Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1891-03-19
Roads Again.

Roads Again.
Good morning, Mr.. w. +. Hotch.
kiss"
Good morning, Mr., HERALD N
TRIBUNE"
"Mr, Hotchkiss, we want you to tell
us what a civil engineer knows about
country roadmaking."
"Ohl That depends on the engineer"
"Well, take the present company for
instance, Did you ever have anything
to do with dirt road making2"
Eyes, some little. l have been road
commissioner for the past couple of
years at my home at CORTLAND, Ala.
You can't make a dirt road first-class In
n year."
"Mr. Peg Setter, you know from re-
cent observation and experience the con-
1iiion of the country roads in this sec
ton, and the nature of the dirt. Can
anything be cone to help them; and
what is itH"
'Look-a-here, young man"-and Mr..
Hotchkiss cut a splinter to chew and
threw himself back in his chair-"what
should you say allied these roads at
present."
This isn't our interview, but we will
venture a guess that it's water" was the
reporters reply.
Exactly" and the forelegs of the
surveyors chair struck the floor solidly
as he Strengthened up. "Water. It's
always water that ails the roads. Get
rid OF the water and your roads will al
ways be good. Make your road bed
slightly GROWING, sNy six inches higher
in the middle, and full sixteen feet wide.
Open your bitches on each side of that,
and make the lowest side of the ditch
next to the fence, Make your ditch say
two feet lower than the road bed. The
sloping road bed will shed rains. and the
low bitches will draw the water out of
the mud. Make your ditch three fee t
wide on the bottom. The nearer you
come to the shape OF a railroad bed the
better your road will be-"
"Do you believe in piling new dirt on
the track?"
THAT depends. Usually, no. Some
times the road bed must be raised. If
you put dry dirt on, in summer or fall.
1t will take a long time to settle. If you
must fill up in the middle do 1t right
now, in the rain; in the n~astiest weather.
1t will settle as it dries out and it will
dry out as fast as any other part; and /
will make a hard road bed al once. Keep
the bitches two feet below the road and
the outside edge of the bitches lowest.
Raise the road out of the ponds with
three inch poles and larger, sixteen feet
long, and pile rock On them and cover
all with dirt, Get your road above
standing water and keep it there and it
will always be good"
What is the first practical step, tax
ing these roads as they are2"
Opening the bitches. sir; opening the
bitches. That's not only the first but it
runs through to the last. After you get
the roads dry, and so you can keep
them so, have your county get a rock
crusher, and mlca1amize the worst
places, from six to twelve inches deep
with rock broken fine. Throw a little
dirt over that at first to save your horses
feet until it becomes worn down. This
section has rock everywhere, and ought
to have the best roads in the state; but
first, open your bitches, and keep them
Open"
"Thanksl If we should run acros
anything more we don know, will call
on you again"
And then they reached for the Coon
Kykers with a common thought, and
burned a little incense.
Mr.. Hotchkiss is in charge of the sur
vey now being made by the East Ten
nessee company of its right of way in
East Tennessee.
"Mr. Henry G. Jackson, what are your
ideas abont making good roads?"
"Why, it seems TO me that five of the
six days ought to he worked out in the
early spring. The dirt from the bitches
can then be thrown into the middle and
the roadway rounded up, and the sums
mer's travel will beat it down hard be
fore next winter, Rock ought to be put
on wherever it is possible to do so. If
it is done in muddy weather like we
have had, big rocks can be used and
they will bed themselves In the mud:
and small ones put on top. The only
road that will stand such weather as we
-