Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1890-11-14
ROAD MAINTENANCE
Hints ms to How Macadamized Highways
Should BE Kept in Order.

Hints ms to How Macadamized Highways
Should BE Kept in Order.
We condense the following from cir
cular issued by the Roads Improvement
association, of London, England, an or
ganization formed to distribute matter
for the education of local highway au-
thorities, road contractors and others on
the proper construction, maintenance
and repair of highways:
Never allow hollow. rut or a pud-
die to remain on a road, but fill it up at
once with Chips from the stone heap.
Always use "chips" for patching, and
for all repairs during the summer
months. Never put fresh stones on the
roads if by cross picking and thorough
use of the rake the surface can be made
smooth and kept at the proper strength
of section. The rake is the most useful
tool in your collection, and it should be
kept close at hand the whole year round.
Never spread large patches of stone over
the whole width of the road, but coat
the middle or horse track first, and when
this has worn in coat each of the sides
in turn. In moderately dry weather,
and on hard roads, always pick up the
old surface into ridges six inches apart,
and remove all large and projecting
stones before applying a new coating.
Never spread stones more than one stone
deep, but add a second layer when the
first has worn in, if one coating be not
n Gtn fIY1v 70
load the barruSs at the stone heap, so
that the sift gs may be available for
binding and summer repairs.
Never shoot stones on to the road and
crack them where they lie. or a smooth
surface will be out of the question. Go
over the whole of the new coating every
day or two with the rake. and never leave
the stones i'll ridges. Never put stone
upon road for repairing purposes that
will not pass freely in every direction
through two inch ring, and remember
that still smaller stones should be used
for patching and for all slight repairs.
Hard stone should be broken to a finer
gauge than soft. but the two inch gauge
is the largest that should be employed
under any circumstances Never be
without your ring gauge. 1t should be
to the roadman what the compass is to
the mariner, and if you have no ring
gauge remember Macadam's advice
that any stone you cannot easily put in
your mouth should be broken smaller.
Use nothing but chips for binding newly
laid stones together, and remember that
road sweepings, horse droppings, sods of
grass and other rubbish, when used
for this purpose. will ruin the best made
road.
Water worn or rounded stones should
never be used upon steep grades, or they
will fail to bind together.
Never allow dust or mud to lie on the
surface of the road, for either of these
will double the cost of maintenance.
Dust becomes mud at the first shower,
and mud forms a wet blanket which
will keep road in filthy condition for
weeks at a time, instead of allowing it
to dry in few hours See that all
sweepings and scrapings are put into
heaps and carted away Immediately.
The middle of the road should ALWAYS
be Il little higher than the sides. SO that
the rain may run into the side cutters
at once. Never allow the water tables,
cutters and bitches to clog up, but keep
them clear the whole year through.
Always be upon your road i'll wet
weather, and at once fill up with chips"
any hollows or ruts where the rain may
lie. When the main coatings Of stone
have worn in go over the whole road.
and, gathering together all the loose
stones, return them to the stone heap
for use in the winter to follow: for
loose stones are source of danger and
annoyance, and should never be allowed
to lie on any ad.-Engineering News