The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-02-09
Machinery

shady trees alongside such roads prevent
the evaporation of water.
The usual way OF mending roads which
run over loose sandy soils is to cover the
surface with tough clay or mix the clay
ana sand together This is quite an ex-
pensive treatment If the clay has TO be
transported great distance, but the ex-
pense may be reduced by improving only
8 or 10 feet or half of the roadway.
ROADS OF SAWDUST TANBARK, ETC
Any strong, fhrous substance, and es-
pecially one which holds moisture, such
as the refuse Of sugar cane or sorghum,
and even common straw, flax or swamp
grass will be useful. Spent tan is of
some service, and wood fiber In any form
is excellent. The hest is tho fibrous saw
dust made in saving shingles by those
machines which cut lengthwise of the
fiber into the side of the block. Saw
dust is first spread on the road from TO
10 inches deep. and this is covered with
sand to protect the road against fire
lighted from pipes or cigars carelessly
thrown or emptied the oadbed. The
sand also Keeps the sawdust damp. The
Gust and sand soon become hard and
packed, and the wheels of the heaviest
wagon make but little impression upon
| the surface. The roadbed appears to be
almost as solid as plank road, but is
much easier Tor the teams. The road
prepared in this manner will remain good
for four or five years and will then re-
| quire renewing in some parts. The or
binary lumber sawdust would not be so
| coed, Of course, but if mixed with planer
| shavings might serve fairly welL
CORDUROY ROADS.
| Roads built of poles or logs laid across
/ the roadway are called corduroy roads,
| because of their corrugated or ribbed APP
reaFance. Like earth roads. they should
never be built where It is possible TO
secure any other good material, but, az
is frequently the case in swampy, tim
bored regions, other material is unavail-
! able, and as the road would be abso-
lutely impossible without them at GER
tain seasons OF the year, it is well to
know how to make them, Roads of this
| character should be 10 or 10 feet wide,
| so as 20 enable wagons 10 pass each
/ other. Logs are superior to poles for
| this purpose and should be used If pos
sible. The following in regard TO the
| construction of corduroy roads is from
| Gilmore's Roads, Streets and Paven1ents:
| The logs are all cut the same length,
which should be that OF the required
width of the road, and In laying them
down such care in selection should be
| exercised as will give the smallest Joints
| or openings between them. In order To
reduce as much as possible the resistance
Ia draft and the violence of the repeated
| shocks to which vehicles are subjected
upon these roads, and also to render it's
surface practicable for draft animals it
/ is customary to level up between the
| logs with smaller pieces of the same
! length but split TO a triangular cross
section. These are inserted with edges
downward in the open joints, so as to
| bring their surface even with the upper
sides Of the large logs, or as nearly SO
as practicable.
Upon the bed thus prepared layer OF
| brush wood is put, with a few inches in
| thickness With soil or turf on top to
keep it in place. This completes the
road The logs are laid directly upon
the natural surface Of the soil those OF
the same or nearly of the same diameter
being kept together, and the top covering
of soil is excavated from side bitches.
Gross drains may usually be omitted in
roads Of this kind, as the openings be-
tween the logs. even when laid with ut
1
waterway for drainage from the ditch on
the upper to that on the lower side of
/ the road. when the passage Of a creek
Of considerable volume is to be- provided
for, and in localities subject to freshets.
cross-drains or eulverts arc made Hher-
! ever necessary by the omission of Two or
more logs, the openings being bridged
| with planks, split rails. or poles laid
INN GALS 4t,A q, ~ nnA
resting on cross beams notched into the
logs on either side"
HARD ROADS.
The essential requirement Of a good
road is that it should be firm and un-
yielaing at all times and In all kinds of
weather, so that its surface may be
smooth and impervicus to water. Earth
roads at best fulfill none Of these re-
quirements, unless they be covered with
some artificial material.
On well-made gravel road one horse
can draw twice as large a load as he
| can on a well-made earth road On a
hard smooth stone road one horse can
pull as much as four horses Will on &
good earth road. Gig. 27)
! If larger loads can be hauled and bet
| ter time made on good hard roads than on
coed earth ones, the area and the num-
her Of people benefited Is increased in
direct proportion to the Improvement OF
their surface Moreover, it is evident
that farm or miles from the mar
/ ket or shipping point located on or near
i a hard road Is virtually nearer the mar
/ ct than one situated only or miles
awav h'it located on soft end Welding
road. Hard roads are divided here into
three classes-gravel. shell and stone.