The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1892-04-15

tH0 uuiSuSu IOau suiAhoS ehuusu hafS q
conyexity OF about one in forty. Upon
we'll kept roads, one in sixty is suf-
ticient. Too great convexity should be
avoided, as it tends to keep the travel
in the midle Of the road where ruts are
formed which hold water, the great in
jury Of the roads soundness. A uni
form wear over the surface is very
desirable.
The roadway having been prepared
in the manner thus described, the FIRST
and simplest kind of stone road is made
by giving a dressing of broken stone Of
tw. or three riches in thickn ness, which
is then thoroughly rolled SO as to press
the stones firmly IN the earth. Where
the travel is light the road can now be
used for longer or shorter time as
may be convenient. OF course it will
not stand heavy use, and will be very
much broken up when the frost goes
out in the spring. After few months
use, certaily after one season, another
similar dressing should be applied and
rolled as before. 1t is now advisable
to give top dressing of the screenings,
OF of suitable gravel, which after being
we'll sprinkled- should be rolled also.
These operations may be continued
year after year to the steady improve
ment Of the road, until at length the
bed becomes so solid that but little will
be required. This is the ordinary
country road Of Europe.
The next higher grade Of road is
made by placing at once upon the pre-
pared earth bed layer Of broken stone
Of six or eight inches in thickness.
This layer is thoroughly wet and COM
pressed by the heaviest rollers that can
be operated, either by steam or horse
power. Upon this dressings Of smaller
stones and screenings or gravel are
placed and treated as before described.
A still more thorough road is made by
placing layer of large stones Of various
sizes up to say fifty pounds upon the
earth bed. leyeling. as well as may be,
their interstices with similar stones
Upon these dressing Of broken stone
is placed so as to make the surface
smooth enough for the operation Of a
roller when its pressure firmly beds the
bottom layer into the earth. Six inches
Of broken stone is then added, and the
road is completed as the others.
The best class Of roads is that known
as the Telford when it is properly con-
structed. Stones Of say foot in width,
one or two feet in length, and from
two to six inches in thickness, are
placed upon the prepared earth bed
upon their thickest edge, side by side,
the lengths OF the stones running
across the road. These are carefully
placed so as to break joints and to fit
together as closely as possible. The
high points are broken off with ham.
mer so as to have the tops Of the stones
as nearly on q level as may be. The
interstices are filed with smaller stones.
We now have compact mass Of stones
a foot in depth over all the width Of
the road. Upon this foundation layer
Of broken stone is placed so as to per-
NIT the heaviest possible roller to pass
over it to bed the bottom stones into
the earth and to compact the whole
mass. Additional broken stone is now
added until thickness Of four or Ave
inches is obtained. which is then rolled
and finished as the others.
AL these stone roads should have .
curb set along their sides to hold the
edges in place. When curbstones are
not used. the edges should be we'll
shouldered with sods. Good side gut
tiers are necessity with every road.
The cost OF we'll built Telford road,
with bed fifteen feet in width. which
is as narrow as permits two vehicles to
pass readily, is about 81 a running foot,
or something over $4,000 per mile.
The other roads described are less ex-
pensive, as can at once be seen accord.
ing to the thoroughness of their
construction.
REPAIRS.
1t is great mistake to suppose that
high class roads involve no expense for
repairs. While their durability is very
great, yet they require constant atten.
ton, so that every injury may be
remedied at once. Neglect is very
costly. The best constructed roads go
rapidly from bad to worse unless prop
erly repaired. Where the best care is
taken, the horse droppings and the
Aakrifua from wgaap apa p.1o1o.Ir 10