Show vu LOST TRAILS The finest pavement In the world a a Roman road built centuries ago Is Is discovered four tour feet under the earths earth's surface at Colchester Eng Eng- England England land This superb highway was put to- to to together ether gether by the tessellated or check check- checkerboard checkerboard checkerboard S stem like the mosaic pat pat- patterns patterns patterns terns of tiles Inlaid in many colors as flooring for modern bathrooms building entrances etc The design is worked out in sev- sev seven seven sev seven en colors The Tho tiles In places are arranged to form Corm dragons bulls flowers and dolphins It starts you thinking about thea the a glories glore of lost civilizations Grim but a trifle more Interesting is a skeleton found on top of this an cleat clent pavement in England J The bones of a 1 young I as she left lett there You picture a speed speed- speedIng speeding ing log chariot charlot knocking her hIIr down the driver galloping his horses ahead stopping If It you ever eser vi-It vi Peru and ex explore explore explore what remains of tho wonder wonder- wonderful wonderful wonderful ful Inca civilization destroyed by bv SpAnish conquerors the Inca roads most most impress you If it you drive a carOne carOne car carOne One of these roads was l nearly 2000 miles long Twenty T feet wide It ati sll etches 0 over oser er the mountains practically as good today as hn It was oas built centuries ago First the Inca road makers laid down huge buge slabs of stone The co ered this with a J thick coating of or bituminous bituminous cement Time has hardened this cement into solid rock Describing this road Charres Charf's J s in his b book ok Lost Civi Civilizations I recall the great stone road or of orthe the vanquished people perfectly le lesel leel el or gently sloping leagues or of living rock being cut for or its pas passage passage passage with alth Ith solid ma ma- ma sage ra ravines rasines Ines filled tilled carved Nor was wS precipices the road left a mere mechanIcal On either side there thue it ere embankments rip rapped with stone and trees and flowers ers were planted The good roads started when when r b bir began clearing dearing trails through the dense jungles CIVIl Civili Civil Civil- Civilization has al ala always a s been spurred or held back to great extent tent by high high- highway highway way ay conditions And this Is true be- be because because be because before now mOl t than titan e ever cr cause congestion of population re requires requires J quires adequate arteries artenes or of o traffic Our good roads movement Is making rapid sit Ides It really amazing when OU vou ou compare comparo with the dirt pa pavements of only 20 eal eais s sago ago burled buried When our cn civilization lies under the ground future may not think much of us as they unearth some ot of the bum pave pae pavements meats ments we ste have hate laid IJo never Ho-never ever ever- everI I While we do not build our toads th the pel of the Rom Romans Romans ens ans and Incas possibly this Is be- be because because be because cause 5 we c 0 intuit intuitively ely feel that It still not be many years ears cars until most of our tra tras travel el will be by airplane with the roads in the air |