Chapter XIII: Aids and Attractions to Traffic and Travel (2)

There now seems to be a demand for standardization and at a meeting of the American Association of State Highway Officers (1922, at Raleigh, N. C.) a color scheme was recommended that may become a standard for both motorists and railroads. One of the difficulties is that red and danger are no longer properly associated because of the common use of the red for tail lights of automobiles, for sandpiles or other street obstructions, for the tops of semaphores, and for various other purposes. The story is told that not long ago a bridge was being repaired and a red light was placed at one side. The signal was intended as a warning that the autoist slow down and proceed with caution. The driver of an approaching car took the lantern to be the tail light of an automobile. He swung to the left to clear the obstruction and plunged down an embankment.

© _Underwood and Underwood_

TRAFFIC TOWER ON FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK CITY]

It would be better if red should never be used as a precaution signal but only as a stop signal, but at the present time that cannot be done because automobiles now carry, and most states require it by law, a red light behind. The color once considered a sign of danger has become almost meaningless. Red lanterns are placed on roads, or at bridges, or in the street where the road is not impassable but merely hazardous and the light in reality means proceed carefully. If colors are to be signals to tell whether or not to stop on account of danger, to proceed cautiously or to go ahead without fear, they should be standardized and their proper use protected.

The code of colors as recommended by the Association of State Highway Officials is:

Color Green to mean proceed, the way is clear.

Color Yellow to mean that caution shall be exercised.

Color Red to mean stop.

The Association urges abolishment of the red for automobile tail lights and the substitution of yellow (white). There are other reasons why this should be done; one of them, a white light will illuminate the number tag much better than a red light. In fact Ohio requires a red light shining out behind and a white light to illuminate the tag. On the other hand by the different colored lights one can distinguish whether one is going toward the front or back of an automobile, a thing of importance, sometimes.

This may be far enough to go at the present time, but later the standardization of other signal and guide lights would be well. The red light on street obstructions should be abolished. Better a bright white light for with good illumination the danger will often disappear.

=Road and Street Lighting.=--While road and street lighting are primarily for the purpose of promoting safety, they, as signs and guides, are here treated under the heading of comfort and convenience to the user.

Like other things pertaining to roads, lighting has during the past few years seen wonderful development. Open-arc lights have all but passed out of use. Even in the field of incandescent lighting many improvements have and are still being made. Efforts have been made to cater to the esthetic sense and create beauty by artistic shapes and sizes of lamps and by harmonious groupings. Safety, comfort, and esthetic design cannot always be combined, then one or the other must give way.

Silhouette vision, that is, where the object appears dark against a lighter background, requires a much less illumination intensity than direct or detail vision. In the first case the object is between the observer and the light while in the second case the light is reflected from the object to the observer. Then there are spot lights and flood lights where the light is thrown directly upon the object and as little as possible allowed to disperse into surrounding space. Dean Ferguson[234] has pointed out that safety lighting is secured by any illumination that will reveal clearly the presence and nature of a danger, and also that low illumination intensities used in silhouette effect may serve for safety at a greatly reduced expense. Much of street lighting is of the silhouette type, depending on the relative positions of the observer, the illuminant, and the object to be seen. As we approach a post or sand pile on the street it appears first as a black object in silhouette, as we come nearer the reflected light becomes more intense and the object is seen in detail. There seems to be a sort of twilight zone between these two conditions where the visibility is least. The silhouette vision appears to be best when the intensity of the reflected light is least, and _vice versa_ for the detail or direct vision. The indeterminate place between the two where visibility is least is, of course, where the light behind is equal in intensity to the reflected light in front. One object of the illuminating engineer is so to arrange the lights as to avoid as far as possible points of low visibility. This he does by the size and spacing of the light units, their height of suspension and the shape and setting of the reflectors. These same elements enter into the avoidance of glare.

In city and street lighting it is nearly always desirable to illuminate the buildings as well as the road surface, so that the type of lamp used is entirely different from that desirable on country roads where only the surface of the roadway needs to be lighted. Ornamental lights of the luminous arc and the incandescent types are used. The former where a large amount of intense light is wanted, and the latter where smaller units will answer the purpose.

The latest road lighting is, perhaps, that developed for the “Ideal Section” mentioned heretofore.[235] Here it was important to concentrate the light on the roadway instead of diffusing it upward and over the adjoining fields, to have a flexibility of arrangement that would keep the light in line with the surface of the roadway, and that the cost should be reasonable. The scheme developed contemplates placing the lighting units on adjustable brackets 35 feet above the surface of the road, spaced 250 feet, staggered. They can be set for varying grades, for curves, or for the lighting of a portion of the roadside if thought necessary. The unit consists of a nest of three reflectors, one within another, and with an opening in each one side of the lamp. These collect and reflect the light to the surface as shown in the figure. The detailed article should be consulted by those who are further interested.

=City Traffic.=--Projectors suspended above a traffic officer illuminates him and his semaphore much as spot lights are used in theaters and flood lights to illuminate statuary and buildings. Many of the busy cities are installing color lenses in the towers (crow’s-nests) to regulate the traffic. The colors which are used both day and night are standardized as follows: Red, to indicate “Stop”; amber, to indicate “Change of traffic”; and green, to indicate “Go.”

=Touring.=--Stand for a few minutes on any one of the transcontinental highways and note the tourists who have their bedding and baggage piled in and tied to the sides of their cars. Note the brown and healthy faces of the brown-clad travelers. Dust has no horrors to them; they expect it; they are prepared for it. Their khaki clothing cost little when purchased and wears well, and even if thrown away at the end of the journey has more than paid its way. The author of “Let me live by the side of the road and be a friend to man” could certainly enjoy himself during these mid-summer gypsying days. For one has the world brought to his own dooryard. Wait and there will come to you Maine, and California, and Texas, and Oregon, Michigan, Canada, Mexico. A man drove on my driveway a few days ago and used my hose to wash Texas soil from his fenders, and now that yellow dirt is nourishing a spirea bush in Nebraska.

Come around in the evening just after the supper, not dinner, utensils have been cleared away, and from these roadside campers in the course of the summer you may hear the Vermonter drop the “r” from “qua’teh” and put it into “idear,” the Georgian with his delightful Southern drawl, a Minnesotan with high-pitched voice and Scandanavian accent, or a musically soft Spanish from the Rio Grande regions. All the world’s make of automobiles may be inspected, their good and bad features discussed. Outing outfits of all characters and descriptions from the small compact bundle scarcely big enough for a flea, to the cumbersome behemoth mountain of canvas, boxes, and poles. There is the man who believes Detroit is destined to be the largest city in the world, and the man who is certain nothing can compare with Los Angeles. Truly the man who lives beside the road may have, if he is endowed with gumption, a joyful time as the perennial reel runs on.

But if such things come to the man who sits in his house beside the road and watches the race of men go by, what must be the feelings of the man of gypsying instinct as he climbs into his car, caring not for time or place, who has not painstakingly scheduled his route and must perforce make a certain hotel every night, who is no “speed lizard” but expects to take in as he journeys along all the scenic beauties and interesting features along the way. His only care is to head-about at the proper time to bring him home again at the end of his vacation.

It is estimated that more than a million persons are following some such nomadic life each year in the United States. The term “motor-gypsy,” has been quite definitely applied by the people to those who tour leisurely and camp more or less as they go. A part of the people set aside six months or a year to a long tour, seeking the north, south, coast or mountain as fancy, heat and cold dictate, a greater number travel from two to four months, going one year to the Michigan forests, another to the lakes of Wisconsin and Minnesota, passing through the great granaries of the world to the cooling breezes of Colorado, ambling along the coast to Georgia and Florida, following the windings of the Mississippi to the old Creole districts of Louisiana, up the Platte or through the Black Hills, to trout fishing in Wyoming, or stopping at the borders for walking trips over the wildernesses in the Yellowstone and Glacier National parks. The entire expanse of a most wonderful nation is open to the motor-gypsy.

=Camping Grounds.=--So important has this sort of travel become that it is estimated that about 3000 cities and towns over the country, beginning in the Middle West and now spread to both coasts, have public automobile camping grounds for the traveling visitors. These are provided and kept up by the cities themselves or by chambers of commerce or automobile clubs; sometimes by combinations of these organizations.

The question often arises, “Does it pay?” From a financial standpoint it probably pays the community as a whole even if every individual who subscribes does not receive reimbursement. In the first place the tourist’s impression of a city is influenced by the treatment he receives. If an effort is made to furnish him with a safe and comfortable camping site and with facilities for cooking and cleaning he returns home with praises for that city. He tells other tourists that he meets on the way, he tells his neighbors after he gets home, and other and still other tourists come. On the contrary if no provision is made for the tourist, if he is not met with a glad hand he naturally warns others to keep away or plan to pass through in the daytime, spending what spare time they have farther on in more hospitable centers.

Secondly, tourists always spend some money for food and supplies, for gasoline, tires, accessories, repairs, and with increasing frequency for hotels. Clothing and dry-goods stores profit to some extent. Since thousands of dollars are brought to those towns lying on the main thoroughfares having good camping facilities, and since this money will be respent by those receiving it directly, the entire community in the long run benefits by the touring traffic. Denver possibly averages 400 to 500 campers per day during the summer season. Omaha, Kansas City, Lincoln, Deadwood and all the smaller places to the Rocky Mountains entertain from 25 to 100 per day. The actual tourists are many more, for not nearly all camp along the way. The Omaha Auto Club registered cars in 1921 carrying over 40,000 tourists. Other gateways passed fully as many, and not nearly all took the trouble to look up the club office to register. During the winter season the gypsying traffic turns south and Georgia, Florida, and on west to California, benefit by it.

A traffic census made simultaneously on eighteen Nebraska roads, distributed widely over the state, of vehicles passing in one week (August 20-26, 1922), showed a total of 88,958 divided as follows:

----------------------+------+------+------+------+--------------
| | | | | Percentage
| |Inter-|Inter-| +---+----+-----
|County|County|State |Total |Co.|I-C.|I-S.
----------------------+------+------+------+------+---+----+-----
Automobile |40,598|25,595|13,560|79,753| 51| 32 | 17
Light Truck | 2,465| 886| 242| 3,593| 68| 25 | 7
Heavy Truck | 1,547| 556| 140| 2,243| 69| 25 | 6
Horse-drawn, passenger| 1,303| | | 1,303| | |
Horse-drawn, freight | 2,066| | | 2,066| | |
+------+------+------+------+ | |
Total |47,979|27,037|13,942|88,958| | |
----------------------+------+------+------+------+---+----+-----

What is especially interesting in this connection is that nearly one-sixth of all the automobiles or one automobile in six, comes from without the state, and one in three from without the county. Connecticut censuses, Connecticut being a small state between thickly populated states, shows a much higher ratio, 47 per cent without the state.

All sorts of cars from the most expensive to the cheapest are found and they seem to be harmonious when on the camping ground; the Pierce-Arrow and the Rolls-Royce do not look disdainfully at the Ford and the Chevrolet, neither do the latter pretend an importance greater than their due.

Democracy of cars and democracy of people ought to lead to a better understanding all around. Some very excellent and well-to-do ladies of a western city went to a hotel in one of the national parks for luncheon. They were clad in khaki trousers and blouses which had seen considerable wear. The dining room was full and they were placed at a table where some distinguished looking and well-dressed men were talking stocks and bonds. The ladies in such garb were nonplused, they were embarrassed to the limit; but the men, being also gentlemen, gave their names and became acquainted. So pleasant proved this little dinner participated in by the khaki-clothed ladies and stylishly attired men that at its conclusion they shook hands heartily and bade each other Godspeed for the remaining journey and hoped that, not like ships that pass each other in the night, they would again meet to renew an acquaintance so happily begun. Such is the democracy of touring.

On the contrary an editorial writer in the _Saturday Evening Post_, November 18, 1922, expresses incredulity of the offhand opinion “that travel of any kind must rub off the sharp edges of provincialism.” He says the “American tourist in Europe has long been the subject of ridicule,” and that travel in many cases “appears to accentuate narrow-mindedness.” It is further argued that “too much travel means practical disfranchisement and a total lack of interest in local affairs.” There is no doubt but that anything, even touring, can be carried to extremes. The editorial concludes with the statement, however, that travel “can teach no lesson of more value than the knowledge that everywhere, whether the climate be hot or cold, the towns large or small, men of upstanding character are spending their lives to make those communities better places in which to live.” It must be acknowledged that the fact that only about one-half of the persons eligible to the franchise exercise the right of voting at the general elections indicates that not enough interest is taken in affairs of government. Anything which tends to decrease the interest is, therefore, bad. But moderate touring in our own country ought to give a person a wider view, a stronger love of country, and a deeper sense of the importance and benefits of citizenship therein.

A majority of the cars are of the type that would cost less than $1500, because there are more cars of that type in use. One of the most elaborate caravans seen on the D. L. D. highway this summer is a Winton six, with a lengthened frame on which is built a square van-like structure, with doors and windows and a rear observation platform. The driver’s seat is completely enclosed. By its side is a door which gives entrance to the interior of the car. Its size may be judged from the fact that the wheel base is 202 inches. In the front part of the car are rattan arm chairs deeply upholstered for all the members of the party. There is an ample aisle. In the rear of the car is a kitchenette, a lavatory, storerooms, cloak rooms and many miscellaneous conveniences. At night the car is run to a convenient place by the side of the road or in a special camping place. The end of the observation platform is let down, a tent is hooked over the rear hood, and there is room in a jiffy for cots for three people. Two double beds are made up in the aisle of the main car, giving plenty of room for seven.

In the morning it takes but little time to prepare breakfast in the kitchenette. The car has running water from a tank holding about thirty gallons. It is lighted by electricity and has every convenience that one can think of. This is the fourth car designed by its owner, Dr. E. J. Fithian of Grove City, Pennsylvania. It cost him a little less than $10,000. He believes it possible to plan a shorter car that will serve every purpose for a little more than $5000. The car makes from 150 to 200 miles a day over ordinary roads. It weighs 8200 pounds fully loaded with gas, water, and supplies. It is said to ride as easily as an ordinary automobile. The passengers sit in their chairs and watch the scenery glide by very much as from the window of a Pullman, but with this difference, that they are free to go and pause at will, and can see interesting sights, if they desire, off the main lines of travel.

Another caravan built on a Ford car passed through Lincoln last summer. It carried Mr. and Mrs. C. B. Hays of Great Falls, Montana, who have lived in it for two years, winter and summer. Failing health induced Mr. Hays to take to the simple life, and a stroke of paralysis made it impossible for Mrs. Hays to walk. Two years’ outdoor life and roughing it have restored health to both, besides during that time they have saved much on house rent.

In their caravan, the windows along the sides could be pushed out like an awning and an oil cloth curtain dropped down. On one side of the car a long cushion served as a seat during the day and by adding other cushions it made a bed at night. A large flat box did duty as a linen closet while fastened around the sides were numerous bags or pockets for taking care of articles which at home are kept in bureau drawers. In one corner was a small oil stove with a tiny oven upon which was cooked wholesome meals well relished by the outdoor wanderers.

When dinner was ready, the door of the china cupboard swung down on its hinges and a table large enough for two was soon dispensing nourishment for the hungry nomads. They dine, too, in the restful atmosphere of delightful music. No, not a phonograph. From the beamed ceiling of this unique house swings a yellow canary in his gilded cage. Can you imagine any music more alluring to perfect joy and rest or more alarming to the dread monster indigestion?

Even the crumbs are not wasted, for they are relished by the pug, who likes to sleep curled up on his bed on top of the fender.

At the side of the car Mr. Hays has apparently solved the hand signal problem for closed cars. A stuffed glove attached to a broad arm may be raised partially for a left-hand turn, fully for a right-hand turn, straight out to stop, and dropped to the side of the car when not in use. A white enamel water cooler was an attractive accessory to the dining room. A wash-board and a small tub told the story of how wearing apparel was laundered. Mrs. Hays wants a sewing machine, and although space is very much limited she says she will find the room.

Is there any wonder that health and youth return with this sort of “play” housekeeping. “Can you beat it?”

=Something More Moderate.=--While there are many persons of means, the owners of expensive cars, pitching their tents in shady nooks, enjoying the sociability of glowing camp fires, and sleeping to the music of gurgling trout streams, there are also those who drive cheaper cars who are enjoying the same starry nights, the hum of bees and the flash of birds, who take the gamy trout to help out their daily rations, who stop to regale themselves with wild berries and chokecherries, who relish the chuck-chuck of the red squirrel, and the flirt of the saucy chipmunk’s tail as he scurries to a hiding place. Wealth has no monopoly on the enjoyment of nature, and most any one who is able to own a car of any kind is able to take a more or less lengthy gypsying tour.

Mr. Elon Jessup[236] says “Motor camping is the only way in which many people can afford to travel at all.” He tells of meeting in Banff, Canada, a farmer, his wife and five children, who were enjoying the wondrous sights in that region, and while their car was somewhat rickety, nevertheless it had drawn them there. The farmer’s explanation was to the effect that he had wanted for years to take his family to that country but had never been able to stand the expense until he got the flivver. Then going did not cost much more than staying at home.

There will be all sorts of conveyances ranging from the simple touring car with no modifications whatsoever to the elaborate caravan described. There are also on the market all sorts of special accessories. A pantograph luggage-holder clamps on the running board. Tents that cover the car at night and extend out sidewise, or endwise, to shelter cots, beds, or cooking and eating equipment. Beds that attach to the running board and fold up during the day; beds that fit on top of the seats. Sets of dishes and cooking utensils are now made to nest into each other in such a manner as to take up very little space.

Mr. Jessup in “The Motor Camping Book,” already referred to, elaborates considerably on equipping the camping outfit but intimates that it is a matter for individual judgment. No two persons can agree. This is right, as it gives flexibility and zest. Summed up there are two fundamentals: Only necessities should be taken and these should be selected for compactness. But what are necessities? blankets to roll up in on the ground? or should a cot or bed be included? Would a folding table and a chair help to make one more comfortable. It is a compromise between what one would like and what one has room for.

Mrs. Nina Wilcox Putnam[237] thinks that for a transcontinental trip a touring car of medium size with good under clearance to avoid hitting the high centers in some of the western roads is best. As she patronized hotels exclusively no camping equipage was necessary. For clothing for women she says that east of the Mississippi she and her husband found it practical to wear just such motor clothes as one would wear at home, but they should be “dirt-colored.” West of the Mississippi “khaki for all hands becomes positively _de rigueur_.” West of Kansas City, both men and women wear trousers. She assures ladies they can “walk into the best hotels through the Far West in the aforesaid garments without the slightest embarrassment.” A complete list of the clothing carried by Mr. and Mrs. Putnam is given in the article above referred to and those who expect to take the trip might do well to look it up.

Heavy as well as light clothing will be needed when traveling through the Rocky Mountain region. The nights and mornings are always cool, but under the direct action of the sun the valleys often become extremely hot. The only rule is, carry as little as you can and still be comfortable.

=Camp Sites.=--A gentleman, who with his wife and a Chevrolet coupé, the rear of which was modified into a large box about 5 feet square and 2 feet deep, who has “gypsied” across the United States several times from east to west and from north to south, says the problem of a camping ground for an average town is simple. Only a small tract is needed, and if it is properly looked after he thinks the tourists will not complain of a modest charge that will make it self sustaining. The average tourist would prefer the small charge and clean surroundings.[238] “A block is enough space, if the affair is in the hands of a competent caretaker, who will see that cars and tents are properly placed and guarded. People who tour in ordinary cars like to be close together. They are not aristocrats. They are folks. They like to visit around and talk roads, and examine outfits and discuss their plans. The best camps are divided into small plots by wooden palings on three sides. The caretaker shows you your place and it is your home for 25 cents a day. This money pays the caretaker and gives you the use of shower baths and lavatory. The best camps have city gas for cooking, bought through a slot meter. Some of them have ovens, but gas is better. The stoves are in a shed, which becomes the club house of the women. They meet there and cook and wash and complain about the reckless driving of their husbands, and tell where their married children live and have a glorious time.

“The men spend their spare hours buying supplies and talking and smoking, chewing, and pitching horseshoes. They also have the best time in the world. If the auto camp is next door to a good garage so much the better. Between here and the coast the common thing is the private auto park.”

Camps, in Mr. Harrison’s opinion, should not only be near a garage, for convenience and information, but also as near the business center as possible “because the tourists like to go up town to get a restaurant meal, buy soda water and postal cards, and take a squint at the movies.” As the car is usually a part of the tent and usually more or less cluttered up with baggage the camp site should preferably be in walking distance of the center of town. Too many towns have the camp sites away out where more land is obtainable, and possible natural shade. They should be near the main lines of travel and as stated the nearer a garage and grocery store the better.

The time will no doubt come when garage men with business acumen will establish camping facilities, though the space be small, in connection with their garages and charge a small fee the same as they do now for stabling the car overnight.

Possibly the Denver public camp ground is the most liberally patronized of any in the United States. El Paso, Texas, has a small park not more than 200 feet square that tourists claim to be the best cared for of any in the west. Olympia, Washington, is praised by tourists for her camping facilities. Only very recently has the camp idea reached the eastern coast, but the newspaper accounts indicate that it is taking hold.

=Hotels.=--For those persons who do not care to camp there are always hotels. During the busy season, however, those in the larger towns which have gained a reputation with the traveling public are usually full to overflowing. Many tourists telegraph ahead, from one to two days, for accommodations. Rooms can be obtained in all the towns but not always bath in connection, or even running water. Throughout the well-settled communities meals and luncheons may be obtained at most any hour. In the sparsely settled regions lunches are put up by the hotels which can be carried in the car for the noonday refreshment, care being taken to reach the next settlement for dinner in the evening.

The evening scene in a popular tourist hotel reminds one of the old wayside inns. There the tourists, usually spruced up for the evening, with the travelers’ camaraderie, are talking, smoking, and enjoying each others’ company.

=Parks.=--The great National parks are being used more each year by automobile tourists. Good hotel and camping facilities are available. These parks are set aside by the Government for the preservation of marvelous natural beauty and grandeur, and the government desires that they be used to the utmost by the citizenry. Perhaps 100,000 people will visit the Yellowstone National Park this (1922) season, of which 75 per cent will come by private automobile. Naturally the larger number come from the nearby states, but last year practically all states were represented. Montana sending 2892 and Maine 1. The patronage is likely to continue and grow. Other National parks and the United States Forest Reserves will also receive their share.

Several states are beginning to recognize the need for play and recreational grounds. New York has built a magnificent automobile road up the Bronx River Parkway Drive and through the Adirondacks, and the State Conservation Commission has built along these highways many stone fireplaces for the special use of motorists. Colorado is building an automobile road up Mount Evans, thus heading off private parties who wished Government permission to build a toll road. Michigan will develop tourist roads to attract the summer traveler. The field secretary of the State Good Roads Association maintains that such roads will bring an annual revenue to Michigan of $75,000,000 to $100,000,000 annually through the resort trade. Scarcely a state but has some attraction to the tourist; it would be well to make its advantages known to the public that they might be enjoyed to their fullest extent.

=Information.=--The last sentence brings us to an important topic. The tourist at the present time inquires at the nearest garage or hotel for information relative to routes and condition of roads, detours, accommodations, etc. This is well, but all these people do not have at hand a knowledge of the information sought, so the traveler must pass on and trust to luck that he may get through. Chambers of Commerce and automobile clubs have endeavored to fill the want, and in the Middle West these places are sought by hundreds of people daily. Some of the large newspapers have drawn on their advantageous news-gathering facilities and publish each morning a statement of road conditions and detours.

The _Minneapolis Journal_ says that when it established its bureau of travel and resort information, “the new agency was overwhelmed from the start with eager inquirers for facts and advice.” Information is the one thing that a tourist fairly yearns for, even more than for food, gas, and oil; he knows where to go to satisfy these wants. The manager of the _Journal_, Perry S. Williams, who is also vice-president of the Associated Advertising Clubs of the World, has in mind a plan for “dotting the whole countryside with little information bureaus, where the traveler can learn what’s what and feel easy in relying on what he learns. Every community under this plan is to have its own bureau and to make it easily accessible to the wanderer.”

But the state of Wisconsin which has long been among the foremost in the development of new road ideas, has beaten them to it, for already the Commission conducts a department of “Highway Information Service.” A blueprint map of the state trunk highway system is furnished weekly to all subscribers. The map shows the type of road on every mile of the system, the location of all construction jobs and of all detours and the condition of the detours. The map is revised weekly. Information up to Tuesday is mapped and in the hands of subscribers by Thursday, in time to supply information for week-end motor trips. This information is sold by the state to hotels, commercial associations, automobile clubs, garages, and other places where touring information is sought. The map is 54 by 60 inches in size and mounted on a frame or bulletin board to be placed in a conspicuous place. A charge of ten dollars is made for this service for the season from June 1 to September 15. The charge barely covers the cost of blueprinting.

While it may be the duty of the state to furnish the roads and do all possible to promote transportation, local bureaus will be able to supplement the State’s information in a very acceptable manner.

SELECTED REFERENCES

BELL, H. H., “Improved Lighting System to be Installed on the Lincoln
Highway,” _Electrical World_, Vol. LXXIX, pp. 731-732.

BLANCHARD, HAROLD F., “A Comparison of Ramp and Elevator Types of
Garages,” _Bus Transportation_, June, 1922.

BROOK, MARK, “Highway Signs,” American Highway Engineers’ Handbook,
pp. 1390-1394.

CAPPER, ARTHUR, “The Midwest Farm Market for Motor Trucks,” National
Automobile Chamber of Commerce, New York.

ENO, WILLIAM PHELPS, “Science of Highway Traffic,” Published by
himself and distributed by Brentano’s, New York.

EVANS, P. AND BATCHELDER, A. G., “Direction and Distance Signs,”
_Engineering and Contracting_, July 30, 1913.

FERGUSON, O. J., “Electric Lighting,” Chap. XXI, McGraw-Hill Book
Company, New York.

Firestone Ship by Truck Bureau, Akron, Bulletin No. 7, “The Motor
Truck Terminal.”

HARRISON, J. L., “Color Schemes for Highway Signs,” _Engineering and
Contracting_, Oct. 13, 1915, p. 280.

ISABELLA, N. M., “The Wisconsin Idea as Applied to Detours a Source
of Satisfaction to Motorists,” _Concrete Highway Magazine_, April,
1922, Chicago.

JENKINS, ALFRED, “A Motorized City,” National Automobile Chamber of
Commerce.

JESSUP, ELON, “The Motor Camping Book,” G. P. Putnam’s Sons, New York.

LEWIS, NELSON P., “The Planning of the Modern City,” pp. 240-246,
John Wiley & Sons.

“Omaha Union Stage Depot,” _Bus Transportation_, Vol. 1, p. 45.

PUTNAM, NINA WILCOX, “A Jitney Guide to the Santa Fé Trail,”
_Saturday Evening Post_, June 10, 1922.

HALVORSON, C. A. B., JR. AND HUSSEY, R. B., “Illumination of
Highways,” _Engineering and Contracting_, Vol. LVI, pp. 535-536.

UNDERWOOD, W. E., “The Trend of Modern Practice in Street Lighting,”
_Engineering World_, Vol. XVII, pp. 348-351.

WILLIAR, HARRY D., JR., Articles on Road Signs, _Public Roads_,
August, 1921, and _Engineering and Contracting_, October 5, 1921.

FOOTNOTES

[222] Senator Arthur Capper in an address delivered before the
Highway Transport Conference, New York, 1920, said: “A recent
investigation showed over 75 per cent of the Middle Western farmers
bought their cars not for pleasure, but for business.” But he did
not say how they use them. He did, in the same address, say, “A good
road, plus a good motor truck, begets almost six motor trucks in
any community and in any locality.” Emulation and rivalry are great
selling agents.

[223] After the above was written there appeared in the _New York
Herald_ this statement: “This country consumed in May (1922), more
than 13,000,000 barrels of gasoline. This is a matter of some
700,000,000 gallons.” The article goes on to calculate that in the
use of this gasoline there was a travel of 10,000,000,000 car miles,
and “at an average of four persons to the car, 1,600,000 individual
motor trips around the world (in distance) in May.” The United States
Bureau of Mines gives the domestic consumption of gasoline in the
United States for 1921 as 4,516,012,979 gallons, an average of only
about 7,000,000 barrels per month.

[224] See also “Science of Highway Traffic,” by William Phelps Eno.
Published by himself and distributed by Brentano’s, New York City. A
very valuable contribution to the literature of road regulation.

[225] Eno, op. cit.

[226] See Eno, op. cit., p. 53.

[227] “A Comparison of Ramp and Elevator Type Garages,” by Harold F.
Blanchard, _Bus Transportation_, June, 1922.

[228] “A Motorized City,” by Alfred Jenkins, Secretary of, and
published by, the National Automobile Chamber of Commerce, 7 East 42d
Street, New York.

[229] “Direction and Distance Signs,” by P. Evans and A. G.
Batchelder, _Engineering and Contracting_, July 30, 1913.

[230] Op. cit., p. 11.

[231] The information about Maryland’s signs is taken from articles
by Harry D. Williar, Jr., Assistant Chief Engineer of the Maryland
State Highway Road Commission, in _Public Roads_, August, 1921, and
_Engineering and Contracting_, October 5, 1921.

[232] “The ‘Wisconsin Idea,’ as Applied to Detours a Source of
Satisfaction to Motorists,” by N. M. Isabella, Assistant Maintenance
Engineer, in _Concrete Highway Magazine_, April, 1922.

[233] An article entitled “Prevent the Proposed Permanent Traffic
Towers on Fifth Avenue,” by Wm. P. Eno.

[234] “Electric Lighting,” by O. J. Ferguson; McGraw-Hill Book
Company, New York.

[235] “Improved Lighting System to be Installed on the Lincoln
Highway,” by H. H. Bell, _Electrical World_, April 15, 1922.

[236] “The Motor Camping Book,” G. P. Putnam’s Sons, New York.

[237] “A Jitney Guide to the Santa Fé Trail,” by Nina Wilcox Putnam,
in _Saturday Evening Post_, June 10, 1922.

[238] Interview with Frank A. Harrison in _Nebraska State Journal_,
July 12, 1921.

INDEX

Accidents, highway, and their mitigation, 351-380

Agriculture, stage of, in development of civilization, 4-6. _See_
Farms

Amos log loader, working of, 299

Anderson, A. P., tables from “Modern Road Building and Maintenance”
by, 269

Appian Way, famous highway, 23-24

Ashley, Wm. H., founder of Rocky Mountain Fur Company, 54

Asia, early highways in western, 19-21

Asphalt and asphalt block roads, good qualities of, 265-266

Assessments for highway improvement, 311-321

Astor, John Jacob, exploring expedition organized by, 55

Automobiles, railway passenger earnings affected by, 163; effects
of, on street-car lines, 164-166; great use of, for pleasure
passenger traffic, 187-189; estimate of cost per mile of riding in,
189 n.; changes in society produced by, 203-208; effects on health,
211-213; and crime, 213-214; percentage of accidents due to, 351-352;
responsibility of the driver for accidents and their avoidance,
352-355; horns for, 356-357; stopping on grades, backing, etc.,
357-358; miscellaneous causes of accidents, 358 ff.; ranking and
parking of, 420-425; ramp and elevator garages for, 427-429; gas,
air, and water stations, 433-434

Automotive transportation, analysis and discussion of, 181-218

Auto trucks, effects of, on railroads, 163-164. _See_ Trucking by
motor

Babson, Roger W., quoted on relations between railways and auto
trucks, 163-164

Backing of cars, accidents due to, 357-358

Baldwin Locomotive Works, origins of, 102

Beautification of roads, discussion of, 382-416

Bible, references in, to highways, 19-20

Bicycles, influence of, on roads, 127-136; highway accidents due to,
378

Bodies, removable, a device for loading and unloading freight, 191-192

Bonds, issuing of, for highway financing, 322-323; kinds of, 323-327;
total cost of a loan, by the three kinds, 327-328; the term of,
328-331

Boone, Daniel, “Autobiography” quoted, 40-42

Boone’s Trace, account of, 39-43

Boston, early railroads centering at, 105

Brakes, parts played by, in automobile accidents, 359-360

Brick roads, good qualities of, 264

Bridger Pass, discovery of, 54

Bridges, road accidents caused by, 368

Buses. _See_ Motor-buses

Cabot, Philip, article by, on New England railways, cited, 162;
calculations and figures by, 171-172

Calk, William, “Diary” of, quoted, 43-46

Camden & Amboy R.R., chartering of, 104

Camping grounds for motor tourists, 451-456

Canals, era of, in England, 14-15; in America, 70-75; passenger
traffic on, 75-76; inability of, to compete with railways, and
results, 76-77; ship, 77; Sault Ste. Marie, Welland, and Cape Cod,
77; Panama Canal, 77-88

Canoes, travel and transportation by, 34-35

Cape Cod, ship canal across, 77

Cattle. _See_ Stock raising

Census. _See_ Traffic census

Central Pacific Ry., building of, 112

Charleston & Hamburg R.R., building of, 103

Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, building of, 73

Civilization, transportation a measure of, 1 ff.; five stages
in, 1-2; stage of Direct Appropriation, 2-4; Pastoral Stage, 4;
Agricultural Stage, 4-5; Handicraft Stage, 6-12; Industrial Stage,
14-18

Clark, William. _See_ Lewis and Clark

Clayton-Bulwer Treaty, terms of, 83

_Clermont_, Robert Fulton’s steamboat, 89

Clinton, De Witt, efforts of, in behalf of canal-building, 71

Coaches. _See_ Stagecoaches

Colonial days, transportation in, 34-46

Concrete roads, good and poor qualities of, 264

Consolidated Rural Schools, importance of motor transportation to,
208-210

Container, the demountable, 176, 192-193

Cooper, Peter, locomotive built and operated by, 100-101

Coöperative marketing, advantages of, 277-282

Corporations, financing of highway transportation by, 345

Crédit Mobilier, notorious railway-construction scandal, 115-116

Crime, the automobile and, 213-214

“Cross Crossings Cautiously” campaign, 380

Culverts, road accidents caused by, 368

Cumberland Road, building of, 62-64; extension of, 64-66

Curves, dangers of, 367

Dairying, use of motor truck in, 293-294

De Lesseps, Ferdinand, and Panama Canal, 80-84

Des Moines, Iowa, good roads, movement at, 132-133

Destruction of highways, factors in, 245-248

Detour signs, 442-443; location of, 443

Distance and direction signs for motorists, 436-437

Driver, responsibility of the, for automobile accidents, 352-355

Dunlop, J. B., inventor of pneumatic tire, 128

Du Pont Road, example of private financing of highway, 307-308

Durability, an important factor in road building, 254

Earth roads, good and poor qualities of, 263

Efficiency outline of motor transport, 225-227

Electric-light poles along highways, 412-413

Electric traction, operation of street cars by, 122-124

Elevator garages, 427-428

Engine. _See_ Steam engine

Eno, William Phelps, development of traffic regulation due to efforts
of, 378-379; cited on width of parking spaces, 423; cited on opera
house traffic, 426, 427

Eno Foundation for Highway Traffic Regulation, Inc., 379-380

Erie Canal, building of, 70-72; small profit from, 75

Esthetics, highway, 382-416

Express rates, reduction of, due to short-haul motor trucking, 174-175

Express terminal stations, 429-433

Factory products, transportation of, by motor truck, 301-303

Farms, meaning of the automobile to, 177; motor trucking to and from,
196-201; Rural Mail Delivery one of many modern advantages, 210-211

Federal aid, financing of highways and transportation lines by,
332-334; present state of, 334-335; plan of local matching of Federal
Aid dollars, 335-342

Federal Aid Road Act, passage of, 152-153; provisions of, 153-154;
rules and regulations for carrying out, 154-156; marked success of,
156

Feudal system, government under the, 5-6

Financing, highway, 343-349

Forestry, use of motor truck in, 295-298

France, traffic censuses in, 236-237, 240-242

Garages, public, 427-429

Gardening, road, 382-387

Gasoline, stations for selling, 433

Gila Trail, 55; route of, 58

“Good roads” movement, growth of, 128-129

Government, U. S., attitude toward river improvement, 94-97;
ownership of railways by, 112; aid of state and Federal, for better
roads, 147-156

Grain exchanges, account of, 275-277

Gravel roads, good and poor qualities of, 263-264

Greece, effects on ancient, of lack of roads, 21-22

Greeley, Horace, quoted on canals, 76

Guides, highway, for motorists, 435-445

Guilds, medieval, 6-8; destruction or lapsing of, 9-10; functions
taken over by government, 10

Handicrafts, stage of, in growth of civilization, 6-12

Harding, President, discussion of transportation problem by, 217-218

Harriman interests, railway lines held by, 117

Haulage. _See_ Trucking by motor

Hay-Pauncefote Treaty, terms of, 84

Health, the automobile and, 211-213

Henderson, James, early American pioneer, 39-43

Highway, distinction between road and, 222

Highways, important early, 19-22; of ancient Rome, 22-27;
classification of, 222; planning systems of, 222 ff.; units of
systems, 227-229; principles of esthetic construction applied to,
382-416. _See also_ Roads

Hogs. _See_ Stock raising

Hoover, Secretary, quoted on farm motor trucks, 197

Horine, M. C., “Economics of Motor Transport” by, quoted, 225-227

Horns for automobiles, 356-357

Hotels, accommodations for tourists in, 460

Humboldt River route, discovery of, 54

Husband, Joseph, “Story of the Pullman Car” by, 120-121

Individual financing of highway transportation, 343-344

Information, supplying of, to automobile tourists, 461-462

Interurban railways, effects of motor competition on, 164

Intra-city traffic, calculations concerning, 170

Inventions, industrial stage of civilization brought about by, 14-15

Iron, invention of new methods of smelting, 15

Italy, traffic censuses in, 242

Jay walking, as a cause of accidents, 377

Jefferson, Thomas, Louisiana Purchase arranged by, 48

Jerusalem, effects upon, of strategic position, 20

Jitneys, earnings of street-car lines diminished by, 165; importance
of business done by, 183

_John Bull_, locomotive, 102

Joliet, Louis, early explorer, 46

Kay, John, inventor of fly shuttle, 16

Kentucky, Boone’s path into, 42; early railroads in, 106

Knight, Jonathan, coning of engine wheels invented by, 101 n.

Lancaster turnpike, building of, 60-61

Land, grants of, to railways, 110; grants to Pacific roads, 111-114

Later California Trail, route of, 57

Lauck, W. J., quoted on avoidable railway wastes, 175 n.

League of American Wheelmen, organization of, 128; good roads
movement sponsored by, 129-136

Lewis and Clark Expedition, account of, 48-53

Lighting of roads and streets, 447-449

Lights, on cars, as sources of danger, 361-362; for non-motorized
traffic, 378

Loading and unloading freight, devices for, 191-194

Locomotive, invention and early development of, 18; the first,
99-103; progress in mechanical development of, 119-120

Louisiana Territory, purchase of, 48

Lumbering, improved methods in, due to motor truck, 295-300

Macadam, J. L., road construction by, 60

Macadam roads, good and poor qualities of, 264

MacDonald, T. H., classification of highways by, 222

Manse, W. H., cited on waste by railways, 176

Map signs, sizes of, 439-441

Marketing, effect of ease and cost of transportation on production
and, 273-304

Marks, highway, for motorists, 435-445

Marquette, Jacques, explorations of, 46-48

Massachusetts, state aid for highways in, 150-151

Merger, railway consolidation by, 117

Michigan Central R.R., beginnings of, 106

Mining, use of motor trucks in connection with, 300-301

Mississippi River, steamboat transportation on, 90-91

Mohawk & Hudson Company, chartering of, 103

Moore, W. H., “good roads booster,” 139

Morgan interests, railway lines held by, 117

Motor-buses, relations between street-car lines and, 165-166;
character of business done by, 184-187; extent of suburban and
interurban, 196; terminal stations for, 429-433

Motor transport efficiency outline, 225-227

National Good Roads Association, activities of, 139

National Road. _See_ Cumberland Road

National system of highways, arguments for, 227-229

_Nebraska State Journal_, editorial from, 204-205

New England, early railways in, 105

New Orleans, importance of, due to river traffic, 90-91

New York Central & Hudson River R.R., beginnings of, 103-104

New York City, Governor Clinton’s prophecy concerning, 71-72

New York State, canal-building in, 70-74; automobile roads in, 460-461

Nicaragua, canal route across, 84

“No Accident” campaigns, 380

_Novelty_, Ericsson’s locomotive, 100 n.

Nye, Bill, quoted on roads, 130-131

Office of Public Roads Inquiry, instituted, 136-137; duties and scope
of, widened, 143-144

O’Hanlon, J., “Irish Emigrant’s Guide to United States,” quoted, 93

Ohio, first railway in, 105-106

Ohio Valley, early lines of travel to, 37-38

_Old Ironsides_, first Baldwin locomotive, 102

Opera house traffic, special arrangement for, 426-427

Oregon Trail, traffic over, 54-55; origin of the, 55-57; final route
of, 57

Pacific railways, building of and land grants to, 111-114

Packing of goods on turnpikes, 58-60

Page, L. W., worker for good roads, 142, 144

Palestine, roads and highways of, 19-20

Panama Canal, history of, 77-88

Parking of automobiles, 421-422; spaces for, a convenience to
motorists, 422-425

Parks, National, visited by automobile tourists, 460-461

Partnership, financing of highway transportation by, 344-345

Pedestrians, contributory negligence of, toward accidents, 376-377;
rule for, on country roads, 377-378

Pennsylvania, turnpikes in, 61

Pennsylvania R.R., railways held by same interests, 118

Peru, roads in ancient, 27-31

_Pioneer_, Illinois Central locomotive, 108

Pittsburgh, Pa., growth of, 72

Plants, climbing, for use in road gardening, 411-412

Pleasure passenger traffic, use of automobiles for, 187-189

Poles, telephone and other, along highways, 412-415

Pope, Albert A., worker for good roads, 133, 136

Portages, importance of, in early American period, 36-37

Potter, I. B., good roads advocate, 129

Poughkeepsie, Bus Terminal Station at, 431-433

Poultry business, efficiency of motor truck in, 294-295

Prescott, W. H., “Conquest of Peru,” quoted, 28-31

Production and marketing, relation between ease and cost of
transportation and, 273 ff.

Public ownership, as a method of financing transportation lines,
347-349

Pullman cars, development of, 120-122

Railway crossings, accidents at, 368-370; increase in accidents due
to automobiles, 370-372; means of diminishing fatalities, 372-376

Railways, early development of, in England, 17-18; effects of,
on canals, 76-77; account of growth and development of, 99-116;
consolidation of, 116-118; mechanical development of, 119-120;
street, 122; relation between transportation on, and on highways,
159-168

Ramp and elevator type garages, 427-429

Ranking of cars, 421-425

Regulations, road and traffic, 378-380

Resistance of road surfaces, 255-257; due to grade, 257-261

Richmond, Va., first electric railway operated for profit in, 123

River and Harbor Improvement Bills, 96-97

Rivers, government’s attitude toward improvement of, 94-97

Road, distinction between highway and, 222

Roads, prehistoric American, 27-31; early, in North America, 35-36;
evolution of modern wagon, 126 ff.; influence of bicycle on, 127-136;
building of object-lesson, 142-144; state and Federal aid for,
147-156; good, as agencies for health, 212-213; selection of suitable
type, 252-254; types of, and their qualities, 263; comparison of
types of, 266-270; bad, as causes of accidents, 363-364; naming and
numbering of, 434-435. _See also_ Highways

Robbery, automobiles used in, 213-214

_Rocket_, George Stephenson’s locomotive, 100 n.

Rome, roads of ancient, 22-27

Roosevelt, Theodore, and the Panama Canal, 85-86

Rotary scheme for traffic, 424-426

Rural Free Delivery, an agency for better roads, 144-147; effects of,
on farmer’s life, 210-211

“Safety First” campaign, 380

St. Louis, Mo., as a fur center, 53-54

Salt Lake Trail, route of, 57

Sand-clay roads, good and poor qualities of, 263

San Francisco, cable cars in, 122

Sanitariness of roads, 262

Santa Fé Trail, traffic over, 54-55; route of, 58

_Saturday Evening Post_, quoted on vandalism, 215

Sault Ste. Marie, ship canal and locks at, 77

Schools, motor transportation and the consolidation of, 208-210

Semaphores, use of, by traffic officers, 445-446

Service stations for automobiles, 433-434

Shrubs, for planting along roads, 403-411

Signal lights and colors, 446-447

Signs, highway, for motorists, 435-445

Skidding, accidents due to, 359

Sleeping car, evolution of the, 120-122

Slipperiness of road surfaces, 261-262

Smith, Jedediah, discoveries of, 54

South Pass, discovery of, 54

Spanish Trail, traffic over, 54-55; route of, 58

Speedometer, as an essential, 363

Speed signs for motorists, 444

Spooning in automobiles, 215

Stagecoaches, era of, in England, 11-12; on Cumberland Road, 64-65

State aid, 147-152; financing highways and transportation lines by,
334

State system of highways, arguments for, 229-230

Steamboats, the first, 89-90; on Mississippi River, 90-91; increasing
luxuriance of, 91-93; dangers connected with early, 93; fares on, 94

Steam engine, Watt’s improvements on early, 15-16; attempts to use,
in locomotives, 99-100

Stephenson, George, improvement of locomotive by, 18; first
locomotive put out by, 100

Stevens, John, called father of American railroads, 100

Stock raising, effect of marketing facilities and road transportation
on, 284-293

Stock subscriptions for highway financing, 331

Stockton & Darlington R.R., completion of, 101

Stock watering, meaning of, 116

Stopping cars on grades, streets, etc., 357

Street-car service, progress in, 122; effect of motor transportation
on, 164; effects of taxicabs, jitneys, and buses, 165-167;
competition between motor-buses and, 185-186

Superelevation of outer side of curved roadway, 364-366

Systems of highways, planning of, 222-270

Taxes for road construction, 309-321

Taxicabs, character and importance of business done by, 183-184

Telephone poles, highways disfigured by, 412-413; location of, 414-415

Telford, Thomas, road construction by, 60

Terminals, waste at railway, 176; transferring between, by motor-bus,
187; improvement of facilities at, caused by motor transportation,
201-203; for buses and express service, 429-433

_Tom Thumb_, Peter Cooper’s locomotive, 101

Touring by motor, amount of, 450-451; camping grounds for use in,
451-456; camp sites, 458-460

Towns, truck and bus lines between, 194-196

Traffic, one way and rotary, 425-426; taking care of opera house,
426-427; guides for, in cities, 444-445

Traffic census, taking a, for planning of highway, 234-236; methods
of taking, 236-238; classification of traffic in, 239-245

Transcontinental railway lines, land grants to and construction of,
111-115

Transportation, a measure of civilization, 1-32; classified as
primary and secondary, 159; interrelation between highway and other
kinds of, 159 ff.; legitimate fields of agencies of, 168-170;
analysis and discussion of automotive, 181-202; social aspect of
motor, 203-208; effect of ease and cost of, on production and
marketing, 273-304; financing of lines of, 306-343; financing
highway, 343-349

Transylvania Republic, early settlement called, 43

Trees, for planting along roads, 385-403

Tresaguet, French highway engineer, 60

Trucking by motor, effects of, on railway earnings, 163-164; length
of haul for economical, 170-174; reduction of express rates due to
short-haul, 174-175; freight traffic cost under system of, 190-194;
traffic between towns, 194-196; general effect of ease and cost of,
on production and marketing, 273-304

Turnpikes, era of, in America, 58-60; construction of, 60-61; effects
of railways on, 61-62

Types of roadway, comparison of, 266-270

Uniformity in distance and direction signs for motorists, 437-438

Union Pacific Ry., building of, 112-114

United States, transportation development in, 34-67

Units, of highway systems, 227-229; of traffic, 240-242

Vandalism by visitors to country, 215

Vanderbilt interests, railway lines held by, 117