The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-08-08

have been secured, in the roads at
Jackson. Madison county, Tenn, and
in the New England states.
Indiana is probably supplied better
with the facilities for good road build
ing than any other state in the union.
The Indianians should be proud that
the Hoosier state has more than 90,
900 miles of good gravel roads, which
is about one third of all the gravel
roads in the United States.
Despite these facts the people are
not satisfied with the gravel roads.
The trouble is not with the gravel nor
the methods Of the construction but
in the maintenance department. Sys
tematic and constant care is neces-
sary in order to secure good gravel
roads. The best material available
should be selected and the quality of
this should be determined by sending
it to the office of public roads at
Washington, D. c.
The foundations for the roads
should be solid before the gravel is
spread and should have a slope from
about one half to three quarters of an
inch to the foot slope on each side of
the road. The best result can be Sc
cured by separating the large rocks
by the means of a Sive or by machin-
cry. If the gravel is not so separated
the large rocks should be raked to the
foundation of the road as it progress
ses. To obtain the best results for the
finished road the material should be
hn M
roads can be made by spreading the
gravel and letting the traffic pack it.
shoulders should be in the roads
according to the views that some en-
gineers hold in making roads, al
though they are not necessary. When
they are made, special attention
should be paid to them. The center
of the road should always be main
tanned higher than the sides, so that
the water will flow to the side of the
road and then off into bitches that
are made for that purpose. Surface
water must be got rid of at all haz-
ards if a good road is established.
THE shoulders should be kept
trimmed away with the road machine
and all the dirt from the bitches and
the shoulders should be thrown into
fence corners or hauled away. Worn
out material such as dirt, and mater
ial from side bitches, and sand, grass
and weeds will never make good
gravel road. This stnff is better fitted
for the dump.
The crown of the road Should be
at least three-fourths and in some
places one inch to the foot higher from
the sides to the center. The roads
should have side bitches with suitable
fall to lower ground on both sides. The
culverts should be slanting so that the
water will flow through and keep it
clean. They should never be laid lev
ell. Fall is one of the principal factors
to be considered in good road building,
The split log should be used in
cessantly in maintaining a gravel
road. It's special use is in eliminat-
| ing mud holes, ruts and bumps. 1t
should be used when the ground is
wet SO that when the material dries it
will bake and harden. This is an easy
device and any farmer can make it in
! several hours. Instructions on this
can be secured at the public roads of
! flee.
This county has as good material
and enough money practically speak
| ing to build and maintain satisfactory
roads if the people go at it in a sys
| tematic and business like method and
| there is no reason why the roads OF
| Wayne county should not be equal tc
those of any other county in the Unit
| ed States.
General discussion followed the ad
dress and the question box was open
ed.