Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-04-09
No Mistakes and No Failures.
depending upon the proximity of ma

depending upon the proximity of ma
terial.
MANY excellent gravel roads have
been built in New Jersey at from ST.
900 to $1,000 per mile. In the same
state macadam roads have been built
for from $4,000 to $4,000 per mile. In
Linn county. Iowa, such roads have
cost from $4,000 to $500 per mile. All
Of the above are based upon a 16 foot
roadway.
Change the Location.
"In the regions west Of the MISSISSIPPI
pi are hundreds on hundreds of square
miles of territory without stone or
a handful Of gravel with roads well
nigh impossible for from one to two
months Of the year and very poor the
balance of the time and where the
cost of lnacadam roads will be pro-
hibitive for the present at least. The
only alternative then, seems to be is
to improve the dirt roads by changing
where necessary to the best location,
making the maximum grade 5 per cent
constructing side bitches and under
road beds SO that they will shed the
water.
''The question of grades seems to
have been entirely overlooked in this
county. This matter was considered
Of prime Importance in the European
combines and in the older states of
this country where the main roads fol-
low the valleys, and climb the hills by
easy grades, usually alongside slopes.
AS have before stated the matter Of
grades in Iowa has been controlled
largely by the demands of land own
ers that the roads adhere to the sub
division lines regardless of other con-
ditions
Cost of Hauling.
Let us now suppose we wish to i'm
prove the road that leads southeast
from Ottumwa toward Eldon on the
south side Of the river. The location
will first be looked into. We find it as
well located as possible for the first
three miles or, until We reach the
hills. Here the grade of the hill which
has grade of from III to 10 per cent
could be reduced very materially by
changing the location for half mile,
a few rods to the north.
"At the next hill we find grade of
from Is to 20 per cent which has been
travelled for fifty years toward OF
tumwa, when by moving it a few feet
to the north and climbing the side
slope for half a mile a grade of from
5 to feet could be obtained. To give
some idea what this would mean to
the cost of hauling l will quote the fol-
lowing table:
1tNpr I, ,o..1I
on level surface 100, then on grade
Of:
First foot in 100 horse will pull .95
Second foot in 100 horse will pull 81
Fourth fot in 100 horse will pull rs
Fifth fot in 100 horse will pull ST
Eighth foot in 100 a horse will pull "A
Tenth foot in 100 horse will pull %
Fifteenth foot in 100 horse will
aThis too. is based upon dry hard I'd
ground.
Enemy of Good Roads.
''The improvement made so far
would be all that is required provided
the road always remained dry. 1 need
not tell you that water is the natural
enemy Of good roads. Upon one mile Of
road 30 feet in width there will fall
in one year an average of $4,000 tons
of water. 1t is self evident fact that
this water should not be allowed to
percolate through the, surface of our
road. 1t would be possible to prevent
this only with an impervious covering
or wearing surface. AS We have al
ready stated the cost of such cover
ing would make it prohibitive, there
fore, the only thing We can do for an
earth road is to shape 1t SO that as
much of the water as is practical may
be shed off to the sides of the road
way, and the surface be made as hard