The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1893-07-08
CLAY N SAND.
With Proper Drainage This Combination
Makes "A Firm and Durable Road,

Hon. H. w. Thornton of Mercer coun-
ty, Ills, is a veteran in the war for good
roads. For more than 80 years he has
labored with voice and pen for the i'm
provement of country highways, and his
wide experience has led him to devise a
plan for road work which the builders
OF tie roads across the prairies. where
material is scarce. will do well to ~investi-
gate. He says:
From 1857 to 1868, having in charge
the construction of a railroad between
savannah and Warsaw, Ills, ] had oc-
caslon to make many trips between those
points in company with a civil engineer.
The subject of the improvement of the
roads we Travelled was frequently dis
cussed. The distance is about 100 miles
N most of the way near the Mississippi,
many miles being all sand. A few miles
In the vicinity Of Nauvoo stone is album
dant, but the greater portion of the dis
lance is pure Illinois soil.
In winter or wet weather the sand
made a good road, but in hot. dry wealth
er it became very heavy. When sand
was incorporated with the soil, as is
often the case between sand drifts and
other localities, there was a passably
good road at all seasons. Sand in many
localities in combination with clay pre-
pared Sin the long ago" has given man
a foundation for a roadway that is al
ways in repair and always good at NO ex-
pense to any one.
In these SO years CT my %journeying
over the prairies of Illinois l became
fully convinced that drainage in some
way with the use of sand in combination
with the soil of the prai1es would tend
very much toward the improvement of
the roads. The clay roadbed we have.
1t is a fixture. 1t has come to stay.
With sand it may be utilized in drainage.
Gravel or broken stone is a poor substi-
tute for sand to be incorporated with
the clay roadbed. Except for water the
roads would always be good, Thorough
drainage is therefore the cure.
If sand is most convenient and cheaper
than gravel or broken stone, put down
thing in the center of the rOaubed 81
feet below the surface, the dirt displaced
in thing is distributed evenly over the
i''''bN'ts iiISt " lIIILNs ilNTht " liz tlilIlS
filled with the soil of roadbed to hold
the sand above with which the remaining
B feet of the ditch is filled. A coating of
sand 6 or s inches in depth and & feet in
width is placed on the center of the road,
leaving 6 or s feet on either side of this
track for a dry weather road.
The theory is that continued rains
would o 0 put the central track in use
and incorporate the sand with the soil,
thereby facilitating drainage of the sur
face water into the sand OF gravel ovel
the thing, thus securing continued and
permanent drainage. This coating OF
sand may be repeated so as to be thor
oughly incorporated with the roadbed
The sand mixed with the soil renders The
roadbed porous in proportion to the
quantity of sand in. combination with it
No material is better than gravel Oh
broken stone for filling the ditch above
the tile; it drains more readily thar
sand and is preferable in all respects ex
cept to combine with clay to make il
porous. All three are very useful anC
necessary in the construction of a gooi
road. Availability and cost of materia
decide which shall be used in different
localities.
A we'll drained roadbed by this method
requires a less quantity of at least one
half of sand and gravel or broken stone
than any method heretofore presented tt
the public. 1t will take / to 2 yards O
the above to fill the ditch per rod allow
the thing, and about the same amour
as a coating on the central track.-Goot
Roads.
A NEW SYSTEM OF ROAOMAkING.