The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1892-01-15
THE DRAINAGE OF ROADS.

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tax amounts to. In good roadsa lies thei
salvation of the farmer.
THE DRAINAGE OF ROADS.
1t Is tho Most Important Factor to BE
Considered in Construction.
Mr.. William billiard, of Somerset
county, N. j., has lived all his life at the
same place, and he is now past sixty, I
should say. During all his manhood he
has taken, as every good citizen should,
an active interest in the betterment of
the roads of his neighborhood and state.
Recently came across an article of his
which shows that he thoroughly appre-
ciates what is the matter with the roads
in the country. He says, "Iknow that
there are q large number of intelligent
gentlemen who insist upon it that we
do not expend money enough to make
good roads, but insist upon it that it is
not the want of more money, but it is
the want of more brains, and that of q
practical character"
Again, he says, ga celebrated engi-
neer once being asked what were the three
most important things to be considered
in the construction of roadbed, replied,
The first and most important thing is
drainage; the next and most important
thing is drainage; the third and last
most important thing to be considered is
drainage" Here Mr.. Hillard gets to
the very heart of the matter. Hear what
that great roadbuilder Macadam said,
''The broken stone is only to preserve
the under road from moisture and not
at all to support the vehicles, the weight
of which must be really borne by the
native soil, which, while preserved dry,
will carry any weight and does in fact
carry the stone road itself as well as the
vehicles upon it."
Nothing could be palmer than the in
functions of the engineer quoted by Mr..
Hillard, unless the reason given by Mao
adam is 80. Indeed, in all the articles
and books I have ever seen on roadmak-
ing it is always insisted that drainage is
of the very first Importance. But it is
seldom that any system of drainage is
described so infinitely that men of the
class to which the care of our ordinary
roads are now generally intrusted would
be able to carry it out. And am not
sure that it is possible to do this. But
there is method which is open to every
locality.
There are very great many educated
engineers in the country abundantly
competent to give instructions and make
plans for any difficult drainage. had
letter only the other day from very
accomplished engineer who does little
farming in Missouri. He said that he
could find plenty of professional work to
do in his neighborhood if he We're will
ing to do it for nothing. This instance,
together with several similar ones with
in my knowledge, makes me think that
country people, while they are willing
to pay other professional men-lawyers,
doctors, clergymen and even surveyors
do not know that engineers feel that
they are worthy of their hire. But it is
absolutely sure that we will never have
our roads well drained till we employ
engineers to determine in each case
what shall be done, and it is also certain
that engineers will not work for nothing.
The depth of drains must be deter
mined by the frost line. Every farmer
knows this much, but we continually
see drains of roadbeds so near the sur
face that they freeze in very cold
weather. That is what does the great
harm, and unless they be properly placed
it were better and very much cheaper
not to have them at all. All roads should
have ditch or drain of about four feet
deep on each side; these side drains are
generally open, except in villages and
towns and in some cuttings These side
drains should be outside the fences to
prevent accidents. In wet places, low
lying lands, clayey soils and localities
where springs are met with under the
roadbed there should be thorough sys-
tenn of subdrains.
What are known as French drains Dire
the best to be used for the subsoil. These
should be regulated in their depth by
the frost line, and in the bottom of tho
trench, so determined, ordinary unglazed
tiles three inches in diameter should be
laid. The stones Immediately over the
tiles should be laid with their lower edges
on the bottom of the trench and their up
per edges meeting, so as to form an in
verted covering over the tile pipes; over
cen inches should be laid-rounded or
field stones from two inches to six in
ches in diameter. These are better for
this purpose than those with angular
edges which fill up the spaces between
the stones. In using coarse gravel of
mixed size it is advisable to separate the
larger from the smaller by screening,
and to put in the larger first and the
smaller on top, as the mixed sizes fill up
the interstices more than when each
size is used separately. The smaller
screenings can be used on the sidewalks,
or as binding for macadam, if clean and
sharp enough. Over the stones layer
of brushwood or coarse straw should be
placed to prevent the soil from filing in
between the stones before they become
compacted.
The excavations for these drains should
be about eight inches wide at the bottom,
and when three feet six inches deep
about eighteen inches on top. The width
of the top should vary with the depth of
the trench about in the proportion as in
Dictated. Where fiat, bedded stones,
which break easily into pieces, with
parallel sides can be cheaply procured,
the tiles may be dispensed with and the
bottom of the drain formed by setting
two stones vertically against the sides of
the trench and covering them with
third fiat, bedded stone. But every
farmer knows how to make such drain
as this.
The difficulty with those who have the
care of our roads Is that they do not
know and appreciate the Importance Of
thorough drainage, and I see no solution
Of this part of the problem except to
have the work of road construction and
road maintenance'placed-in'the hands of
engineers who have learned
by.experience and instruction that work
half done is, not donesataal.
JNo. GuMER SPEED, G. E.
ROADS IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES.