The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1888-06-02
MACADAN'S SYSTEM

hACADAh ; SlSIEM.
Macadam's plan was to thoroughly drain
the road bed, properly shape it, sloping 1t
each way from the center, so as to dis
charge water, and not crOwding 1t by a
greater thickness of stone in the middle.
On this bed is placed, on dry day, a
coating of three inches of clean, broken
stone. A roller is then used, or traffic
allowed upon 1t until we'll packed. If
traffic is admitted, men must be on hand TO
rake in all ruts as soon as formed. The sec
ond coating of three inches Is added at a
wet time, as moisture helps the consolida-
ton. This coating is treated as before,
and third coating Is then added, and
finally fourth, If necessary.
The stone is to be clean In no case
larger than y In. cubes, nothing being
laid on for SO called "bindinp." Clean
broken stone will combine by Its own
angles into solid surface.
A heavy roller will help the coDsolida-
ton. One made OF hollow cylinder,
with several chambers, which can be filled
with sand, and so increase Its weight as
the road becomes packed, Is most excel
lent.
A road just completed requires careful
attention for some time, and all ruts and
ridges must be removed as soon as formed,
until the materials becomes thoroughly
consolidated.
All the stone used must be small enough
10 pass through ring two inches In diam
eter.
KEEP, OR REPAIR OF THE ROAD.
A road which is kept in proper condition
by means of constant little attentions sell
dom requires elaborate repairs; nut this
system Is almost never followed. The al
most universal method is to leave the road
alone until the surface Is covered with
holes and ruts, apd then cover 1t for long
distance with several inches of stone
coated with earth.
To keep roads in repair requires perma
nent corps of men, working under compe
tent orders. One man can keep In repair
from three to four miles of well. made and
welldrained road. The roads once being
ia good shape. 1t is the duty of this corps
to keep them so. To accomplish this, 1t is
necessary:
|. To have In progress daily removal
of the Gust, mud and other wear and accu-
mutations from the surface. This can be
best done by means of wooden hoes and
birch brOoms.
III. The application of new materials,
which have to be kept In deposits, not far
apart, so that they can be conveniently
brought 10 any required spot in wheelbar-
rows. They will unite most readily when
applied after rain. This division of the
subject will be examined more In drtail
The proper system of repair Is this:
|. Put down where wanted, and not
elsewhere, hard stone broken as nearly as
possible to all even size of one and half
inches in the largest dimensions.
III. Mix no earth or sand with them,
but let them be worked In by pressure, so
that they fit together by their own angles
into solid mass, like the pieces of puz-
Zle or mosaic.
The proper drainage of roads is also of
the greatest importance for their mainten-
ance in good condition, and road cannot
be properly drained unless 1t preserves
smooth and slightly convex surface. Wa
ter should never be allowed TO stand In ruts
and puddles, and road should always be
patched up as soon as the puddle appears
The stone In time saves nine" In road re-
pairing as much as the proverbial stitch;
but repairers usually wait till the state of
things has become intolerable, and then
spread four or five inches of stone over the
whole road. Long, wide patches of stones
should never De put down; vehicles will
avoid them, and will 90 on the path or by
a long road to do so; or, If they can not be
avoided, the ruts will very soon appear in
the middle of the road, which will become
concave instead of convex. A rake should
constantly be used to fill up ruts and bring
scattered stones back TO their places.
Patches should seldom be more than from
two to four yards long. A patch of stone
twenty or thirty yards long on a country
road, where there is no steam roller to work
it in, is an expensive mistake. Patches
should not be square, hut should vary &C
cording TO the shape of the hollow they
are intended TO fill, l. @, usually round or
oval, and should be so arranged that vehic-