The record-union., 1899-02-16
SUPERVISORS
IN SESSION.
Thirty=One Counties of the State Are
Represented.
Curtis of Sacramento Its Chairman-Wish to Abolish
Bureau of Highways.

thing of the subject, and by more who
think they do but are mistaken. In dis
cussing the subject from the standpoint
of what it is possible for a County SUI
pervsor to do, l want to distinctly and
emphatically draw attention to the great
difference between discussing the subject
in this view and from the standpoint of
the usual writer on that question. Those
who usually discuss, in the press, the
the question of funds or want of funds.
They tell how good road may be made,
usually calling for the use of macadam,
etc They tell what fine roads they nave
seen in Europe; how the wide tires roll
over the macadamized roads, not leaving
an indentation, bearing many tons
weight, etc.
l shall speak of my own six years ex-
perience as Supervisor and give the facts
as l find them; and, while hope l may
present in this article some facts that
may be of service to some one or more
brother officers, the main point is to
inform the public, not SO much how to
have good roads, as to tell them why we
cannot under the present system have as
good roads as we all would wish. l have
in my Supervisorial district twenty-five
road districts, averaging to each district
thirty miles of roads now laid out and
worked as roads at public expense. The
average amount of money that is raised
Tor each district is about $1,000 annually.
Now, the question of how to. use this
question of serious moment. 1t is COM
monty urged by newspaper writers that
if you cannot make more than one mile OF
good road in year, make that. NOW let
US see. In my district / have nearly all
valley roads, with little opportunity to OBJ
tain gravel with which to cover the road
bed, and it costs at least $500 to $1,000
to gravel road sixteen feet wide and
six inches deep-about all the money the
district has to expend in year.
Now, as every Supervisor knows, al
Dc md f1111 of ri hn1pS
during the time of eight to ten months
of dry, hot weather: then, when
the winter rains come, they must be re-
paired and shaped up SO as to get packeo
seasons use. If the road IS turnplked,
the cutters that are to carry away the
storm water must be cleaned out, the
necessary culverts or small bridges, used
to allow the water to cross the roads so
as to pass off into the natural water
courses, must be kept in repair-in itself,
ton / would say that it is my policy to
put in vitrified sewer pipe where the con-
ditions will admit of placing them so deep
under ground as to be in no danger Oh
being brushed by passing vehicles, but in
many cases that cannot be done ana
wooden bridges have to be used. Then,
aside from keeping the roads in repair,
each year calls for some one or more new
roads to be opened up in most road dis
tricts. Right of way sometimes has to
be paid for in part, or wholly, from the
road fund. the ROAD must U0 luIllpihcu
and put in shape for travel. All these
things call for the expenditure of money,
and largely exhaust the road fund. 1t is
absurd to say: Let everything go and
use your road fund to build one or two
miles of good road in each district This
you cannot do; the roads must be re-
paired. And if you tried to expend the
money in one section of the district, or
on one road, the rest of the district would
rise in arms against you
Now, 1 will briefly state how | manage
roads in my Supervisorial district In
the fall, before the rainy season is sup
posed to set in, instruct my road fore
man to have the cutters on the road side
cleaned of weeds and debris that accu-
water can pass off as quickly as possible,
and at the first rain take his road grader
and run up the dirt from outside to CEN
ter. so as to fill ruts and chuck holes. In
some localities 1 have sandy soil, in 9th
ers heavy alkali adobe lands, and in 9TH
ers black, sticky gurnbo. Now. the thing
to do is to make the best practical use
of the conditions about you To overcome
the sand 1 prepare smooth surface,
it should be as wet as possible and rolled
to make a solid bed 1 then cover 1t with
convenence-to a depth of say inches
in center to 6 inches outside, making
road II to 16 feet wide, according to re-
quirement of travel 1t must pc sprea a6
and even About one or two inches of
sand should then be put on top. which
soon works in and prevents the road from
becoming sticky by light ram. me
road then should be rolled with heavy
roller / will say here that the sticky
gumbo packs harder and wears longer
son is preferable Now, this gives you
a splendid summer road over the heavy
sand, and when the rains come the travel
then gets off the adobe and onto the
sand which, as you know. is good road
while wet The adobe or heavy road is
a good road in summer. but abomina bic
in winter To remedy this, l build sand
or loan road on the adobe. often haul
ing sand one way and adobe the other, the
same as we build adobe on sand. | have
one road in my district that has been GOV.
cred with gravel: while other portions OF
the same road has been covered with
adobe. and, when sprinkled, the adobe
road is the best road. The gravel Will
wear away and the small rocks, which all
nosed. and makes the road more or less
rough. while the adobe wears smooth
and is firm and easier on hoof and wheel
The gravel road costs 81 $40 per mile. the
adobe $500 Straw is another useful article
in road work. Two years ago l caused
about thirty miles of road to be covered
with straw. Result, splendid road, the
straw helping to keep the road from cut
ting up even the following year, but straw
could not be had the past season. and l
could not use it. When sprinkling is
impracticable, or too expensive, straw
prevents roads cutting. The continuous
use Of straw finally ends in great inn
proyement to the road material on most
dirt roads it makes it hold together. Whan
the rains come the straw is we'll worn
and it then mixes in the soil and holds
and toughens H.
SPRINKI.ING
have sprinkled about~forty miles of
road the past year with ten teams, max
ing about four miles day. to each team
1t is expensive, yet 1t is the only means
Of keeping heavily travelled roads from
being intolerable. The past year has been
very dry in this part of the State, and
sprinkling has been necessary from April
to January. On some roads near the
ocean. where you can depend on wind,
have nut the mills about 2,400 feet apart
as rule. In other sections / have used
a gasoline engine on wagon. The engine
is usually on rear end of wagon and
heavy 3-inch rubber hose is attached to
mt into well. and another to conduct wa
Ter 10 tank I have used both l and 2
horse power. but L recommend the two
horse power. as we usually have to. pump
from wells II to 20 feet deep. This is not
an ideal way of sprinkling roads. but
when YOU cannot load your tanks by
erayitation. it is the cheapest, as one
1umping outfit does for as many water
stations as you visit. / used two teams
and two men on same wagon on two Of
nv outfits last year, night and day work.
thus saving expense of purchasing two
wagons. etc. The result of sprinkling. of
course. is that it keeps down dust, but it
does not prevent the surface of the ordi-
<l;-t road from becoming more or