Evening Republican, Volume 17, Number 154, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 June 1913 — Home Course In Road Making Final Article. —Road Maintenance and Repair. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Home Course In Road Making Final Article. —Road Maintenance and Repair.

By LOGAN WALLER PAGE,

Director Office cf Public Roadt United DeDartment l a of Agriculture. Copyright by American Pram. Association. 1912.

THERE Is no phase of the subject of road improvement so important and which is so often negHB&sclSCtad as that of maintenance. Boads may be. constructed In A most scientific wanner and out of the best materials available, but unless they are properly maintained they will sooner or later go to pieces. On the other hand, roads may be never so poor, bat with systematic repair and maintenance they may be rendered passable at all seasons of the year for ordinary traffic. No road has ever bee* so well constructed that It did not need to be maintained, Even the tremendously massive, rqads of the Romans have almost disappeared, largely for lack of maintenance. The terms maintenance and repair are very frequently used as synonyms, but there is a, wide distinction between these ,two operations. . To maintain a rpafl. means to keep .lt alway* In good condition.- while to repair fi means to make fi good only, occasionally. In

other words, repair sets in after maintenance fails to keep the road In proper condition. No state or community has ever built or kept In repair a system of first class improved roads under toe personal service or labor tax system. In.fact, this system Is not appUcable to any class of road construction or maintenance, not even to earth roads. Its principles are unsound. Its operations unjust, its practice wasteful, and the results obtained under It are unsatisfactory in every particular. Undoubtedly tbe best system of maintenance Is that which provides for the permanent employment of skilled laborers or caretakers who may have charge of particular sections of road or who may be assigned to any port of the county where toe work la most needed. Men employed In this way become experts in their particular line of work, and if they make mistakes one year they, are pretty apt to correct them toe next; but, under the labor tax system, these mistakes are repeated from time to time.’ If one man Is employed to look after a particular stretch of road or to do a particular class of work he will soon learn to take pride and lnterfst in bis work. While It would be manifestly Impossible to adopt tiffs system throughout toe entire country on account of limited resources and sparse population, still fi Is believed that there are many places where It might be used with great success. It would be difficult to find a county which te so poor that it could not afford to employ continuously eight or ten laborers and three or four teams to maintain and repair Its roads. There are many counties, ..however, which could well afford to employ ten times such a force. That such a plan would be more effective titan the labor tax system would appear to be self evident. Of all our roads the earth roads are probably tbe most neglected. Experience has sbowu that by proper maintenance earth roads may be transformed Into something better than elongated mudholes. The first and last commandment In the maintenance of earth roads te to keep the surface well drained. Water te the great enemy to our day or soil roads and must be removed Immediately or much mud and very tsu} roads are toe result To insure good drainage the ditches most be attended to and obstructions removed and a moato, raised crown of toe road maintained. For this purpose tbe spilt log drag or some similar device te very useful and at the same time Inexpensive. The drag can be used on a sand-day or gravel road Just as effectively as on an earth road. Tbe following points should bo born* In mind in dragging an earth, gravel or' sand-clay road: The drag should bo light and ahouid be hauled over too road at an angle of about forty-five degrees In much -a way that only a small amount of earth is pushed to the cantor of toe rood. The driver should ride on tbe drag sad sever drive faster than a walk. The dragging should begin 00 the ride of the road, or wheel traak, *V..

\ * '• , , . ihCSrisßHf finlhe opposite side. TTnf—the road ti already in good condition It should be dragged after every heavy rain, when the mud la In such condition as to puddle well and still not adhere too much to the drag. A few tripe over the road will give the operator a clew as to the best time to drag. Drag at all seasons of the year, but do not drag a dry road. If a road is dragged Immediately before a cold speU the road wIH freeze smooth. * Always drag a little toward the center with the aim of keeping the elope of the crown about an inch to the foot If the drag cote too ranch shorten the hitch or change your position on the drag. The best results from dragging are obtained only by repeated applications. A good system of dragging Is that which is practiced In Kwnsas and lowa, where road authorities am authorised to let contracts to farmers for dragging the roads abutting on their lamia

In the maintenance of hard roads, such as gravel and macadam, different methods must be pursued. The causes of wear on hard roads are the weather, the wheels of vehicles and horses’ shoes. The weather acts to some extent directly on the materials, , pat to a much greater degree Indirectly, Frost is one of tbe most active of the destruc- , five agencies. The expansion and contraction caused by frost sometimes lead ,to a general disintegration of the surface. This is especially true where clay Is used as a binder and where the road surface is porous or the drainage poor. When such a road thaws out after a hard frost the macadam will practically be a layer of loose stones, Into which the traffic will cut, forming ruts. Frost has but little If 'any effect on a dry, well kept road. Look after the drainage very carefully In the fall and be sure that the surface Is as nearly waterproof as possible, so that tho read will go Into the winter dry and not full of water. Violent rains often wash out the binder and sometimes the smaller stones as well, leaving the surface both rough and porous. The amount of material lost from the road by tiffs means Is often larger than the toll exacted by traffic. The following hints may be found useful in the maintenance and repair of gravel and macadam roads: Never allow a rut or hole to remain on the road, but fill It St once with chips from the stone heap. When the road Is built tbe contractor should be required to place at least 100 tons of surface material and screenings at a convenient place for each mile of road constructed. ; Always use chips for patching and for ail repairs during the summer months. Never put fresh stone on the road If by cross picking and raking the surface can be kept In tbe proper condition and cross section. The rake Is the most useful tool used in read maintenance. Large patches of stone should not be spread over toe whole width of toe road at one time. The bulk of all repairs should be made before Christmas, so that the road will go through toe winter In good condition. In moderately dry weather always pick up the old surface Into ridges six Inches apart and remove all large end projecting stones before applying new material. Never apply stones more than one stone deep, but add a second layer when the first is worn In If one layer is not sufficient Never crack stones on toe road, for if you do a smooth surface will be out of the question. Never-leave the stones in ridges. All large stones, blocks of wood and other obstructions used for diverting traffic should be removed at nightfall, or toe consequences may be serious. Never put a stone on toe road for repairing purposes that will not pass freely In every direction through a two inch ring. Smaller stones should be used for patching. Macadam’s advice was that no stone should be placed In a macadam road which the workman could not get In his mouth. TraproCk, granite and other hard stone should be broken finer for repair work than the limestones and other softer rocks. Use screenings if possible for binding together _ newly laid material. Road sweepings, horse droppings, sods and other rubbish when used for this purpose will ruin toe best road ever constructed. Water worn or rounded stones

should not be used for repairs, as they will not bind. Never allow dust ot mnd to lie on tbe surface of a macadam or grave! road, for either of toes* will Increase the cost of maintenance. The middle of the road should always be maintained a little higher than toe sides so that toe rains may run into the able gutters at once. Water tables, culverts, gutters and ditches ahouid never be allowed to clog up. The caretaker or patrolman ahouid always be on his road, particularly fu wet weather, and should fill up at once with line atone or screenings any holes «r rats where the water may Be. 4

CARETAKER MAINTAINING A STATE HIGHWAY IN CONNECTICUT.

CARETAKER WHO MAINTAINS FIVE MILES OF ROAD IN ALLEGNENY COUNTY, PA. THERE ARE NINETY-FIVE IN THE COUNTY.