The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1899-09-28
! GOOD ROADS NOTES.



Failures are especially numerous in
respect to the methods adopted, ="
says Otto Dorner, Chairman of the
l.. A. w. Highway Improvement Com
mittee.
1--WE may expect that, in time, the
! construction of stone roads will be-
come as familiar to farmers as the
growing of wheat, but atpresent there
is very little general information on
the subject.
1.-THE two points to be observed in
building stone roads are, first, to pro-
vide proper foundation, and second,
to Ioll md compact the stone metal
vita the utmost thoroughness. To
begin with, the subsoil, which is to
serve as a foundation for the stono,
must be properly crowned, sloping
down from the middle to each side of
the road, and must then be rolled un-
til it is absolutely hard and smooth.
The road should take its shape from
the shape of the foundation. The
stone is but a covering or roof for the
protection of the ground Ibeneath
In order that this roof may be solid,
it must rest upon something abso-
lutely firm. A soft earth bottom can
not support stone roadway intended
for ordinary heavy travel. Where the
road is built upon low ground, the
foundation should be drained as
well.
"The stone used should be pvt
down in layers not more than four
inches thick, and it is well, where
several layers of stone are used, TO
sort the material and to use the larger
pieces for the lower layer. This
sorting is done by means of rotary
screen attached to the rock crusher.
In building macadam roads in Massa-
chusetts and Ontario, the lower
layer is usually composed of stone
which will pass through hole two
and one-half inches in diameter The
second layer usually consists of pieces
which will pass through one and
one-half inch hole.
Rolling is the most important
| point in the treatment Of macadam or
stone roads. A heavy roller should
always be used, heavy enough to
wedge the pieces of stone firmly to.
gether. The roller accomplishes this
by shifting the pieces about until each
is lodged firmly between adjoining
pieces, which readily explains tho
greater effectiveness of the heavy ma
chine. Two things may prevent sue.
cessful rolling either the failure to
provide solid foundation, or the
practice, which is very common, of
spreading gravel or dirt over layer
of stone before it is rolled. The idea
of using such binder is bad
mistake. In either event, the dirt or
gravel, getting between the loose
particles of stone, will prevent their
becoming firmly wedged A mixing
of stone and eartll, which is thus FIRE.
quently brought about in an attempt
to build Il macadam road, is little
better than an ordinary dirt road; in
deed, it is inferior IN some particu.
lars. The material in o road thus
constructed is sure to shift about
under the pressure of passing narrow
tired wheels, which result in the
larger pieces of stone working their
way to the top, rendering the road
rough and uncomfortable for travel.
The best way to help the stone to
bind is to thoroughly sprinkle it
with water before and during the
rolling process. Almost every kind
of stone has more or less cementing
qualities, and its saturation with
water while it is being rolled serves
admirably to help unite the different
pieces firmly. Tho second layer of
stone is frequently of less thickness
than the layer below. This layer
should also be thoroughly and re-
peatedly rolled without the use Of
gravel or dirt as supposed binder,
and with the use of abundant water
to help in cementing it. After the
| layers of stone are entirely completed
and have been thoroughly rolled
and packed, it is we'll to spread
n layer of gravel, by the way of top
dressing, ana to roll that thoroughly.
Better still is to make this layer OF
stone screenings, which will unite
| better than gravel does. This dress
ing will prevent wearing the macadam
road proper, and, as it disappears
with use and travel, should be re-
newed from time to time, leaving tho
stone construction below absolutely
"erfect.