The Havre herald. [volume] (Havre, Mont.) 1904-1908, 1906-02-09
POINTS FROM CANADA
RULES FOR IMPROVING AND REPAIR
ING HIGHWAYS.

RULES FOR IMPROVING, AND REPAIR
ING HIGHWAYS.
Canadian Commissioners Advice For
Keeping Up Good Roadways-AII
Work to BE Done With a View to
Permanence and Durability.
A. W. Campbell, provincial highway
commissioner Of Ontario and one of
the ablest opponents of good roads on
the American continent, has formulat-
ed a set OF rules which could be follow
ed with profit by highway commission
ers generall~, says the Auto Advocate
and Country Roads. These rules are
printed in his annual report:
First.-Every good road has two es
sential features:
(a) A thoroughly dry foundation.
o. A smooth, hard, waterproof surface
covering.
second.-The foundation is the nat
nral subsoil, the dirt road, which must
be kept dry by good drainage.
Third.-The surface covering is gen
orally coating Of gravel or broken
stone, which should be put on the road
IN such a way that it will not in wet
weather be churned up and mixed with
the earth beneath-that is, it should
form distinct coating
Fourth.-To accomplish this
(a) The gravel or broken stone should
contain very little sand or clay; 1t should
be clean
(b) The roads should be crowned or
rounded in the center SO as to shed the
water to the open drains.
(c) Ruts should not be allowed to form,
as they prevent water from passing to the
open drains
(d) The open drains should have a sutfi-
sient fall and free outlet so that the wa
ter will not stand in them. but will be
carried away Immediately.
{e) The open underdratns should be laid
wherever the open drains are not suff1-
eient and where the ground has a moist
or wet appearance with a tendency to abb
serb the gravel and rut readily. BY this
means the foundation is made dry.
Fifth.-Do not leave the gravel or
stone just as it drops from the wagon,
but spread 1t SO that travel will at once
pass over and consolidate 1t before the
fall rains commence.
Sixth.-Keep the road material raked
or scraped into the wheel or horse
tracks until consolidated.
Seventh.-Grade and crown the road
before putting on gravel or stone.
Eighth.-If grading machine Is
available, grade the road which you in
tend to gravel before the time of stat
ute labor and use the statute labor as
far as possible in drawing gravel.
Ninth.-A fair crown for gravel roads
on level ground is one inch of rise to
each foot Of width from the side to the
center.
Tenth.-The road on hills should have
a greater crown than on level ground,
otherwise the water will follow the
wheel tracks and create deep ruts in
stead of passing to the side drains.
About one and one-fourth inches to the
foot from the side to center will be
sufficient.
Eleyenth.-Repair old gravel roads
which have hard center, but too little
crown, and which have high, square
shoulders, By cutting off the shoulders,
turning the material outward and plac.
ing new gravel or stone in the center
Do not cover the old gravel foundation
with the mixture Of earth, sod and tine
gravel Of which the shoulders are COM
posed The shoulders can be easily cut
off by means Of grading machine.
Twelfth.-A width of twenty-four
feet between bitches will meet most
conditions, with the central eight feet
graveled or metaled with broken stone.
th-Wherever water stands
on the road way or by the roadside or
wherever the ground remains moist or
Is sWampy in the spring and fall bet
ter drainage is needed.
Fourteenth--Looko over the roads un-
der your charge after heavy rains and
during spring freshets. The work Of
few minutes in freeing drains from OBJ
struetion or diyerting a current of wa
ter into proper channel may become
the work of days IL neglected.
Fifteenth.-Surface water should be
disposed of In small quantities. Great
accumulations are hard to handle and
are destructive Obtain outlets into
natural water courses as often as pos
sible
Observation-Disclosures I'll ACCp
open bitches to underdrain the road
and dry the foundation, use tile.
Seventeenth.-Giye culverts good
fall and free outlet so that water will
not freeze in them.
Eighteenth.-In taking gravel from a
pit see that precautions are taken to
draw only clean material. Do not let
the face of the pit be scraped down,
mixing clay, sand and turf with good
gravel.
Nineteenth. Gravel which retains a
perpendicular face in the pit in the
spring and shows no trace of slippi- 9
Is generally fit to use on the road with