Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-04-05

A bulletin on the use of the road
drag, the first it has issued, is being
circulated by the state highway COM
mission 1t may be obtained by apply
ing to the commission at Springfield.
and should be in the hands of every
person who is interested in good roads
and particularly those, who contem-
plate making and using the log drag
or who have already done SO.
In addition to giving instructions
for the making of the King drag and
recounting something of the history of
the growth of this implement in favor.
the bulletin summarizes it's instruc-
tons in the following manner:
Before giving definite instructions
about operating a drag, it is well to
keep in mind at the start the objects
to be attained by this method of road
maintenance, which are to smooth the
surface of the road when it is soft and
muddy and at the same time to move
a small amount of moist earth to the
center. thereby maintaining the crown
or oval shape of the road.
THE drag is not the implement TO
use to move large quantities of earth.
road require the use of such an nipple
ment. A consideration of the theory
of road dragging will help to make the
use of the drag more fully understood.
Theory of Road Dragging.
IF a sample of moist earth is taken
from the travelled portion of a road
over a gumbo, clay or black prairie
I'll Il
vious to water. as may be proved by
forming a roughly shaped dish Of
damp earth and filling it with water.
1t will be noticed that the dish is prac-
tically water tight.
Earth in this condition is what the
clay workers call puddled 1t has been
worked and reworked by the carriage
wheels and animals hoofs until nearly
all the travelled portion of a sticky,
muddy road is covered with a layer
of this impervious, puddled earth.
LAS usually found on most of the
roads, this puddled earth is full of
holes and ruts, which are filled with
water that cannot escape through the
remains the soil cannot dry out and
al
able if not impossible condition.
'It is also matter of observati IN
that this puddled earth when COM
pressed and dried becomes extremely
hard. On these two facts. the impe--
yiousness of puddled earth and Its
hardness when dried, rests the theory
If road dragging.
The Effect OF Dragging Roads.
when the road drag is properly
used it spreads out the layer of i'm
pervious soil over the surface of the
road, filling up the ruts and hollow:
until a smooth surface is secured. As
small amount of material is always
20 be pushed to the center, a slightly
rounded effect will be gwen to the
road. which may be increased or de-
creased as desired by subsequent drag
ging. By forcing the mud into the hol-
lows and ruts it is evident that the
water must go out, which it does by
running off TO the side of the road
The drying out of the road is thus
much facilitated and the road is made
Immediately firmer because the water
S squeezed out
THE effect of traffic over the road
ends to press down and thoroughly
compact the top of the road and each
hin layer of puddled earth which the
lrag spreads over the surface every
inc it is used After the first few
lraggings it will be noticed that the
DAD is becoming constantly smoother