Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1900-10-11
SUMMER RoADwoRK.
Matters of Importance That Need
Looking After, But Are Neglected
In Most Places.

The country roads have now all been
scraped and that usually is the end of
road work for the season. But there are
several matters that need looking after
at this time of year, which are Of con-
siderable Importance to the roads and
those who use them.
First Of all are the bushels and wag-
on loads of stones which the scraper
has dragged into the driveway, es-
pecially on hillsides. A recent 20-mile
bicycle trip convinced me that leav-
ing these stones in the highway is not
failing peculiar to this neighborhood
alone. Stones from the size of a wal
nut to those as big as pail, literally
by the wheelbarrow load on hillsides,
and by the wagon load in stretch of
road mile or two long, are coolly left
to bruise and worry horses feet and
necks, pound the rims of wheels and
set drivers teeth on edge. Would it
| be well to call a council of the wise men
| of the district to see what might be
done about these stones? Or would it
be better yet to have them removed
double quick" within "a hours after
scraping?
| Next comes the "chuck holes," low
places that were mudholes last winter,
but now are dry and smooth, but lower
than the general level of the road. You
can easily find them after a rain, when
they are full of water. In dry, hot
| weather this soon dries out and does
but little damage. But in early fall and
| lat x4ho to
quickly, these places will become soft,
| and the travel will soon cut them out
and make mudhole that lasts from one
rain to another. Thus months before
the main part of the road becomes bad
these 'chuck-holes" have made the road
impossible for heavy loads, and in the
pleasant days of late fall every clean
buggy that comes along gets plastered
over with mud from these holes. The
time to fill them is now; the way to do it
is to send a good man with a long
handled shovel.
Again, in time of much rain in sum-
mer the hardest clay soil of the roadbed
gets soaked and the next shower will
wash it away. In this way on hills and
grades long cutters are formed length
wise, and the bitches along the roadside
become so deep and wide as to often
ruin the road, especially on steep hills.
Then comes ''kick' from somebody
who has been injured, then heavy bill
of expense for repairing the road. All
this can easily be avoided if taken in
time.
When long cutters are beginning to
form simply cut small trenches and
turn the water into the ditch at the
roadside. Where this ditch is begin
ming to get too wide or too deep put
in the bottom a little hay, straw, weeds
or the like and put stones on this.
These checks of stones and hay should
be at intervals of 20 to so feet, accord
ing to the steepness and force of the |
water. They diminish the speed and
force of the water, catch all the soil,
and soon fill up level with dirt. Then
another supply of grass and stones
must be put on till the ditch is filed |
up as high as desired. Be sure not to |
put too much in one place, and to put |
in the checks at short intervals. Brush !
and the like in ditch as usually put in,
is positive damage.
Finally comes the matter of keeping
the roadside clean. To say nothing of
how it looks to see the front of farm
grown up to briars, weeds, brush, ETC.,
or how different it looks to see the
roadside well moved, there is this one
consideration that ought to decide that
matter with the orderly people of every
country road district. If the roadsides
are left unmowed and uncared for, as
soon as the driveway becomes wet and
muddy all foot passengers are COM
PEELED to wade in the mud or in the
wet grass and weeds, high and thick in
early fall. I have seen little school
children compelled all of an open win
ter to thus take their choice between
mud ankle deep and more, OF
wet grass and weeds higher than
their heads - and this in q civ
ilized, prosperous community. If q
woman wants to go to neighbours she
must tramp in mud, waller in wet
weeds, or stay at home, which latter
she usually does, and joins the League
for Compulsory Building of Macadam-
ICED Highways to Increase the Social
Advantages of the Rural Population.
Better NOW the weeds in timc.-An-
ton Lester, in N. Y. Tribune.