Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1906-09-26

tain traffic are good drainage Of sur
face and subsoll To attain this object
the material used for the surface should
be hard In order to resist the wear of
the traffic. should not contain too much
small stone to absorb moisture and
should be thoroughly consolidated and
Of sufficient depth to bear the loads to
which the road is subjected, so that the
wear may be confined to the surface.
Drainage almost always requires at
tentlon, and there is usually a great
deal that can be done to improve 1t, at
slight expense, and nothing pays so
well In the end. Proper care Of the sur
face is generally all that is needed to
prevent water from standing on the
road or In the cutters. but a dry sur
face Is not enough.
On fat, water may be seen stand
ing in the bitches to within few
inches Of the surface OF the road, in
which case both the subsoll and the
road coating must be softened by 1t
and remain so long after the water in
the ditch is gone. A deeper ditch,
larger culvert or a drain cleaned out
through the adjoining land Is usually
sufficient to remove the cause Of great
mischief. On a hillside, springs under
the road and land water from the
sides can be cut off and led away by
underdrains at trifilng cost
The road coating may often be i'm
proved In composition and rendered
harder by scraplng, and fairly good
surface can be maintained at all times
by proper care. With material of all
sorts the influence that a good surface
has In keeping down wear is greater
than might be supposed.
Everything should be done to make
q road strong enough to bear the traffic
without bending or cross breaking and
a reserve of strength is always desir-
able. Fluctuations of traffic are most
trying. A road may be strong enough
to bear the ordinary loads that pass
over 1t and still be unable to support
the excessive weights that may be
brought upon 1t. When we know a
road Is to be subjected to heavy strains,
It Is always better to strengthen 1t by
placing an extra coating upon the sur
face rather than wait until the road Is
broken and disrupted. When a road
Is broken or cut into by excessive |
weights II is no longer a mere matter |
OF replacing wear, but Of expensive re-
pair. and often of entire rebuilding.
To replace wear that Is unavoidable |
is a very simple matter when constant |
attention is given to the road. 1t Is |
only when the surface Is neglected for |
a long period that the matter of re-
pairs becomes serious one. A little |
to drainage, the removal of |
slight distractions from the cutters, |
the clearing away Of rubbish from the /
mouths of culverts, the removal Of |
grass and brush from bitches and the
careful spreading Of small quantities
OF stone over depresslons as soon as
they begin to appear will keep road
IN fine condition until 1t is almost en-
firely worn out.
Nothing is more neglected than the
OF worn material from the
road. 1t seems to be regarded merely
rs a clearing of the surface from the
mud and, as such, an unnecessary ex-
pense, while In reality this worn ma
terIal affects the entire composition Of
he road covering Consequently, I'M
ess the mud is washed away by ma
ture from the surface, scraplng or
sweeping Is necessary 10 preserve the
proper proportion OF solid stone In the
Dad. Careful tests of the composition
n our best road coverings have shown
hat from three-fourths to four fifths :
" the material is solid stone, the re-
nainder being material fine enough to
,e washed through cheese CLOTH
further careful tests have demonstrate
d that as this portion of fine stuff Is
Exceeded will the road be soft, easily
cted upon by traffic, water and frost
n consequence there VIII be an ex.
essive waste OF road material
From the foregoing 1t Is readily seen :
bat the matter Of road repair and
Is one that requires con-
tant and careful attention. To attain
be best results the most successful
leans so far employed Is to assign a =
ertaln section TO one man and hold
i'm responsible for the roads state.