River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1896-02-06
KEEPING ROADS GOOD.
Seventeen Rules Recommended by an
English Association.

From the L. A. w. and Good Roads Bulletin.
The Road Improvement Association
of London, England, recently issued a
circular containing seventeen rules
for the guidance of roadmasters in
keeping macadam and telford roads
in proper repair, as follows:
/. Never allow hollow, rut or a
puddle to remain on road, but fill it
up at once with chips from the stone
heap.
2. Always use chips for patching
and for all repairs during the summer
season.
g. Never put fresh stones on the
road if, by cross-picking and thor
ough use of the rake, the surface can
be made smooth, and kept at the
proper strength and section.
4. Remember that the rake is the
most useful tool i'm your collection,
and it should be kept at hand the
whole year round.
5. Do not spread large patches of
stone over the whole width of the road
but coat the middle or horse track
first, and when this has worn in, coat
each of the sides in turn.
6. In moderately dry weather and
ON hard roads always pick up the old
surface into ridges 6 inches apart, and
remove all large and projecting stones
before applying new coating.
I. Never spread stones more than
one stone deep, but add second layer
when the first has worn in, if one coat
be not enough.
8. Never shoot stones on the road
and crack them where they lie, or a
smooth surface will be out of the
question.
O. Never put stone upon the road
for repairing purposes that will not
freely pass in every direction through
a pinch ring, and remember that
smaller stones should be used for
patching and for all slight repairs.
10. Recollect that hard stones should
be broken to finer gauge than soft. but
that the Pinch gauge is the largest
that should be used under any circum-
stances where no steam roller is EN-
ployed.
IL. Never be without your ring
gauge: remember Macadam's advice,
that any stone you cannot easily put
into your mouth should be broken
smaller.
IL. Use chips if possible for binding
newly laid stones together, and res
member that road sweepings, horse
droppings. sods or grass and other
rubbish, when used for this purpose,
will ruin the best road ever con-
structed.
10. Remember that water-worn or
rounded stones should never be used
upon steep gradients, or they viii fail
70 bind together.
Il. Never allow dust or mud to lie
on the surface of the roads, for either
of these will double the cost of main
tenance.
Is. RecolIect that dust becomes mud
at the first shower, and that mud
forms wet blanket which will keep
the road in a filthy condition for weeks
at a time instead of allowing it to dry
in few hours.
Is. Remember that the middle of
the road should always be a little
higher than the sides so that rain may
run into the side cutters at once.
Il. Never allow the water tables,
cutters and bitches TO clog up. but
keep them clear the year through.
Every roadmastar and supervisor
should cut these rules out and paste
them in his everyday hat. To make
q good road is one thing, and to keep
it in good repair isquite another thing.
The fine roads in Europe are the re-
suit of splendid repair system where
every defect is promptly corrected be-
fore 1t has time TO caus serious dam
age to the highway.