirely new road, using Kentucky Rock
Asphalt as a surfacing material, an ordinary macad-am
outfit is all that is needed. It is rolled with either
a tandem roller or else a roller of the macadam t.vpe.
The following represents a test of a sample of the
sand made by the Bureau of Public Roads. Wa.shing-ton,
D. C, 1919:
Per Cent of
Aggregate
Passing 1/4 ill- screen. retained in 10 mesh sieve 1.1
Passing 10 mesh sieve. retained on 20 mesh sieve 3,2
Passing 20 mesh sieve, retained on 30 mesh sieve 3.5
Passing 30 mesh sieve. retained on 40 mesh sieve 8.7
Passing 4:0 mesh sieve. retained on 50 mesh sieve 9.9
Passing 50 me.sh sieve. retained on 80 mesh sieve 43.2
Passing 80 mesh sieve. retained on 100 mesh sieve 13.2
Passing 100 mesh sieve., retained on 200 mesh sieve 9.7
Passing 200 mesh sieve (.0
•Delivered at a Meeting of Kentucky Highway Engineers Associa-tion,
Owensboro, Ky., Nov. 13, 1919.
Total 100.0
Under section No. 24 of the American Highway En-gineers
Handbook, entitled: " Comparison ' of Roads
and Pavements." by Mr. George W. Tills in. Consult-ing
Engineer to the president of the Borough of
Brooklyn, New York City, it is contended that certain
properties should be taken into consideration when de-termining
the type of pavement, and the following
percentage values have been assigned to each property:
Cheapness 14 Per Cent
Durability 21 Per Cent
Easiness of Cleaning ...15 Per Cent
Resistance to Traffic ...15 Per Cent
Non-slipperiness 7 Per Cent
Ease of ^Maintenance ..10 Per Cent
Favorableness to Travel .5 Per Cent
Sanitariness 13 Per Cent
Total 100 Per Cent
Kentucky Rock Asphalt more nearly satisfies all the
above requirements than any other pavement, and it
is as near a 100 per cent type as it is possible to build.
Cheapness.
Generally speaking, and especially in this State,
Rock Asphalt is the least expensive of all permanent
tj'pes of pavement because it is used in such a manner
as to utilize the local materials; can be laid over a lime-stone
base, a sandstone base, and by using about 4
inches of crushed limestone can be laid over a road that
has already been surfaced with bank or river gravel.
In the October, 1919, issue of '"Southern Good Roads"
there appears an address entitled, "Hard Surface
Roads" by N. J. Wulfif of the Bureau of Public Roads
at Washington, delivered at the annual meeting of the
North Carolina Good Roads Association. Wrightsville
Beach, August 13-15. He says in part:
'Generally speaking all asphalt pavements laid in
the form of sheet present their best appearance if laid
on a macadam foundation. By reason of the very
small ad.iustment, due to the expansion and contrac-tion,
due to temperature changes which take place in
the entire surface and foundations as well, a pavement
of this kind is singularly free from unsisfhtly cracks
that must inevita.bly appear, when the pavement is laid
on a rigid foundation like concrete."
I consider it not only good engineering, but good
Deeemiber, 1919 SOUTHERN GOOD ROADS 17
common sense to use the local materials as much as
possible. Kentucky Rock Asphalt is laid cold, without
the addition of any extra material. It is used just as
it comes from the hand of nature, requires no expen-sive
plant to lay and no expert labor. It is as near
a fool proof type as it is possible to lay.
Durability.
Kentucky Rock j-*.-<phalt never loses its life. Tests
show that the material which has been down for as
long as 10 or 15 years is practically as alive today as
it was when laid. It has long since passed the experi-mental
stage. The method of laying it has been stand-ardized
after years of careful study and much experi-menting
; laid on a good macadam foundation it has
been down for as long a period as 10 years without
any maintenance, and some of the roads have been
subjected to severe ti'affic—a mixed traffic, compjsed
of narrow steel tired vehicles, horses and mules heavy
shod, light and heavy automobile trucks, caterpillar
tractors, traction engines and pleasure automobiles. In
that time the pavement has shown very little wear and
today is as smooth as glass, having the appearance of
the best sheet-asphalt pavement. A sample section of
Kentuckv Rock Asphalt was laid at Bowling Green,
Ky., in August, 1907. by Mr. B. F. Heidel of the Office
of Public Roads, Washington, D. C, under the direc-tion
of Mr. Vernon !M. Pierce, of the same department.
;\Ir. B. F. Heidel in a letter July, 191*2, said in part
:
"Speaking of Kentucky Rock Asphalt which was
laid on the Cemetery Pike at Bowling Green, Ky., Au-gust,
1907, this material was from the quarries of the
Wadsworth Stone & Paving Co., on Green River, where
it was prepared for use on the road by crashing. No
other material either sand or bitumen was added to
change the consistency of the crushed native product.
The rock asphalt applied to the wearing surface it
the stone at atmospheric temperature and at no time
during the construction was artificial heat applied,
either to the wearing course of the stone or to the rock
asphalt. Annual inspection has been made since that
time by engineers from the office of Public Roads in
the Department of Agriculture. The reports show
'that the pavement has remained practically unchang-ed
in appearance, with little evidence of wear, and the
bitumen has retained its life to the present time.'
"
I recently returned from an inspection of the Nel-son
Avenue Experimental Road at Columbus, Ohio,
where 17 types were laid under the direction of the
Ohio State Highway Department in 1909. Today, aft-er
10 years service, the pavement is in excellent con-dition
and no funds have been expended for mainten-ance.
Any man inspectinging the road will pronunce
the Kentucky Rock Asphalt section the best of all
types. A sample taken from the edge of the road and
analyzed by the Pittsburgh testing laboratiry in Oc-tober,
1919, showed 7.42 per cent of bitumen.
The 18th Street road out of Louisville leading to
Camp Henry Knox is Kentucky Rock Asphalt for about
71/2 miles. It has been down for a number of years
and carries a heavy mixed traffic and for the past two
years has withstood from 4,000 to 5,000 vehicles per
day, and today it is perfect. Many other examples
could be cited but time will not permit.
Easiness of Cleaning.
While it is not generally customary to clean country
roads, still it is necessary for city streets, and I don't
think there is any dispute about a Kentucky Rock As-phalt
pavement being as ea.sy to clean as practically
any other type.
Resistance to Traffic.
Kentucky Rock Asphalt possesses a peculiar prop-erty,
in that it never gets soft in summer or what you
might call hard in winter. As a matter of fact, the
surface is not affected by changes in temperature. The
surface has the same appearance in summer as in win-ter.
Its action under traffic is the same. While no
tests have been made, it is believed that the resistance
to traffic would be about the same or better than that
presented by a sheet-asphalt pavement in cold weather.
It affords a good footing for horses and good traction
for automobiles.
Non-Slipperiness.
Nou-slipperiness is very essential. ilany deaths
have been due to accidents caused by wet slippery pave-ments.
Kentucky Rock Asphalt is non-slippery, the
surface being like a very fine sand paper. It has been
laid, and is being laid on grades as steep as 7 to 8 per
cent and is giving excellent service. No complaints,
whatever, have been registered against the material
laid on such heavy grades. Kentucky Rock Asphalt
was laid on a street at Hopkinsville. Ky., on a 7V2
per cent grade.
Ease of Maintenance.
It is the easiest of any of the permanent types of
pavements to repair. It requires no plant, no special
tools, no expei't labor. It is laid cold. You merely cut
back the edges of a hole to where the surface is at prop-er
grade, leaving the edges perpendicular to the foun-dation,
clean the hole and fill it with new material and
tamp it down. A section of the pavement can be re-moved
with a knife, the material crushed with the fin-gers,
and the hole repaired with the same material that
is taken out. The ease of maintenance is one of the
main points to consider when selecting any pavement,
because all types will sooner or later need repairs of
some kind.
Favorableness to Travel.
Kentucky Rock Asphalt is pleasing to the eye, easy
on vehicles—because it is resilient. It always remains
smooth, never cracks, rolls or buckles, and is not af-fected
by any changes in climate. It serves as well
in Canada as in Florida.
In regard to the section laid at Bowling Green, Ky.,
Circular No. 89, Office of Piiblic Roads, Washington,
D. C, reads in part as follows:
"It is resistent to deformation under a load, yet
siifficiently plastic to break the severity of the blow
from a horse's hoof, and thus in a measure avoid the
harmful effects of a rigid pavement nn animals."
Sanitariness.
It is a perfectly sanitary pavement. Not made up
of any materials that will decay, it is water-proof,
noiseless and dustless.
As already stated, Kentucky Rock Asphalt can be
laid on either a broken stone base or a concreted base,
or can be used to resurface old brick streets. It has
been successfully used for sidewalks, and I am told
that where a sidewalk has been laid of the material
.people will go several blocks out nf their way in order
to walk on it because it makes walking easy. Side-walks
laid in Washington Park. Cincinnati, are good
after 12 years service. The majority of walkways in
the Ohio State University grounds are Kentucky Rock
18 SOUTHERN GOOD ROADS December, 1919
Asphalt, and this season about one mile has been laid
at the Western Normal Seohol at Bowling Green. It
is an excellent material for the floors of warehouses,
and is used extensively for station platforms, and is
now being successfully used to patch sheet-asphalt and
other forms of bituminous pavements, as well as ma-cadam
roads.
The material is absolutely uniform. It is tested be-fore
it goes to the crusher and again tested after leav-ing
the crusher, and the bitumen content rims between
7 and 8 per cent, usually around TVs per cent. To
give you an idea of the carefulness with which tests
are made, the Pittsburgh Testing Laboratory cheeked
the company chemist within three hundredths of one
per cent on material shipped to Mobile, Ala., this sea-son.
The company absolutely guarantees the uniformi-ty
of the product. It is one of Kentucky's natural
resources of which she has a right to justly be proud.
Nature has seen to it that each and every grain is
thoroughly coated with bitumen. It is not possible to
prepare artificially a mixture that is as good and as
cheap as Kentucky Rock Asphalt. There is found in
the 1914 Kentucky Geological report the fallowing
statement by Mr. J. Owen Bryant
:
"In considering the use of this rock in its crude form
as a road building or paving material, the question
arises what freight rate will preclude the possibility of
competing with other products when initial cost is the
prime consideration? In the first place initial cost
this kind, as the durability of the various materials
used as road coverings varies to a considerable degree.
The ultimate cost, renewability and character of sur-face
as well as the initial cost, should govern the se-lection
of a material for this purpose. If these fac-tors
are given their proper weight in considering bids
on a contract, this black rock ought to compete with
any other material known with a fair possibility of
success, excepting at such distances from its source as
would make the freight excessive. As this rock only
contains from 5 to 12 per cent of asphalt, the freight
paid would be mainly upon sand, which together with
some small amount of impurities constitute the balance
of the material, i. e., from 88 per cent to 95 per cent.
To make the asphalt content compete with other ma-terial
when loaded down with freight charges against
such a large proportion of sand, which can be very
cheaply obtained by most consumers, would seem ridic-ulous
at first, but a study of the expense of purchas-ing
and operating machinery which will produce as
thorough a mixture has produced in the form of this
black rock, seems to show that aside from a saving
of from three to five cents per square yard of pave-ment
in place, the black rock olfers additional advan-tages
from being a perfect mechanical mixture of the
materials, requiring no preliminary heating of either
the asphalt or the sand, a considerable advantage when
the disagreeable features attending the use of these
heated materials in a residence district are considered,
more especially when portable melting and heating
plants are iised. It is also advantageous because it
ofl'ers a surface which does not become slippery. Tlie
sand grains in the black rock pavement offer much
more resistance to skidding wheels than the ordinary
asphalt pavement surface will offer. In the writer's
opinion the use of any crushed argillaceous or calcar-eous
material on the surface of an asphalt pavement
will result in the production of a thin slippery coat-ing
when the pavement is wet and heavy traffic is pass-ing
over it. Limestone or cement does not stand up
under traffic, and pure quarts sand will."
You will within the near future have occasion to se-lect
a type of pavement better than plain water-bound
macadam or gravel for your main roads. Many argu-ments
will be put before you showing the merits and
demerits of various materials. All that we ask of you
is to consider thoroughly each and every point that
should be considered when selecting a type—examine
our product carefully, inspect the roads and streets
that have been budlt of the material, witness the traf-fic
which is passing over them each day, and I have
no doubt as to what your decision vdW be.
Let us remember that we are perhaps a little behind
some of our sister States in the building of roads, but
let us resent the statement that we are backward, and
by wise legislation and efficient methods, show that we
are as progressive as the people of any State.
It has' been said that a wall could be built around
Kentucky and our people would live without any out-side
assistance. We have more hard woods than any
other State east of the ^Mississippi river; we stand
fourth in coal; fourth in oil; have suitable materials
for the manufacture of steel, cement, brick, and many
other things. We can raise almost anjrthing, and na-ture
has even favored us with the best road surfacing
material in the world.
Virginia.
I\Iembei-s of the Virginia State Highway Commission
have qualified and organized by electing Wade H. Mas-sie,
chairman, and ]\Ir. Henry P. Beck, secretary, ac-cording
to a report from Richmond. Members of the
commission are : ilessrs. Wade H. ]\Iassie, of Washing-ton,
Va., chairman ; Henry P. Beck, of Richmond, sec-retary;
Horace Hardaway, of St. Paul, Va. ; James A.
Mundy, Jr., of Natural Bridge, Va. ; and Frank W.
Davis, of Lawrenceville. Va.
Highway Commissioner Coleman says he will begin
advertising for contracts for road work in January and
February, that same will be awarded with all possible
speed so tthat work can begin with the opening of
spring. JMr. Coleman says that the work will be done
with everj' attention to detail, that much of the road
to be built will be to connect up many of the gaps and
to make a continuous road for hauling materials and
for the benefit of the people. He is organizing his
forces and preparing to handle a great undertaking
with the opening of the new year. The contractors will
have ample time to 'organize their forces and to get
ready for active operations, the same to be pushed ^rith
all speed consistent with substantial work.
It has been announced that commissioners are now
considering building a hard surface road east of Enid,
Oklahoma, into the oil district or towards the oil dis-trict
the distance of seven miles. ]\Iessrs. H. C. Smith,
assistant State engineer, Fred Denner, county engi-neer,
and E. W. Wells, county commissioner, have
looked oyer the project and H, C. Smith has been put
in charge of the construction. Commissioners esti-imiate
that the cost of construction will be from $25,-
000 to .$30,000 a mile. $200,000 at present is on hand
which can be used for this construction or can be ob-tained
from county and Federal treasuries for the con-struction.
December, 1919 SOUTHERN GOOD ROADS 19
Lifting Pennsylvania Out of the Mud
From Philadelphia North American
ri"l IIK adiaiuistnatiju of Governor Sproud has under-
X taken the herculean task of lifting Pennsylvania
out of the mud.
This is not a figure of speech, employed in connection
with the charge so often made that Pennsylvania is a
"sunken state," bogged in the mire of political mis-rule
and civic lethargy. It is a statement to be taken
in a literal sense. For one of the principal aims of
the govern-or is tj lay the foundations, during his term
of office, of such a comprehensive system of good roads
as will actually raise the level of the State's material
prosperity and social welfare.
In mere magnitude, the problem is one worthy of the
power of a great commonwealth. The area of the State
is nearly equal to that of England. Many single coun-ties
in it have more road mileage than some entii"e
States. The important highways of Pennsj'lvania, if
placed end to end, would reach from here to Australia.
But, besides the extent of the task, there are to be con-sidered
special difficulties that must be overcome, such
as the unfavorable character of the soil in wide re-gions,
the destructive weather influences where the
winters are severe, and the necessity (xE transporting
road materials to those parts of the State where they
are not obtainable. All these factors add enormously
to costs in time and money.
A clear index to the kind of governmenit a State has
had diiring the last dozen years may be found from a
survey of the progress it has miade in road improve-ment
during the period. The backward condition of
Pennsylvania in tliis respect is an accurate reflection of
the inefficiency that characterized the last three ad-ministrations
in liarriaburg ; and it may be hoped that
in the great program now launched there is a forecast
of a four-year regime of genuine, effective public ser-vice.
For the first time a practical, comprehensive, con-tinuing
plan has been formulated and adopted. It is
designed not only to work rapid improvement in vital
line of highway communications, but also to provide
an adequate foundation for such expansions as will be
necessary in the future. It takes into account the
changing character of traffic as well as its increasing
volume ; roads will be built so as to meet the require-ments
of the larger vehicles used in modern transpor-tation,
and in construction will be designed to with-stand
the war imposed by such roads as were unknown
a few years ago.
A system of primary roads, built and maintained by
the commonwealth, will gridiron the State in lines run-ning
east and west, north and south, linking up virtu-ally
all the county seats. In the northern region there
will be six routes in New York State, and there will be
similar roads connecting with New Jersey, Ohio and
Maryland. This primary system will constitute the
main arteries of the whole highway organism as plan-ned.
They are laid down with regard only to general
public necessities and the effectiveness of the under-taking
in its entirety ; as the great structural thor-oughfares,
their lines have been chosen without refer-
•uet io politieal •onsiderations or looal influences.
Supportinsf or amplifying the primary system there
is to be a secondary system, built by the commonwealth,
with funds provided in part by the State and in part
by the counties. And, thirdly, provision is made for
the carrying out of a liberal policy of improvement
with respect to the dirt roads which serve the more
sparsely inhabited rural districts. Development of
roads which are on the State plan, but as yet are un-improved,
will proceed as rapidly as is found possible.
Already, it is announced, the counties have pledged
.-|>15,000,000 toward their share of the cost of the sec-ondary
system, and a larger total will be derived from
this source during the four years. With the aid that
may be claimed from the federal government under
the federal bill, it is estimated that during the period
in question Pennsylvania will expend $125,000,000 on
road construction and improvement.
Enal)liug legislation recently introduced will put un-der
waj', when passed, the $50,000,0(fO project to be
financed by bond issues. The governor will be empow-ered
to issue bonds from time to time, in amounts as
needed, necessary safeguards being provided respect-ing
the rate of interest, terms of redemption and crea-tion
of a sinking fund from general revenues to extin-guish
the obligation.
The history of the good roads movement in Pennsjd-vania
does not make very inspiring reading, for pro-gress
was o'bstrucited for many years by political man-ipulation
and public indifference to the urgent need
for improved conditions. For a long time the agitation
for road improvement was confined to the farmers of
the State, who suffered direct hardship because of the
difficulties of transporting their products to market
during the winter and spring months. The aggregate
loss in time and money was colossal. A careful inquiry
by the Federal Department of Agriculture showed that
the average cost of hauling a ton by wagon was 23
cents a mile, whereas on well-built, kept in decent re-pair,
the cost was 14 cents a mile.
For a long time the city populations took little in-terest
in the pleas of progressive farmers, although the
arguments were fortified bj' the conclusive findings ol
economic experts, and this indift'erence was reflected
in the failure to get adequate recognition for the good
roads movement from the legislature. But the devel-opment
of the automobile, at first chiefly a pleasure
vehicle, rapidly persuaded the urban dwellers that the
improvement of country highways was of concern to
them as well as to the agricultural communities. Thus,
when the present governor, ten years ago, introduced
the bill since known as the Sproul act, public sentiment
was strong enough to put it through. By the adoption
of this mea.sure, Pennsylvania committed itself to the
establishment of a system of good highways aggregat-ing
8,000 miles.
The State was, however, quite unprepared to carry
out a constructive work of such huge magnitude, and
the beginnings were .slow. Appropriations were small
in comparison to the task ; knowledge of materials and
methods of good construction was limited, and the
whole undertaking was treated more as a political en-terprise
than as a scientific project requiring vision,
efficiency and consuming energy. Partly because of in-experience
and imperfect understanding of the prob-lem,
and partly because of inadequate provision, the
20 S T^ T H E R X GOOD ROADS December, 1919
poliL-y pursued resulted iu pateliwork improvements
that had little coherent relation to one au:ither and
embodied meager advantage to the public. Short
stretches of good road, separated by miles of rutted
mire, represented little real progress toward a compre-hensive
system. Yet even these feeble and confused
ett'orts had their use—they scattered over the State ob-ject
lessons showing what improved roads would mean,
and so helped to make sentiment for the general move-ment.
The strengthening demand gradually won its re-sponse
in larger appropriations fromi the legislature.
But monej' was only one necessary factor in getting
results—without honest and efficient administration it
was well nigh useless. The discouraging lack of these
qualities culminated in the blight of Bigelowism, which
not only retarded progress but put the whole project
of road improvement luider a cloud of public distrust.
Meantime the extraordinary development of the au-tomobile,
and especially of transportation by motor
truck, intensified the demand for better highways.
Four years ago, in response to that demand, authoriza-tion
was sought at the polls for a $50,000,000 bond is-sue.
But the Bigelow scandals had created such sus-picion
of the department that the proposal was beaten
overwhelmingly. The North American, although for
years an ardent advocate of a great good roads pro-gram,
helped to defeat the measure; the benefit to the
State in keeping the huge fund out of the clutches of
Bigelo^^'ism outweighed the disadvantages caused by
the delay.
When the proposition was presented again last fall
many farmers were still hostile, because of the corrup-tion
that had discredited the department and because
they felt that their special interests had been neglected
in the plans. But the general sentiment was favora-ble,
on account of the prospect that the incoming ad-ministration
would be comiDetent and trustworthy, and
the bond issue, strangly endorsed by Governor Sproul
during his campaign, was approved.
No rational person any longer considers the good
roads project as being designed for the special benefit
of any class of the population. No undertaking touch-es
more directly the interests of all citizens. Improved
roads increase travel from the rural districts to the
towns, thereby benefitting business in the latter com-munities;
but they immeasurably help the farmers al-so
by giving them better facilities for getting supplies
and marketing produce, and by giving them social op-portunities,
the means of quickening neighborhood life.
In Pennsylvania there are tens of thousands of acres .
of productive land which, made remote from shipping
points bj' a few intervening miles of bad roads, cannot
be profitably used for products that yield the best re-turns.
And this condition not only hampers the farm
toilers, but reacts against the town dwellers who find
supplies limited in quantity and high in price. Good
roads will do more than any other one thing to lower
the cost of living to the consumer while at the same
time enhancing the profit-making opportunities of the
farmer.
It is the inadequacy of the roads that does most to
perpetuate the system whereby the middleman takes
toll from both the producer and the consumer. Every
good highway constructed means that a certain number
of farmers have at their command facilities for quick.
inexpensive transp >rtatii>n direct to a market, and that
l):)tli tlie^> and the ultimate buyers save by the elimina-tion
of unnecessary handling.
Pennsylvania has been unfortunate in the past in
having chief executives incapable of rising to the im-portance
of this problem and of enlisting public con-fidence
in the tremendous measure necessary for its
solution. She is doubly fortunate in having one today
who is equipped to do both.
Governor Sproul is a business man practiced in the
direction of large affairs; he knows intimately the
road needs of the State and is familiar with the meth-ods
of construction ; vmderstanding thoroughly the eco-nomic
and social value of improved highways he has
put behind the project the power of enthusiasm; he
lias the confidence of the public; and in Commission
Sadler he has a director of the enterprise of exception-al
force and experience. There is abundant reason to
hope that at last Pennsylvania is to be lifted out of the
mud.
Tennessee
"On the trip I have just taken through Illinios. Ohio
and Michigan," said Mr. H. 0. Blackwood, "merchant
prince" of the retail tire business in America, "I
foimd such wonderfully good roads that the contrast
with road conditions in Kentucky and the northern
part of Tennessee was so sharp, I would have felt al-most
as if I wanted to move up there to live—only for
redeeming excellence of Davidson county's splendid
pikes.
'When you take into consideration the enhanced
value of lands in the states visited, and in all other sec-tions
where they have good roads, it should be enough
to wake the people up in Tennessee and other
states where the highways have not been developed.
Would they but reflect on the handicap imposed by bad
roads, they must realize that these are the most expen-sive
and burdensome things which ever throttled the
development of a community.
"We of Davidson county are. of course, very proud
of our pikes, which are as good as can be found any-where.
But when you pass beyond the Davidson county
line, you not only find verj- unpleasant riding, but in
many sections the highways are so bad as to render
automobile and truck trafiic impracticable.
"Personally. I am in favor of Tennessee's spending
$50,000,000 on her roads as rapidly as it is practical to
do so. The roads built should be of permanent con-struction,
concrete being preferable.
North Carolina.
A small railroad will l)e built to handle materials
and machinery used in the construction of Lenoir
county's new highway system, the contract for the
fist six miles of which has been awarded to a Chatta-nooga,
Tennessee, concern. Equipment to be used will
include eight miles of railroad, with gasoline locomo-tives
and trains of cars. including "diners" and
"sleepei-s" for the laborers; two locomotive cranes, ele-vators,
road machines, tractors, asphalt plants, and
so on, worth $100,000 or more. Headquarters of the
co'mpany will be transferred to Kinston.
Lenoir county officials claim the contract just award-ed
was at the lowest price offered in eastern Carolina
this year. It calls for paving of eight inches depth,
the top surface of asphalt, at $2.95 a square yard.
December. 1919 SOUTHERN GOOD ROADS 21
Canada Has 83,000,000 for Good Roads
By WILLIAM HALE WILLIAMSON
CANADA has emibarked upon a goad roads program
covering the coustruction during the next five
years of about 30.0r(O miles of highways at an estimated
eo.?t of .t^OO.OOO.OOO. Repairs and maintenance to roads
already constructed will mount into many more mU-lijns.
Every province has laid out its own especial
program and is encouraging the project by subsidies
to municipalities and districts, by special tax grants,
and by loaning money on long-term notes at low inter-est.
Quebec, for instance, loans money to municipalities
for road construction at 2 per cent for 40 years. Con-certed
action by the prjvinc-es will construct a trans-continental
highway from Vancouver to Halifax. Man-itoba
has actively joined forces with several states in
the United States for the completion of the Jefferson
Highway, from "Winnipeg to the Gulf of Mexico, and
British Columbia is aiding the eoimpletion of a highway
fram Victoria to El Paso.
Canada has approximately 250,000 miles of roads,
ranging all the way from the permanent roadway to
the remote portage trail: from asphalt to corduroy and
mud. I'he task of transforming virtually all of this
into good roads and building many thousands of miles
of new roads to boot is stupendous, but Canada has
tackled the job because, instead of an expenditure, the
Dominion governments, federal and provincial, regard
the cost as an investment that will produce magnificent
returns in the years to come.
From Atlantic to Pacific.
The biggest single item facing the EXominion road
builders is the great transcontinental highway from the
Atlantic to the Pacific—to be more specific and truth-ful,
from the Pacific tJ the Atlantic, because the move-ment
wa.s first projected in British Columbia. Several
years ago the Trauseotinental Highways Commission
was created by the government, ilaps were issued
showing the entire projected 3000-mile route and edu-cational
propaganda began to awaken a sense of public
pride in economic improvement. As a result every
province is now actively proceeding with the work and
strong efi'orts are being made to obtain definite federal
aid.
Numerous splendid main highways forming part of
the national system are being and have been construct-ed
by provincial appropriation. Some of these are me-morials,
and some are built on general principles—pro
bono publico.
Progress Being Made.
Ontario is starting a 5000-mile program as part of
the government "s plan to avoid an over-supply of labor
due to the close of the war and has guaranteed at least
half the cost. Practiealh- every county in the province
has endorsed the plan.
The plan covers a definite system of provincial high-ways,
the longest being the 600-mile stretch from 'Wind-sor
to the Ottawa river. This main road will pass
through London. Hamilton. Toronto and Kingston. An-other
trunk road will lead from Hamilton t > Niagara
Falls, so that Detroiters will have an ala>ost direct road
line ta Buffalo.
Work is proceeding on the $600,000 stone highway
from Ottawa south to the St. Lawrence river—building
as a memorial to the late J. P. Whitney, former premier
of Ontario.
Saskatchewan is divided into eight road districts,
each in charge of a practical road superintendent. In-stead
of complaining about cost, farmers of this pro-vince
are demanding more and better roads, suitable
for the motor trucks that haul their produce and the
motor cars that replace the pinto and the ""one-hoss
shay. '
Manitoba municipalities alone are constructing 2230
miles of roads at an estimated cost of $i,500.000, in ad-dition
to strictly provincial building of main highways
and trunk roads, and the government is aiding the
work.
Alberta 10 years ago appropriated nothing for good
roads: today the annual appropriation is $1,000,000.
Federal government aid and ommunity contributions
will raise the expenditures for this year to approxi-mately
$5,000,000. covering over 5000 miles of high-ways
and branch roads.
British Columbia woke up eight years ago and draft-ed
a special program for $20,000,000 for roads, bridges,
etc. Co-operation with Alberta has already produced
a nearly completed highway link between Vancouver
and Calgary which will eventually become a part of
the transcontinental highway. This year British Co-lumbia
is also carrjTng out a diversified building pro-gram,
particularly in the Nechako and Bulkley valleys
of Central British Columbia.
New Brimswick and Nova Scotia have enacted legis-lation
for supplementing local effort with provincial
grants and each province will expend about $2,000,000
in immediate construction.
Quebec claims the honor of having more and finer
roads than any other province in Canada. Her bureau
of highways record shows about 20,000 miles of roads
constructed at a cost since 1911 of approximately $20,-
000.000. maintained jointly by the municipalities and
provincial subsidy. And Quebec is increasing the pres-sure.
In addition, the federal government is now arrang-ing
to give each province $1,000,000 for road build-ing,
or even greater sums up to 40 per cent of the cost,
providing the province raises the remaining 60. The
eagerness with which the projected plan will be ac-cepted
is indicated by the fact that mayors and prem-iers,
especially those of the "West, have been urging
this step because they recognize that good roads have
considerably increased farm and urban values; have
greatly increased farm cultivation. Ontario reports
that thousands of acres of cereal and root crops have
been made profitable by improved transportation.
Prosperity for City and Country.
Alberta and Saskatchewan report the seeding of
many thousands of new acres of wheat fields. Quebec
is experiencing a healthy growth of both farming and
dairy activity. At Saskatoon. Sask., $1,000,000 worth
of automobiles were sold in two months, mostly to far-mers,
and 50.000 automobile licenses were issued in the
province last year. They have some roads and are
building more.
Prosperity of the farmer is reflected in the city for
building operations are booming throughout the Do-minion.
Conditions everywhere are being strongly
99 SOUTHERN GOOD ROADS December, 1919
stimulated by the good-roads movement—the people
are being helped more and more to '
' get from grass to
water."'
Not tie least important part of the dommion-wide
prograai is the education work on what is a good road
aud°how to maintain it. The provinces are instruetiag
the people how to make roads by conductiug road-dragging
contests and awarding worth-whUe cash priz-es.
The character of a road must depend upon its utility.
Roads runniug through comparatively remote regions,
or in strictly farming communities apart from main
highways, may be of conformation and material diti'er-ent
from the big, main artery of traffic. Carefully gra-ded,
well drained dirt roads are what are wanted first,
yet they will blaze the way for concrete and asphalt
later. (Quoting the old adage,' 'It ain't th" "eavy 'aul-in'
wot "urts th" "osses" 'oofs; it's th" "ammer, "ammer.
'ammer on th' "ard "ighway."' Dirt roads cost much
less and are better suited to the poeketbook of a small
community.
Over §5000 was awarded competitors last summer in
the Saskatchewan road-dragging contests, including
$iOOO by the province and over $1000 offered by indi-viduals
and companies as special prizes.
Nearly 500 mUes were put into prime condition in 60
rural municipalities entering the contests. These eon-tests
are annual aft'airs, becoming bigger every year.
For instance, 39 competitors entered the 1917 contest
and dragged 126 1-2 miles, with prizes less than .$3,000.
After each annual entrance date is closed, the pro-
\-incial bureau of highways divides the entrants into
districts. Specifications for the contest are sent to
each competitor and signs supplied reading: •Tais
road is entered in this year's road-drag competition.
"
There are no entrance fees or charges.
Besides loaning money to municipalities for local
building, most of the provinces now pay a subsidy and
permit special tax assessment on petition of a majority
of the property holders along the projected road. Part,
and in some cases all. of the receipts from automooile
licenses go into the highway fund.
Prosperity follows, even marches hand in hand, with
improved traffic conditions. Tie United States De-partment
of Agriculture has estimated that the farJi-ers
of the United States lose .$250,000,000 annually be-cause
of the inaccessibility of certain produce to mar-ket.
Compared per capita, it is possible that the Ca-nadian
loss has been as great, but it will not continue
so, and it is to remedy this situation most of all that
Canada has undertaken her rjad reconstruction pro-gram.
"You can judge the civilization of a nation, or of
any part of a nation, by the character of its highways.
"You gentlemen who are engaged in the "business of
developing the highways of the cotmtrj-, and putting
them to greater use, may properly conceive .yourselves
as engaged in a very far-sighted, important bit of states-manship,
work that does not have its only concern as
to the farmer of this country or the helping of freight
movement during this winter alone, but may have con-sequences
that will extend throughout the centuries."
—Hon. Franklin K. Lane. Seeretarv of the Interior.
The $310,000 paving program of Decatur, Alabama,
has been held up for two weeks following discussion
of the subject by the city council.
Bridge as Memorial to Kentucky Sons.
Mrs. Harrison Gardner Foster, of Lexington, Ken-tucky,
is the new head of the War Mothers of Ken-tucky,
who had their first annual convention in Lex-ington.
A memorial bridge over the Kentucky river in
front of the State capitol was suggested to the Ken-tucky
organization as a suitable tribute for them to
make to Kentucky sons who lost their lives in the war,
by Mr. George G. Speer, State Banking Commissioner,
and the Rev. Roger T. Noce, of Frankfort.
E. F. CRAVEN, Greensboro, N. C.
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December. 1919 SOUTHERN GOOD EOADS 23
Good Roads Notes in Brief
The Missauri State Highway Board has approveil
nine road projects totaling 95 mUes, to cost $1,039,314.
The Shawanee. Oklahoma, city council did not let the
bid for the constructing of the new water works plant
as it was scheduled to do. The seven contractors bid-ding
for the work asked $60,000 more than the city
voted.
Commissioners have advertised to build roads in dis-trict
No. 2 in Desha county. Arkansas. T'hey will be
opened in Little Rock December 20.
Indications are that the ilemphis Chamber of Com-merce
will enter vigorous protest against the actions
of the Tennessee Highway Commission in awarding
routes of highway through various cities in the State
inasnrach as ilemphis is allotted only three highways.
The Morgan Construction Company, of Little Rock,
has been awarded the contract for the construction of
the Southwestern Improvement District No. 1. which
will run from Hot Springs. Arkansas, to New H'pe.
a distance of 60 miles, for $540,000.
The formal awarding the first contract in Southwest
Missouri for a concrete road has been made hy the
^lississippi County Court.
At a special meeting of the eit.v council of Caruth-ersville.
ilissouri. held recentl.v the contract for con-struction
of the sidewalks advertised to be let on that
date was placed with the firm of Pierce & Powers, this
city, at IS cents a square foot.
The bill sriving government consent for the erection
of a bridge across the Tennessee river at Decatur,
Alabama, has been pa-ssed by the House of Represen-tatives.
Present plans are to build the bridge during
1920 at a cost of $650,000.
Judge John L. Smith presided over a road meeting
recently when a revision of plans for the Tan Buren
Cave City road was formulated in compliance with the
request of the Arkansas State Highway Department.
Good progress is being made on the road from Bates-ville
to Mammoth Spring. Arkansas, according to ^Ir.
John Q. Wolf, cashier of the First National Bank of
Batesville.
The road commissioners of the Western District of
Lawrence county, Arkansas, at Imboden recently
approved the bond of ilr. W. I. Davis, of Little Rock,
for the construction of 90 miles of highway in the
district.
Carroll coimty. Kentucky, voted $150,000 road bonds
recently by a ma.iority of 396. the vote standing S69 in
favor of the bonds and 473 against. GaUatin county
voted an $80,000 issue by 253 ma.jority.
A city planning survey will be made in Lexington,
Kentucky, at once looking in part to improvements
voted in a $1,250,000 bonds issue.
The county court has designated December IS as the
date for a special election for voting on the $1,000,000
road bond issue for Cape Girardeau. Missouri.
Announcement has been made at the office of Dis-trict
Engineers J. T. Hullen that the road from Troy
in the Coffee eoimty. Alabama, line had been approved
and work started. This road is to cost $329.90S and
the Government wiU pay half of the amount.
Toncan Metal for L&stii\ft Cxdverts
"Beauty is but skin deep"
Most corrugated culverts "looks just as good as Ton-can
Metal Culverts.'*^ Their makers see to it that they
are properly galvanized, shaped and ri\ited.
But good workmanship alone does not make a culvert
durable. It's what you can t see—the base metal—that
determines the worth of a corrugated culvert.
Toucan Metal Corrugated Culverts combine ^ood
workmanship with a material especialK- adapted for
culvert use—Toncan Metal It resists rust.
That Toncan Metal Corrugated Culverts are much
better than ordinar>- culverts has been proven over and
over again by the many years of ser\ice they have given
Write for folder Q-68 and our "Evidenee Book. They contain
proof of Toncan Metal's durabiiit\'
The Stark Rolling Mill Go., Canton. Ohio
24 SOUTHERN GOOD ROADS December, 1919
Morgan coimty, Missoiiri, is in line for good high-ways.
The $300,000 bond proposition submitted to the
voters was adopted, with many votes to spare.
R3anoke, Virginia, A's'ill form a connecting link in a
new Virginia higway that will extend from the At-lantic
Ocean at Virginia Beach to the Kentucky border
of Cumberland Cape. The route has been planned
under the directions of the State Highway Commission
and mil cost the State $2,663,227.
A petition signed by about 125 residents of Rich-land
county, South Carolina, residing in the north-western
part of the count}' or having business up there,
as the petition reads, has been filed ^vith Mr. Samuel
H. Owens, county supervisor, and the county commis-sion
asking that the Monticello road and Winnsboro
roads and the twelve mile cross road be put in good
condition before the winter rains set in.
Petitions asking the commissioners of the Lebanon,
Missouri, special road district to call an election at an
early date for the purpose of voting on a road bond
proposal have been circulated. It is expected that the
proposed issue will be for $60,000.
One of the apparently most effective signs of danger
for highwav curves and hillsides is that which reads,
"Road Up' This Hill Is Not Fool Proof." On the
board, also, with this sign is a skull and cross-bones.
Such signs have been erected by the El Paso, Texas,
Chamber of Commerce.
Elevating Graders,
Steel Beam Bridges
Culverts, Etc.
Q SIZES AND STYLES OF ROAD MACHINES
C/ (From 500 lbs. to 7300 lbs.—5 ft. to 12 ft. Blades)
2 SIZES ELEVATING GRADERS; SCARIFIERS (4 sizes)
RUSSELL HI-WAY PATROL (2-horse, 1 man, wt. 1050)
RUSSELL ROAD FINISHER (fits road contour, wt. 2400)
Road Drags, Scrapers, Plows, Corrugated Culverts.
RUSSELL GRADER MFG. CO., Minneapous, MlNN.
Representatives in Principal Cities of U. S. and Canada
An 18" Diameter "GENUINE OPEN HEARTH IRON" Culvert Pipe in Use on the Weldon-
Jackson Highway in Northampton County, N. C. Photograph Taken Feb. 17, 1916
THE photograph above gives an excellent idea of the resistance of "GENUINE OPEN HEARTH IRON" Culverts to extra-ordinary
wear. It is not often that a Culvert of any type has to withstand the direct wear and tear of the heavy traffic
coming in contact with the bare surface, but such is the case in this instance. This Culvert has been in use since the
Fall of 1910, and as the picture was taken February 17, 1916, you can readily understand that it must have had rather hard
knocks in that length of time. Our Mr. J. H. Slaughter took this photograph with a kodak and states that not only was this
Culvert exposed in the manner shown, but at least a dozen more on the same road were installed under like conditions and
have b€en subjected to the same rough treatment for the past few years.
We not only claim superiority for the material of which our Culverts are made, but also superiority of workmanship
and therefore of the lasting qualities of our Pipe. We manufacture only one grade of "GENUINE OPEN HEARTH IRON"
Pipe and have no seconds to offer in this material. Being a high grade material, it costs us more money than the ordinary
grade of Galvanized Steel, and quite naturally we have to secure a better price for it. Therefore, beware of cheap Culvert Pipe.
The Newport Culvert Company, Inc., Newport, Ky.
December, IMl!) SOUTH KKN GOOD HOADS 25
Uoldsboro, North Carolina, has let contract for pav-ing
seven miles of city streets, thirtj' feet wide, with
oil asphalt, concrete curb and gutters. Around $400,-
000 is involved in the contract, which was let to West
Construction Company, Chattanooga, Tenn. Mr. J. L.
Ludlow, of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, is the en-gineer.
Lenoir county. North Carolina, has let contract to
Roanoke Bridge and Iron Company, Roanoke, Vir-ginia,
for a bridge over Neuse river near Rockford
for $38,000. Mr. R. R. Eagle, of New Bern, North
Carolina, is the engineer.
The North Carolina Highway Commission has cou-tracted
for the construction of 26 miles of gravel road
in Person county, the contract price being $47,000.
The Commission has also let contracts for about six
miles of the Gibsonville highway, hard surface, for
$151,000, for a bridge over Neuse river, near Mount
Olive in Wayne county, for $48,180, and for $26,648
worth of work on the highways of Granville county.
The Board of Town Commissioners of Lexington,
North Carolina, has authorized the city to issue $250,-
000 in bonds for street improvements. No election is
necessary, and the Noll Construction Company, of Chat-ta