The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1906-10-17

81 AAhSly W OCCUR III Sduuy DIS III clay
soils, and are not to be so carefully
guarded against II indications of
these springs are found precaution
should be taken to conduct the water
to the side bitches by underdrainage.
After the proper drainage has been
provided the roadbed should be
crowned as nearly as possible to the
form desired in the finished road and
the surface should slope from the
center to the sides at least one-half
inch to the foot
Should Be PulveriZed.
Foundation having been properly
prepared the surface should be
plowed and narrowed to a depth of
about four inches until it is pulver-
lied as perfectly as possible. 1t
should then be covered with six
to eight inches of clean angular
sand spread so that the layer
is thickest at the center of the
road First mixing by pillow and
harrow is now done while the mate
rails are in comparatively dry
state. 1t has been found that the
clay foundation can be more evenly
disintegrated when in this condition.
After this first mixing has been fin
ished the road is finally puddled with
harrow after a rain, in case an
excess of clay works to the surface
and tends to make the mixture
stick Sand is applied until this
! trouble is overcome. Upon compile
| ton of the mixing and pudding the
roads should be shaped while it is
still soft enough to be properly fin
ished with scraper and stiff enough
! to pack we'll under the roller or
action of traffic. In case it is inn
| possible to obtain proper consistency
of surface material it is better to
shape the road when too wet than
when it is too dry, even if it is nee
essary to stop traffic for few days.
AS soon as practicable after compile
ton the road should be open to
J traffic, as this will have a beneficial
effect upon it.
1T is impossible to state definite
ly the cost of this form of construc-
ton, as it will vary with the price
of labor, length of haul, width OF
roadway and depth and nature of
material If clay can be procured
within a mile of the road to be i'm
proved and the cost of labor is about
81 and teams SO per day the ap-
! proximate cost of twelve foot
sand-clay road on sand foundation
covered with clay to an average
depth of six inches would be about
$3.50 per mile Cost of building a
sand-clay road on a clay foundation
would not vary much from this f1g-
ure, and the latter form of construc-
! ton would be cheaper, for sand can
| be handled more economically than
clay.
b, Cost of Construction.
According to the experience of
the department the cost of such sand
clay construction in the south has
been found to range from 5000 to
1900 per mile, in most cases from
$500 to $500. A sand-clay road con-
struction at GAINESVILLE, Fla, one mile
in length, fourteen feet wide and nav
ing nine-inch clay surface, cost
1881. Another sand-clay road built
at Tallahassee, Fla, sixteen feet
wide and surfaced with seven inches
of sand-clay mixture cost $47O per
mile Where changes of grade are
made with consequent cuts and mis-
the cost would be proporuonaIely
greater, but under all circumstances
this form of construction is cheaper
than macadam
Burnt clay road construction in
the south has been successful. The
items of an experimental road at
Clarksdale, Miss, aggregated ST.
I478 per mile. In view of the sue
cess of the experiments and the
construction it is hoped that local
tiles which have no hard material
available will continue experiments
with burnt clay. Gumbo and BUCK
shot clays of the south are partic-
ularly adapted for burning on &C
count of the high percentage of or
ganic matter which they contain:
In fact, any soil or clay which
bricks or clinkers at comparatively
low temperature should be suitable
for the work of road construction. "