The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1907-06-20
sURNr CLAY aoApa.
Way In Which Some Sections Are Get
ting Good Roads at Small Expense.

Clay becomes more or less hard and
impervious to water when subjected
to heat. Clay has been so far consid-
cred one of the worst road-building
materials, combining with the gentle
rain to form a sticky mire destructive
Of locomotion by man or beast. The
clay, however, may contain within It.
self the very elements of the saliva
ton Of those regions in which 1t pre-
dominates, as witness this from the
Southwest Magazine:
"A method has been discovered for
converting gumbo roads, long a dread
to those who have had to travel in
rural districts, into clay.ballasted
highways. The process which has
been conducted in the Yazoo Valley
of Mississippi has been not only SIM
pie, but satisfactory and not costly.
After grading the road to an even
width between bitches, 1t is plowed up
as deeply as practicable. After the
plowing has been completed, furrows
are dug across the road from ditch to
ditch, extending through and beyond
the width to be burned. Across the
ridges formed between these burrows
which should be about four feet
apart-the first course of cordwood is
laid longitudinally so as to form a
series of fues in which the firing is
started. From Is to 20 of these fues
are fired at one time.
"The best and soundest cordwood
is selected for this course and should
be laid so that the pieces will touch
thus forming a floor. Another layer
Of wood is thrown irregularly across
the floors, in crib formation, with
space left between, in which the
Jumps OF clay are piled In close
enough to allow draft for easy com
bustion. After the clay has beer
heaped upon the floor, another course
of wood Is laid parallel to the first.
"The third layer Is placed in exact
ly the same manner as the first. ant
each opening and crack Is filled will
brush, chips, bark, small sticks or an!
other combustible material. A tol
layer Of clay Is placed over all ant
the finer portions Of the material arr
heaped over the whole structure; thu
latter being taken from the sid,
bitches. Finally the whole Is tampe'
and rounded off so that the heat will
be held within the fues as long a
possible. When coal is available. tn
two top layers of wood may be omi,
ted and the coal slack thorough,
mixed with the clay.
1T is necessary to get the fires wei
under way In the fues before the frs
layer of wood is burned through. TIL
first action of the fire Is to drive ou
the water contained in the clay befor
the actual burning and clinkering ca
begin. The firing should be begun @
the windward side, and the best r'
suits are obtained by firing all tn
flues of section simultaneously an
maintaining the combustion as eve
as possible. In case the combustio
is too rapid in any flue, 1t may be rel
ulated by banking the mouth of tn
fiue with clay.
After the firing is completed, nc
only the portion of clay which form
the top of the kiln, but the ridge
between the flues should be burne
thoroughly, so as to form a coverin
of burnt clay 10 to IL inches in dept
which, when rolled down and con
pacted, forms a road surface of frol
six to eight inches In thickness.
IF properly burned, the materi'
should be entirely changed in chara
ter, and when 1t is wet 1t should ha,
: no tendency to form mud. When ii
material is sufficiently cooled, I'll
roadbed should be brought to HE
crown before rolling. This can be-
be done with road grader. The fl
ished crown should have slope OF {
least one-half inch to the foot.
"A burnt clay road will last inde
nitely, and 1t has the double adva
. tage of being dry in wet weather ar
, free from dust In dry weather. The
is splendid opportunity for road II
provements of this character In II
| southwest"