Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (March 27, 1910)
OLD PATHS THE FIRST ROADS Present Highways Betult of Evolution from Time of the Indians. SPREAD WITH THE rOPULATIOS Aatpmobltes Art Now a Bis Factor la th Bettermeat of the Roads la All leetloaa of tko Ceaatrr. Illghwayiere an evolution from the pri mary paths mads by animals and by men. Of ths Identity of the first beings who mads paths In the wilderness we are un certain. Whatever their character and origin we may be reasonably certain that they had roads of some sort. It cannot be positively asserted that the mound-bulld-lns; Indians made roads, but that such was the cass seems not unlikely. Several clr oumstances Indicate that they had some system of communication. Ths remains of tbslr works are often found on streams that were not navlstble, and groups of them are found concentrated about natural strateglo point such as mountain passes, thus making natural th inference that some avenues of overland travel existed. Road building began at centers and spread out with the spread of population. Probably th real work of opening th roads in America began with th brldl paths on th Atlantlo slope. In 1C3S a measure was passed in the Massachusetts Bay colony which provided that two or three men from adjacent towns get to gether and lay out proper' roads. They were Instructed to place the roads where they might be most convenient, and those deputed to the work were to have the power to locate them wherever they chose, provided it did not necessitate pulling down a man's house or going through bis garden or orchard. These men seem to have been (about) the first highway com missioners of whom w have record. 'Hire Routes la 1760. In 1750 there were three routes running through southwestern Pennsylvania; cen tral Pennsylvania and central New York. These roads are said to have been wide enough for two pack horses to pass. In 17GS two roads were opened westward by troops of Washington, Brad dock and Forbes. Thar were long trails widened by pack horses of the Ohio companies' agents. Braddock's road was cut through in 17G6. In about 1862 the development of th railroads took from the national pike th bulk of travel and traffic, as well as the malls between the east and west. Thus began , the period of decline of the most famous road In our history. In 1804, 1806 and 1806, through the favor of the national congress, the Lewis and v Clark expedition was organized, for the purpose o1 establishing a route from the Atlantlo to the Pacific by following the Missouri to its source, crossing to and fol lowing to tidewater the great river which forms the southern boundary of the state of Washington. Great credit Is due Meri wether Lewis and Captain Clark and their company of explorers In carrying out this work. Praise Is also due to John C. Fre mont, the eminent engineer, who In 1844 surveyed a route to these shores through what was then named the South Pass of the Rockies. The plank road came Into existence as a rival of macadam construction in the year 1836. . The first road, of this sort to be built In ' the United States was constructed at Syracuse In 1837. A large number of plank road oompanlea were organised, and within fifteen years from the introduction of that method of road construction 2,106 miles had been constructed In . the state, of New York.' These roads' were usually built ' single track and of planks 8x3 inches, laid on stringers resting on more or less well ' laid foundations. The average cost In New York was less, than 12,000 per mile, aud their, cheapness made them popular. ' Tin to Paved Roads. Paved roadways appear to have received attention in the towns and cities before - very much attention was given to the sub ject of country road building. According to the most authentic, records, the first pavements laid in the United States were put down almost simultaneously in the cities of New York and Boston in the year 1660. These pavements have been referred to as pebbles, probably what we would call cobblestone pavements. The development of this branch of road, building has been brought to a high state of development, due. of course, to the great amount and diversified nature of the traffic to be ac commodated. - The modern awakening to th necessity for better roads, or, as . It Is more com monly called, the good, roads movement, began In 1BS6, when the bicycle came Into general use. Bicycles became very popu lar and in consequence a large army of new users of the highways was produced. These wheelmen quickly saw the necessity for better highways, not only for them selves, but for all other road users as well. They organized themselves and began Issuing- literature calling, the - attention of the public to the great loss entailed from lack of better country roads. 'Statistics were published showing the cost of bad roads to th farmer and to all other du sens. This literature was sent broadcast and th newspapers wer appealed to. The puss always a most potent factor In the molding of public opinion took the matter up and public sentiment was aroused. Goreraiuent Eaters Field. Th office of public roads was Inaug-j-. rated In the year 1893 In the United States Department of Agriculture for the purpose of disseminating information, testing ma terials and giving Instruction In the art of road building. . statistics compiled and pub lished by this office In the year 1904 show that at that time there were 2,151,607 miles of road in the United. States. Of, this mlleatti:, however, only 163.662 miles were of Improved roads, or a little more than V per cent, as compared with the total length of all the roads In the country. i oucation, organization and administra te ire the great factors In carrying on , i. ork of road building; let them all t. ten due attention. It may be true u . .. are on the eve of great develop ments in th navigation of th air. With th bulling of roads above th earth we are not concerned at present. W have the roads here on earth today and we will have thera with us tomorrow. We must rely upon them and therefor w must make them good. We can do this through unity ' of action, through enterprise and through education and organization. Bars Aatoe front Vellowetoa Park. Secretary of th Interior Balllnger re cently issued an order barring automobiles from the use of the highways in Yellow atone Park. It is said that th order was isaued because the motor car frighten horses being driven over steep and dan gerous roads. Aatoa la Place of Horses. Th Oeotlemen's Driving oiub has been organized in a Michigan town. Curiously enough, the driving Us members, will do will all be behind the wheels of automo biles. I The Key to the Situation Bee Want Ads. DINING AT THE TOP SPEED Cokl. a.d Sertl.a- Me.!, to Trav- elera a tko Railroad Fixers. The completed thing In the world of Its kind In the modem dining car. Whon you sit In the comfortable surroundings of a oar of this kind and sip your coffee while the telegraph poles are flicking by you at the rate of Bitty miles an hour you take It all as a mat tor of course, just as you do Ui high speed and the safety of modern railroading. If you stopped to consider the matter at all you would probably conclude tha the running of the dining car service on any railroad system Is considerable of a feat And It Is, so much so that th men who are at the heads of the service draw very comfortable faJarlos In exch&ng-e for their brains and energies. On the really up-to-the-minut line, where every detail of the department la looked after with the. utmost care, It is possible for the traveler to procure every edible that la In season and many that are very distinctly not so. It takes a very elaborate set of machinery to keep the larders and lockers of fifteen or twenty modern dining cars stocked so as to be able to meat every reasonable and urmt onabl order. Th traveling pubUo of Amer ica wants what It wants when it wants it, and th line that Is best able to cater to Its whims 1a going to get the most of the Mgh-olass passenger business. Th later cars of th dining type are being made larger. The elder oar seated eighteen people, but later ones accommo date twenty-four very comfortably. A catr carries a crew of six men, a conductor, two cooks and three waiters. With this force on duty any party who may desire con have an elaborate dinner served on short notice. The to cheat and lockers ar stored with all varieties of meats, freak and belied. Where it Is possible to do so without conflicting with the ra.ru laws, game is carried and served to those who have the price. Wet 'goods of various aorta are bandied In the sLatcfs that aHow the sale of liquors. When the car Is on the road the con ductor is the commander of all its crew. The head man of the kitchen is the chef and his assistant is known merely aa a cook. The chef of a dining, oar hs to be a scientist in the realm of the culinary. In the old days the chef went his own sweet way in the preparation of dishes of vari ous aorta. They tasted ail right, of course, but he was not inclined to be economical. That sort of a thing has been changed The chef Is no longer iruulted when he Is given a book of standard reotpes and told to follow them exactly. Everything must be conducted nowadays from a formula. So much of this and so much of that, everything being measured by' pounds, ounces or liquid measures. He no longer takes a pinch of this or a handful of some thing else. There is no mystery any more about his art. If a passenger of the finicky type Insists, he can be told the exact Ingredients of any dish that he has questioned. The kitchen is the really interesting part of the dining car. There is not very much space at the command of the chef and his assistant. The range, the lockers and the ice boxes pretty well fill all the floor area. The range and the heating ovens fill on side of the wall, water tanks and filters are suspended overhead and on the other side are storage boxes, kitchen utensils and a row of cupboards that reach to the deck sa&h of the car. Just back of the kitchen, between it and the dining room. Is a little pantry full of linen and silver, and in this the waiters come to give the orders and receive their trays.' Every article of food and table equipment has Its place, and If It Is not found" there when wanted there Is trouble for somebody. Everything that Is' at all perishable Is itept In a refrigerator. Waiter ar each 'allowed-$15 per month, for breakages that, are bound to happen. One of the waiters is detailed as linen man, and It Is his duty to "check In" the soiled and clean linen at the clos of every trip. The local storerooms have nu merous lockers. In which thousands of dollars' worth of table line of various kinds Is kept to meet emergencies. The really valuable dining car superin tendent is the one who can guess accu rately what the traveling public is going to want while moving from place to place, lie has to be a man of long experlnce In gastronomy. He works days ahead, pre paring a menu card that will appear on all his cars at a certain day. The saleB from the cars are the indications as to whether or not he has guessed right in making up the bill of fare. Now and then he take it int his head to go out on the road or down In the yards on a little tour of inspection. He has learned the value of cleanliness, and there Is trouble In large quantities for the crew that brings in a car with a little dust showing her and there on th polished wood of the tables or the walls.. The superintendent take a handkerchief from his pocket and rubs It gently along the woodwork, and if It comes away soiled ever so little there la a i general board of Inquiry called, and conductor and assistants are called up to do a little explaining. St. Louis Republic. NEW GROUNDS FOR DIVORCE Ckleaa-o Dlars ap a Specimen a Few Laps Akoad of th Pro eeaslon. Divorces have been sought on many grounds, but none quite so strange as the complaint of the Chicago woman who says her happiness has been wrecked by her husband's mania for going to fires. The husband has a 14,000 touring car, with alarm attachments, and his wife charges that he jumps up at all hours of the night and rushes away to fires, notification of whloh Is given htm by electrto connections In his bedroom. The wife puts her plaint in these words: "He alarms the neighborhood by tooting the big calliope horn on his machine, and alarms me by having the electric bells ring In the house when there Is a fire t any place In the city. I have lost hours of sleep through his fad. and I am tired of It II Is away from home hours at a time at tending fires." The Chicago woman, certainly takes th palm for originality. Or. perhaps, credit for the originality should be given to her husband. As a homewrecker, fires are the very latest thing In the divorce records. There Is a case on the books where a Washington woman sued for separation because her husband spent most of hi time Inventing an aeroplane, but first prise should fce awarded to th fire-alarm lady. Divorce suits based on ordinary forms of cruelty, such as beatings, staying out late at night, and breaking up the furni ture, have long since been relegated to the rear. Jealousy as a cause of divorce Is simply a rello of the dark axes. Th drinking of cocktails Is late nineteenth cen tury style, and should not be tolerated as a cause for divorce In the twentieth cen tury. The corespondent plea Is medieval and not deserving of consideration. Devotion to aeroplanes, running to fires, and opposition to tha suffragette move ments are the latest and most approved methods adopted by women who wish to regain their single blessedness. There Is no sin quite so terrible as being behind the times. If one fnust set a divgrce, one might as wall be original about It- Wash ington Pot Taft is Right, Says Automobile Maker President's View that This it an Auto Age ii Endorsed by Manufacturer. President Taft recently stated that 'w ar living in th automobile age.' And It is true, we are. But not In the sense meant by our president, who cites an automobile as a typical example of hdffh living among American citizens," said Benjamin Briecoe of the Max well-Briscoe company. "Yet this atatament of President Taft Is sn Indication of th way th automobile Is looked upon by thoumnd of people throughout th United States. "It 1s a fact, and the fact Is to be de plored, that the great mans of people has not kept pace with the developments of the automobile. Only a fw years ago the auto mobile was an experiment. "Today It offers the only solution to In dividual transportation. It Is undoubtedly true that during Its stage of development the motor car was perhaps rightly classed as a luxury to be enjoyed by th privileged few, and popular Impressions stick. "There are literally thousand of people who, have never seriously considered own ing a car, not because they oouid not afford to buy one, but because they thought they could not afford to keep one, and this thought Is fostered by th impression that existed some eight years ago and Is not based upon th automobll as it exists now. "There' ar sold every year In the United States about 700,000 two-passenger buggies, and It is a fact that there are several run abouts selling at around f0O whloh ar not only cheaper' to keep, but do the work of two or even three horses. And there are well made, reliable touring oars selling for $1,600 that cost surprisingly little to run per week. V "Automobile manufacturers who are mak ing high priced cars do not constitute the automobile industry. As a matter of fact, they are but a comparatively small part of it Oars which coat $3,000 and $4,000 might be styled a luxury, and as such there will always be a market for them. But today 1s the day of the moderate priced car. If preof were necessary, we only have to point to our western farmers, where even the most modest uses the automobile of mod erate prloe. "Why should the automobile be cited as sn .example of the extravagant 7 Why should it be cited any more than the piano, whloh to found almost in every home? I doubt If anyNme single Invention has done any more as a whole than the automobile. Jt has opened up new territory, n " started the good roads movement. It puts the man living in the suburban towns In easy touch with hi city of flea "Then take the case of physicians. The country doctor to adopting th automobile to almost, the exclusion of the horse; And so it Is In almost evory walk of life. "The moderate priced oar is becoming more and more a factor. That's why I be lieve that the automobile 1 not a luxury, but a necessity, and one whose usefulness will be limited when the peoplo as a whole appreciate 'the tremendous strides made in ths manufacture of the moaerate praoeo. cars." IN BUYING A MOTOR CAR Flexibility and Proper Action of En gine Are Points to Bo N Studied. Automobile buyers these days are learn ing that a cat? suitable for one purpose Is not necessarily suitable for another, and types have been evolved with reference to many special uses. Design and construc tion are so far standardized that the pur chaser, unless he looks Into the materials and the records of the maker, is liable to be confused. If the right choice Is made he can get a car which, mile for mile, will cost no more than a horse. Th knowing purchaser's choice resolves Itself around the question of carrying capacity, speed, convenience and taste in fcedy style, supplemented by his mechanical knowledge of the car. When buying a car it la a' good Idea to choose along the following llnea: See that the car seats the number of passengers de sired, and seats them comfortably. Com fort is the prime requisite In a car. Ob serve whether the car has sufficient power to carry Us load at the required speed and that It picks up speed and is able to ne gotiate hills on high gear without pounding or undue effort Quietness and lack of vibration are th first Items in economy of upkeep. Note the flexibility in the range of speeds on the throttle without changing gears how slowly It will run on high gear without the clutch slipping. Flexibility is most Im portant, as by vlrtuo of Its gear changing la avoided and the car Is enabled to cover a greater distance In a given time. A good motor should be able to acceler ate and pick up speed on high gear almost at a touch. A sluggish motor Is dangerous, as there are often times when quick and Immediate action is necessary. The engine should start at a turn of the crank. General appearance, comfort and dura bility are points that can easily be Judged by the reputation of the makers. Beauty of body lines and upholstering are external points which mark the high grade car and can never be faked. Last and not least Is the car of th car after Its purchase. Will th firm stand back of Its product and give prompt and cheerful service when a repair part is needed? JOKER FOUND IN NEW MEASURE Bill la New York Legislature Works Hardship on Some Tiro Makers, Automoblllsts and the automobile trade In New York have awakened to the Im portance of a certain section In the Callen automobile bill which has passed tha as sembly at Albany and la now In tha senate, with a fine prospect of becoming law. The bill was drafted by Charles T. Terry, coun sel for the American Automobile associa tion, and the fact that a "joker". In sub division two was allowed to go through has caused suspicion that It was put In at the suggestion of an attorney for some tire chain company. It la as follows: "Subdivision t Use of Nonsklddlng De vicesNo person shall operate or drive on the public highways of this state a motor vehicle on any of whoa wheels Is a tire chain or a nonsklddlng contrivance or tire, composed In whole or in part of metal, ex cept wheu such - highways ar wet and slippery er covered with lc or snow." The Motoring World declares, editorially, that this, as law, will put out of use a number of well-known tires possessing per manent non-skid treads which cannot be removed when snow and mud disappear, and therefor cannot ba used at all. This will leave the field clear for tire chains that ar readily attached and detached. Mr. Tarry Is relieved of all susplolon by the Motoring World writer, but th fact that th provision will work a tremendous hardship on manufacturers and dealers In non-skid tires where metal Is used In the tread makes Chang In the bill lmperatlva Th above bill is supposed to be looked after for automoblllsts by Oliver Quayle, president of the State Asaoolatlon of Auto mobile clubs, who lives In Albany, and has been Indorsed by th American Auto mobll association. TIIK OMAHA RtTNDAY BEE: MARCH 27, 1010 The f Moon 1 ' "30" At 7:60 Friday f morning, Maroh, SB; this car com pleted Its 47th ra 11 e , without car or engine Stepping for a single Instance. Not a single ad justment or re pair made. All tinder the strict observance o f two disinter ested parties. One newspaper man and one business man being picked at random. In four hour shifts. Sworn state in e n t of all these parties are on file at our office. Time consumed In this run, 28 hour and IS minutes. THne AinriieFlcsio Gasoline used, 30 gallons; average of 15 9-10 miles per gallon Oil used. 6 quarts; average of 63 1-10 miles per quart. A unto COo Supplies and Acccsorlcs 2002 Famam St. Storage and Repairs ; n, , STANDARDIZATION IS VITAL TO GOOD AUTO Mean that Every Piece Mast Bs aa . Exact Duplicate of Every Similar Part. There Is perhaps no single feature in motor car construction whose value la so little understood and given so little con sideration, both by manufacturers and buy ers. In proportion to its Importance, as is the thorough standardisation of every Indi vidual piece entering Into the car. ; Standardization means making every piece an exact duplicate of every other piece of Its kind. It does not mean simply making them approximately alike, so that no difference can be detected by the eye, but It means making them so that there Is not a variation of the 1,000th or even the half of 1,000th of an inch where accuracy to these degrees Is essential. ' A hair from a person's head averages from 2 to S-l,000ths. of an Inch In thickness. When It Is re membered that In the properly standard ized car there Is a large number of parts whose dimensions are not permitted to vary to exceed from one-fourth to one-half the thickness of a hair, It is possibl then to form som conception of th extreme accuracy which obtains. In some cars, for example, there are just 112 parts in which the limits are not per mitted to vary to exceed the l-l.OOOth part of an Inch. There are some In which the half of l-l,000th of an Inch is the outside limit of variation permissible. While th Installation of th right kjnd of special machinery, tools, Jigs and fix tures, together with the plug and snap gauges necessary to produce standardised parts, requires a large Initial outlay, the expense is more than offset by the saving in manufacturing cost, provided the maker is producing a sufficiently large quantity of cars. In fact, th manufacturing coat Is suffi ciently diminished to permit of the car's being sold for an appreciably smaller fig ure than that at which it would b pos sibl to sell an apparently similar car made under less scientific methods. . At the same time. In th correctly standardized car ths purchaser la receivlhg a vastly better car In every respect. I Tommy's Prayer. The Sunday school lesson bad been on th efficacy of prayer, and the teacher had done her best to Instill into the youthful mind the belief that our prayers are an swered. There was one doubling Thomas, however, who Insisted that he knew bel- te"Why, Tommy, I am surprised t hear you say you don't believe our prayer are answered," expostulated the teacher. I know they ain't." persisted Tommy, doruedly. "What makes you think so?" asked tb teihoon't think It; I know It," replied Tommy. "You know the sngeis brought a new baby to our house last week." "Tee, I heard, about that," said the teacher. "Now, surely, that was an answer to prayer, wasn't It?" 'It was, nit!" replied Tommy disgust edly. "Why, for six months I've bean praln lor a goatt" New York Time. ii'i " '.''.. ... i l.j 11 .... . . HU ..ail iii ii. ill ii I IB! ii irM " wm- Oiuiip THE PARRY, $i,2S5 "In th Long- sua a rry" THB PJjtlT OAM SS h. p., $1,288; 4 cyl.; wheel base, US Inches; tires, SixlH. A quiet running, simply constructed and easily controlled car. Dont make a mistake of placing your order before seeing ines cars. THE IVSOOM, Sl,50 I . ' i! '' ' -Ml I.I I I.I H-ll--. KOBB& 30" Not tha size of cylinders 4Hx5. Do you know of any other $1,600 car with so large and powerful an engine? ; i TKIB IS SXE CAS for - Men who, by taste and by choice, number among their per sonal possessions only the best and the finest Men who will net let price dictate consideration of audit but the best and the finest. These are the men who buy the American; and It la for these men that the American Is built ' ioio mperia To anyone who wishes to bur an Automobile, I have no hesitancy In recommending the IMPERIAL as representing the best value offered In this market for the money. Jt baa style, finish, and what la par ticularly needed In Iowa and Nebraska POWER, I have had these cars tested on the various hill in the vicinity of Council Bluffs and pmaha. and they will take the hills better than anjy other make of ear ot similar rated power and of the same price. We are an old established concern, bavin; done business here for 28 years, and stand back of every car that we put out You will make no mistake in burins; aa "IMPHRIAL." If there must be dust, let take it. Drive the "get there" f Up the bill or through the sand, Tlie Imperial get there to beat the band. We Have Them In SI:: Models Model 30-5 passenger Touring car, 30 horse power $1,350 Model 314 passenger Roadster, 30 horse power , .$1,350 Model 355 passenger Touring Car, 35 horse power . ; 81,050 Model 344 passenger Roadster, 35 horse power 1,C50 Model 455 passenger Touring Car, 45 horso power $2,000 Model 4G 4 passenger Roadster, 45 horso power . .' 2,000 . Pull Equipment with Magneto P. O. B., Jackson, Mich. Za th DHL 4 cylinder 4 yassenrer ear, equipped with 17-laoh wheels, S-tnch solid tlx prlo fteso W have th SnsaUoa of th auto world COMB AMO sxa VtV -Bradley, IV2oiricisnrfc tOx Smifl ) Succcssori to DAVD DRABLEY fit CO. Eqeluslv Afltnls lr Wtslsrnlows, Ncbrssksand Wyoming. Bee Advertising Pays Big Returns L I, ' ,,,, ,1, J A Car for the Diacriirdnatiiig Few. No Noise but the Wind. The Aristocrat's Car. 1910 AMERICAN TRAVELER 40-inch Wheels, 4 Cylinder, 50 H. P. Llotor $4,000. AT- the other fellow Imperial car. 4-Cyl "The Get T Agents We Have Some Territory Left. Good Let Us Hear From You. ioio mder . n , i