The Democrat-sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1906-1935, 1906-09-13

IulH tTdUnc are SOOu uTulHdSe VI Bur
face and subsoil. 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 great
deal that can be done to improve it, 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 dry sur
face is not enough.
On q fiat water may be seen stand
ing In the bitches to within q few
inches of the surface of the road in
which case both the subsoil and the
road coating must be softened by it
and remain so long after the water in
the ditch is gone. A deeper ditch, u
larger culvert or n drain cleaned out
through the adjoining land is usually
sufficient to remove the cause OF great
mischief. On hillside. springs under
the road and land water from the
sides can be cut off and led away by
underdrains at trifling cost.
The road coating may often be i'm
proved in composition and rendered
harder by scraping, and fairly good
surface can be maintained at all times
by proper care. With material of all
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 he
brought upon it. 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 ana disrupted. When road
Is broken or cut into by excessive
weights it is no longer II mere matter
of replacing wear, but OF expensive re-
pair and often of entire rebuilding.
TO replace wear that is unavoidable
Is 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 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 deprcsslonS as soon rs
they begin to appear will keep 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. II seems TO he regarded merely
as Il clearing of the surface from the
mud and, as such, an unnecessary eS-
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 na-
ture from the surface, scraping or
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-fifths
of the material is solid stone, the re-
mainder being material fine enough 10
he washed through cheese cloth.
Further careful tests have demonstrate
I'd that as this portion of fine stun Is
exceeded Will the road be soft. easily
acted upon by traffic. water and frost,
In consequence there will be an ex.
cessive waste of road material,
From the foregoing It Is readily seen
that the matter OF road repair and
maintenance Is one that requires con-
stant and careful attention. To attain
the best results the most successful
means so far employed IL 10 assign y
certain section to one man aud hold
him responsible. for the roads state.