Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1893-04-05
CLAY AND SAND.
with Proper Drainage This Combination
Makes a Firm and Durable Road

with Proper Drainage This Combination
Makes a Firm and Durable Road
Hon. n w. Thornton of Mercer coun-
". Ills. IS q veteran in the war for good
roads Fer more than 80 years he has
lalored with vote and pen for the in
prore--ent Of country highways. and his
wide experience has led MIN 10 devise a
plan for road work which the builders
of the roads across the prairies, where
material IS scarce. viii do well to investi-
gate. He saws:
From 1857 to 1865. having in charge
the construction Of a railroad between
Savannah and Warsaw, Ills. ! had oc-
casion 10 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
and 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 'in the long ago" has given man
a foundation for a roadway that is al
ways in repair and always good at TO ex-
pense TO any u L.
In these 80 years of my jo%urneying
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 p~rairies would tend
very much toward the improvement Of
the roads. The clay roadbed we have.
II is a fixture. II has come 70 stay.
With sand it may be utilized in drainage.
Gravel or broken stone is a poor substi-
tute for sand 10 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
filing in the center of the roadbed 81
feet below the surface, the dirt displaced
in thing is distributed evenly over the
roadbed, first 6 inches next TO the thing
filed with the soil Of roadbed to hold
the sand above with which the remaining
8 feet of the ditch is filed. A coating Of
sand 6 or s inches in depth and 6 feet in
width is placed on the center Of the road,
leaving 6 or 6 feet on either side Of this
track for a dry weather road
The theory is that continued rains
would soon put the central track in use
and incorporate the sand with the soil.
thereby facilitating drainage of the sur
face water into the sand or gravel over
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 OF
broken stone for filling the ditch above
the tile: it drains more readily than
sand and is preferable in all respects ex-
cept to combine with clay to make it
porous. All three are very useful and
necessary in the construction Of a good
road. Availability and cost Of material
decide which shall be used in different
localities.
A well drained roadbed by this method
requires a less quantity OF at least one
half Of sand and gravel on broken stone
than any method heretofore presented 10
the pnblic. 1t will take Il to ? yards Of
the above { FL the ditch per rod above
the thing. and about the same amount
as a coating on the central track.-Good
Roads.