Troy weekly news. (Troy, Idaho) 1897-1933, 1906-11-23

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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 contaIy 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
tention, and there is usually great |
deal that can be done to improve 1t. at |
a slight expense, and nothing pays so
we'll 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 dry sur
face is not enough.
On a fat, water may be seen stand
ing in the bitches to within a few
inches of the surface of the road. in
which case both the subsoil and the
road coating must be softened by II
and remain so long after the water IN
the ditch is gone. A deeper ditch. a
larger culvert or drain cleaned out
through the adjoining land Is usually
sufficient to remove the cause of great
mischief On Il hillside. springs under
the road and land water from the
sides can be cut off and led away by
underdrains at a trtling cost.
The road coating may often be i'm
proved in composition and rendered
harder by scraping. and Il fairly good
surface can be maintained at all times
by proper cLre With material of ali
sorts the influence that good surface
has in keeping down wear Is greater
than might be supposed.
Everything should be done to make
road strong enough to bear the traffic
without bending or cross breaking and
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 it and still be unable TO support
the excessive weights that may be
brought upon ii. When we know a
road is to be subjected to heavy strains
it is always better to Strengthen it 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 1t is no longer 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
long period that the matter of re-
pairs becomes a serious one. A little
attention 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 depressions as soon as
they begin to appear will keep a road
In fine condition until it is almost en-
tirely worn out.
Nothing Is more neglected than the
removal Of worn material from the
road 1t seems to be regarded merely
as 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
the road covering Consequently. un
less the mud is washed away by ma
ture from the surface, scraping oil
sweeping is necessary to preserve the
proper proportion of solid stone in the
road. Careful tests Of the composition
in our best road coverings have shown
that from three fourths to four-fifthi
of the material is solid stone. the re
mainder being material fine enough t.
be washed through cheese cloth
, Further careful tests have demonctrat
. ed that as this portion Of fine stuT il
exceeded VIII the road be soft. easiil
. acted upon hy traffic water and frost
In consequence there will be an ex
cessive waste Of road material.
From the foregoing it IS readily seei
that the matter of road repair ani
= maintenance Is one that requires con
slant and careful attention. To attain
the best results the most successful
= means so far employed is to assign
I certain section to one man and hok
l. him responsible for the roads state.