The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-02-16


For the ordinary country road where
the travel is small q width of sixteen
feet is sufficient. since this allows two
teams TO pass.
Where the road crosses a marsh or
swamp and the soil is a soft mud which
Will not, in it's natural state, support an
embankment, and is too low to be sue
cesSfully drained, there is no better
method Of constructing roadway than
by putting in one or more courses of logs
at right angels to the road, their length
being equal TO the width of the road.
thus building IN to the level OF the
water The earth road is then built on
these logs. The logs should not rise
above the water, as they would soon rot,
whereas they will last indefinitely IN
der water.
Wherever water must pass from one
side of the road to the other, it should
be carried underneath with culvert,
and never allowed to flow across the road
surface For these culverts there Is
nothing better than terra Gotta pipe,
which can te had i'll any size up to three
feet in diameter. These culverts must
be made large enough to carry the water
during the heaviest rains, and If it is i'm
possible or inconvenient to use a single
pipe large enough, two or more may be
placed side by side. Under no circum-
stances should wooden culyerts be used
All streams should be crossed by
bridges-never by fording. This is true
for two reasons: /. Because it is next
to impossible to construct ford which
will not become bad place and give
10 way in which we can save more grade
with as little trouble than by crossing
the streams as high as possible Es-
pecially is this true FOR the smaller
streams which flow in narrow valleys,
and where by building short embank-
ments at either end of the bridge, We
may escape large part OF the hills on
either side. Then there is the danger
and inconvenience of the ford in times
OF high water.
4. Surfacing Material.-The work done
so far in locating, grading and construct
ing the road bed vii be about the same
whatever kind OF road is to be built
The object of the road covering is to
keep the water out CT the road bed and
cut OF itself, and TO furnish a firm un-
yielding surface for travel in all sorts of
weather. 1t is generally conceded that
the broken stone CT macadam road cover
ing is the best, and ! shall not attempt
to disprove this but l do believe that
throughout the larger portion OF our
State more good will be accomplished by
building the best roads possible out OF
the material at hand than by attempting
to build the very expensive kinds
In, I'm
the State where a fairly good road can
not be built by a proper use OF the ma
terials alongside of it.
In those places where the soil is
sandy or gravelly loan, and the country
is comparatively level so that no grading
is necessary, very good road may be
built by simply cutting the side bitches
and raising the center and then packing
thoroughly with the best roller that can
be used. These conditions exist in a
i9rge number of our eastern counties.
ard roads can be built here at small cost.
Where the natural soil has an excess of
sand in loOsenS in dry weather and
makes a bad road. This can be rene
died by adding clay as follows: After
the road bed is properly shaped, put on
q layer Of clay four or five inches thick
end cut it in with u disc harrow. then
roll thoroughly, being careful to have the
surface well rounded when the rolling is
This mixture CT clay and
sand forms a material which packs I'M
der traffic and is well nigh impervious
to water 1t makes the best sort of dry
weather road, and is not likely 10 become
very bad even during long, rainy periods.
Such roads nave. been built in South
Carolina at a cost of from 800 to $500 q
mile, and have proven very satisfactory.
Where the soil is a fine adhesive clay,
such as We find at many places in this
county, and in the whole central portion
Of our State, ii is impossible to make a
good road surface without the air OF
some other material. though by putting
the road bed in proper shape to secure
good drainage and rolling, We get
splendid dry weather road and one that
re mains fairly good except during long
wet spells. Fortunately. however there
is no part of our State in which we can
not find close at hand suitable materials
for improving the surface of our clay
roads. | have been told by The Road
Supervisor of this county that he has
never yet failed to find suitable gravel
Tor surfacing his roads within a mile of
where II was needed. and I think this
county may re taken as 4 fair sample OF
the middle section OF the State. A six
or eight inch layer of this gravel such
as can be found close at hand and used
without screening, has been found to
make an excellent road surface ii it is
given a good transverse slope. and we'll
packed and rolled In fact it seems 20
he equally If not more satisfactory than
the nlacadam roads, constructed at a
very much greater cost. Even where no
gravel is convenient, If a clay
road is properly ditched and under drain
ed it may be put in fairly good condition
by covering with four or five inch layer
Of the best graVelly or sandy soil obtain
able, giving the surface the greatest al
owable transverse slope, and thoroughly
rolling. Such a road, however. will re-
luire frequent repairs TO keep it in good
condition. Whatever material is used for
the road bed should first &c
well packed either by rolling or by be-
ing opened to travel for some time. and
should be given about the same trans
verse slope that the surface is TO have.
The surfacing material should then be
put on in layers three or four inches
thick, each layer being rolled.
In some places where the under drain