The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1908-12-24
CRACK ROAD MACHINE
When Best to Use the Split
Log Drag.
EACH HEAVY RAIN

Finest Work Done When the Soil 10
Moist, Not sticky-clay Highway
Dragging Needs Special Attention.
Economy Of the Device.
The best results with the split lot
drag have been obtained by dragging
roads once each day after each heavy
rain. In some cases, however, one
dragging every three or four weeks
has been found sufficient to keep a
road In good condition.
When the soil is moist but not sticky
the drug does it's best work, says bull
letin from the government office of
public roads. AS the soil in field will
bake II plowed wet. so the road will
bake if the drag is used on it when it
is wet. II the roadway is full of holes
or. badly rutted. the drag should be
used once when the ground is soft
and slushy. This is particularly ap-
plicable before a cold spell in winter,
when 1t is possible to SO prepare the
surface that it will freeze smooth.
Not infrequently conditions are met
which may be overcome by a slight
change in the manner of hitching.
Shortening the chain tends to lift the
front slab and make the cutting slight,
while longer hitch causes the front
to sink more deeply into the earth and
act on the principle of pillow.
~ f,1rroU, Of rfb ic To Ho v,,ovad
the doubletree should be attached
close to the ditch end of the drag, and
the driver should stand with one foot
on the extreme forward end of the
front slab.
Conditions are SO varied in different
localities. however, that it is quite
impossible to lay down specific rules
Certain sections of roadway will re-
quire more attention than others be-
cause of steep grades, wet weather
springs, soil conditions. exposure to
sun and wind washes, etc. There is
one condition. however, in which spe-
cial attention should be given. Clay
roads under persistent dragging fire.
quently become too high in the center.
This may be corrected by dragging the
earth toward the center of the road
twice and away from 1t once
There is no question as to the econo-
my of this roadmaking implement,
either in first cost or in operation In
six counties in Kansas in 1906 the cost
Of maintaining ordinary earth roads,
without the aid of the split log drag,
averaged $3.50 mile These figures
were furnished by Professor w. c.
Hoad of the University of Kansas
who secured them from official records
Of the counties.
Some figures furnished by f. P. San.
born and Il. Fl. Ashton. general man.
ager Of the Chicago and Northwestern
railroad. have revealed the wonders
of this simple device. Mr.. Sanborl
said: "The least expense per mile pei
annum for split log dragging was 81 so
the greatest little over Sc and the
average expense per mile for five and
half miles n little over 49, l have
lived along this road all my life, and
| never In forty years have l seen il
freer from mud and dust. despite the
fact that during the season we have
experienced the extremes of weather
conditions"
The testimony of Mr. Ashton is
equally strong. Learning that town
ship in Iowa had been making an in
vestigation of the split log drag and
had been experimenting with it for 9
year on twenty-eight miles Of high
way. he sent an agent to secure infor
nation. 1t was reported that, al
though the town board had paid the
cost of making the drags and of hir
Ing men to operate them. the tota
expense for one year averaged blu,
$40 mile, and the roads were re
ported to have been like race track
the greater portion of the year