MOTOR ROADS OVER SANDY WASTES.
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How the Problem of Rapid Transport over the Desert of Sinai was Mastered.
0 NE OF THE GREATEST problems that faced the first patrols to pass over the Suez Canal 'into the desert of Sinai was not the total absence of roads but the absence of any natural features by means of which direction could be maintained. And,. for upwards of 150 miles of sand, this state of affairs existed, calling for a sense of direction hardly less than that needed at sea.
When one realizes the awful " sameness" of desert scenery, it is easy to imagine how, patrols could lose their direction Unless every precaution was taken beforehand.. The primary difficulty was overcome by. finding, firstly, the shortest cut to any desired spot and then by making small sand mounds at intervals of, roughly, 25 yards along the route. This solved the trouble quite effectively and enabled parties to travel, even on the _darkest nights, with comparative certainty.
The surprise caine as regards the durability of these road mounds, which were found to withstand even a Mild sandstorm without fear of complete obliteration. The reason lay in the feet that the wind which tends to destroy also tends to build up, and the sand which would be blown from one side of the artificial mound would soon be replaced by the sand which blew up on the further side. This type of road—if it can be given so honourable a name ?—formed the base upon which the desert roads were built, but with the advent of the first column of motor transport (which meant that cavalry patrols had gone forward many miles) carne'the need for something much better and firmer.
The famous " motor roads" of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force will remain impressed on the minds of many who saw them during construction or when completed. These roads were made at a time when labour, in the form of native Labour Corps Companies, was more plentiful. The process adopted in making the motor roads was quite a simple one, and the results were fairly satisfactory. When the course of the road had been settled, it was marked off to the width of about 15 ft, and cleared down sufficiently to remove all the loose surface sand, leaving the hard sand exposed. A shallow ditch, measuring about 2 ft. in each direction, was dug on the edges of the prepared surface and the sand was banked on the outer edge of each ditch. The diagram shows a cross section of the road when thus prepared.
Reserved for the Non-destructive Motors.
These roads were placed strictly out of bounds to all vehicles except motor transport (mostly Fords in those days) and, except at prepared crossings, no horses whatever were allowed upon the surface. Experience showed that, to a surprising extent, the hard sand beneath the loose Surface retained its harder nature and pulverized only slightly if carefully .used. The fact that rubber-tyred vehicles alone were allowed to travel on these roads made all the difference, of course, and it was even possible to B30 run lightly-armoured telegraph cables across the surface of the roads without any fear of them being damaged or of them doing any damage. This would have aeen impossible had any but rubber-tyred motor trailic• used the roads.
Gangs of natives would cover the districts at reasonable intervals and, then, all loose sand would be shovelled off and the ditches cleared out. Sand storms would tend to damage the surface and to silt up the ditches but, even allowing for the usual wear and tear, a heavy lorry could travel at a comfortable speed, whilst a leerd ambulance could travel "all out" if necessary without any undue strain.. This was an enormous step forward in the matter of rapid transit, and it enabled places, not connected by railway, to be in touch with each other when, apart from the motor roads, the journey would have been unbearably slow and almost impossible for motor vehicles. It must be remembered, too, that heavy vehicles, which otherwise would have found the sand an insurmountable difficulty, were enabled to make their way from railhead to the Line.
The Wonderful Wire Roads to Palestine.
The last word in temporary desert roads was the wire road which enabled the fighting troops and their transport to push on in far greater comfort than before. Wire roads did not replace the motor roads, but were used in districts where the more important traffic congregated and where the highest speeds were necessary. For these roads ordinary wire netting a yard wide and of one inch mesh was used. Three rolls of this netting were unrolled on the sand and laced together so as to form a surface 9 ft. wide, in many cases the sand receiving no previous preparation whatever. As the rolls came to an end, further rolls were merely wired on, pegged at the outer edges, and sa the road progressed The difference between the loose sand surface and that of the wire road was very marked, and even in its crudest form the road was a distinct blessing.
Immediately the drag of the loose sand—which would prevent a lorry from being driven on tap gear— would be gone and, with it, the overheating trouble caused by travelling for long periods in low gear. Then, the damping down by the sand of vibration and' shock meant comfort in travelling that could hardly be equalled. Also, these roads were easy on tyres because there were no sharp flints to cut them and no pot-holes to pull them to pieces. Even should the wire break and curl its sharp points upwards after much strain and wear, these rough edges were hardly strongenough to demage a tyre.
The wire surface would settle down on to the sand id such away that it was usually lying just beneath the actual surface, but, except where a peculiar turn of the wind would cause a sand drift to form, the superficial sand was never sufficient to cause discomfort. In the event of the sand working away from the wire, the latter would stretchso as to conform in shape, but this led to weak spots appearing in the road surface, and, in course of time, the wire netting would break and muse ...trouble in these places. Later on, and in the more permanent of these roads, a thin layer of long grass was placed between the sand and the wire netting—even old pieces of tarpaulin and sacking were used—and this all acted as a final distributer of the load. Quite fine surfaces were obtained in this manner, during the summer months, and in places where traffic was plentiful the wire netting .vould become °ante burnished, glittering in the sun and hardly moving beneath the load of a three-tonner.