Tracks And Ruts

Assurne any eartb or macadam road made with materials such as are available iu the neigbborhood and tbat snch road is newly finished aud level, ready for travel of teams. The flrst wbeel or any and aJl wheels that ruay move on tbe road will necessarily coine in contact with tbe road at first on one bearing point only, tbe point where the road line forms a tangent to thfi cirole of the wbeel. And, it being impossible for the material to stand such a load concentrated in one point, crnshing must follow uutil a bearing surface is established sufficiently large to resist tbe furtber sinking of the wheel. And this process will be repeated each time a wheel passes over that certain spot. The tracks and ruts which all of us have observed along our eartb or macadam roads bear testimony that most all of the wheels travel in the same tracks, and thus by infinite repetition of the described action will cut up tbe road. Have not many of us observed that as eoon as tbe first wagon has traveled over a newly made macadam road snch as we meet in tbe country, and for the construction of whicb we spend millions of dollars per annum, tbe next team will take gare to follow the impriuts made on the surface by the first wagon, however slight they are? And all the rest of the wagons will do the same thing. One way to avoid the tracking of wheels would be the adoption of wide tires and axles of different Jengths in order that tho rear wheels may not run iu the same track as those in front.