Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-01-10

mum results Directly from IllHlIlunl Ell
forts. 1t is paradoxical to derive frou
the worst OF anything the best. 1t il
manifestly Illogical to regard two ex
tremes as occupying ut once enc AMI thu
same place. Yet these very conditions
are the strange anomalies actually pre-
scented by many Of our public highways
In the permanent Improvement o
rural roads the usual method of macad
amizing with stone rubble is the NOS
widely adopted method. This is the plir
followed in France. England ard othel
European countries. where the goos
.oa6c arr wonGermert If all Americans
The same plan is also carried out II
mary of the older parts of our ow.
country. In all localities wnere natura
rock exposures occur it is possible t.
obtain the same sort of roadmetal at &
cost that is regarded as comparatively
low.
There arc, however, many places
where practically nc suitable lodges OF
durable rock are found. The vast
coastal plains and much of the broad
Mississippi valley are such regions
largely devoid of hard rock for road
metal. Turnout much of this extensive
territory the country roads during GER
tain portions of every year, are cetainly
the very worst imaginable. Every low
place in road, every swale between
hills becomes in wet weather a nlire
without bottom, often impossible to We
hicles and even the beasts Of the field
AS chain is no stronger than its weak
est link, SO highway is no better thar
Its worst stretch
Now, when we come to examine into
the composition of the mire, we find
that 1t is made up of the stickiest OF
sticky muds. The mud adheres with
tenacity of many pounds to everything
that it touches. Strange as it may seem
this highly developed property, which is
technically called Elasticity. is the very
property that makes this mud a very
superior material for road-metal. The
worse the mud, the better the quality
Of road-metal 1t is possible to obtain
from it. 1t only has to be simply and
properly treated. The magic change is
accomplished by thoroughly baking, OF
burning" the mud.
OF late years, burnt mud, or burnt
gumbo as it is more widely called, has
been extensively used in the central
west for railroad ballast. In Illinois
Missouri. Iowa and the neighboring
states the trunk lines of railroad are
largely ballasted with this burnt gum
bo. It's use is, therefore, beyond the ex-
perimental stage.
While at first 1t was intended that the
burnt gumbo should take the place OF
natural rock ballast in those localities
where the latter could not be readily and
cheaply obtained, it's superiority over
stone was soon proven to be so great
that it is now widely used even where
there are good rock lodges. A brief ac-
count of its use by the railroads will
demonstrate its advantages for high
way road-metal.
As burnt gumbo apepars as ballast for
the railroad track it is red. gravelly
material, in which the fragments are
sharply angular in shape, very porous
and very hard. On the whole, it is not
unlike coal oinders in appearance, ex-
cept that the color is red. On account
of the high amount of shrinkage while
being burned, and the great strength
when in the state of mud before burn
ing. the muds, or very impure clays
which compose them, easily fall into
small pieces At the same time, being
80 very impure, these clays require only
a very low temperature to be readily
burned very hard.
The economic and engineering POINTS
OF merit which burnt gumbo possesses
as railroad ballast are many. Among
them may be esp ;ially mentioned econ
omy in handling, ease of bringing the
roadbed up to nigh degre of perfec-
ton. readiness vi h which repairs may
be made. elasticity of roadbed. general
absence of weeds along the track, re-
markable freedom from Ice and snow
in winter, and, more important than all,
low first cost.
The railroads handle the clay and
carry on all operations connected with
It's burning by machinery. The burnt
gumbo, ready for use, can be delivered
on board the cars at cost OF 20 to 80
cents a cubic yard. When burned by
hand, as would usually have to be done
in highway Improvement, the cost
would be, perhaps. 10 to Is cents more.
The railroad gumbo pits are often
nile or two long and hundreds OF feet
wide. In the case of the highways. the
mud would merely have to be shoveled
,ut OF the roadway, burned and SHOW
eled back.
While for matchmaking purposes on
roads burn gumbo is not quite
10 durable as some Of the best grades
IF rock, 1t has many advantages to off,
set this one shortcoming, slight as it is.
The process Of producing burnt gumbo
,equires practically no capital or greas
skill to carry ON. The most ordinary
abor and little common sense on the
part of one person, as overseer, can pro-
luce the best of results. OF course, the
Dad should be properly graded and
.rowned before putting on the gumbo
Dad metal. A surface of burnt clay,
ix to eight inches in thickness is COM
monty sufficient for good results; or ten
inches in particlar places. where unusu-
j conditions exists or traffic is especial
y heavy
eayiest parts of the road first since |
he worst stretches are often caused by |
he very material that makes the best
rade of road-metal, and systematical- |
V working under intelligent guidance
we years would find every principal {
ighway in a county as passa BILE the
ear around as a paved city street, and
t very little more cost than is now
sually squandered on working the
Dads" The county surveyor could cas-
v superintcnd the whole work 70: his
istrict; and, with local overseers as
cad burners, he could soon produce as
God system Of highways as any one
ould wish for Once nronerlY prepared