Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1908-04-04
DIRT ROAD BUILDING
Practically Only Three Tools
Are Needed.
GRADER, HARROW AND DRAG.
How Dragging Has Benefited the
Highways In an Illinois County.
Method of Making a Foundation For
Good Earth Roads.

Method of Making a Foundation For
Good Earth Roads.
The people In Wabash county, ILL.,.
are becoming actively enthusiastic I'm
| the matter OF good country roads OF
J native earth. This is especially so I'm
the community west OF Allendale. ILL.,.
and generally so all over the county
and In adjoining counties. When the
work was first started about four years
ago. few people had any faith In re-
suits, and fewer still took any part I'm
the work. But those few kept at IL,
dragging the winter roads rain or
shine. muddy or dry, till now almost
everybody believes in road dragging,
and a very large number turn out with
teams for work every few days, says
| Hiram III. Shepard I'm the Woman's
National Daily. An exceedingly thor
ough test Is being made OF the native
earth to see what can be done. AL
though all are constructed on the same
general principles, yet many different
kinds OF road drags have been built
and their respective merits tested.
Most of them are constructed of by
10 inch timbers from eight to ten feet
long and require two teams for draw
Ing them. Some have steel cutting
blades, and some have not; some have
open space between the two main drag
timbers, and others have solid. smooth
bottoms. They have found so far that
the drags with solid bottoms are best
for soft, muddy roads, while those
with open spaces between the timbers
are best for dry roads or for use Just
after dry freeze.
| On Jan. 20 the roads i'm Wabash
county were frozen to q depth OF five
or six inches, and the surface had be-
come comparatively dry and loose On
the afternoon of this date all drags
were put I'm operation on the roads.
One of the drags with two teams pass
ed back and forth over six miles OF
country road In five hours on the after
noon of that date. The surface OF the
roads was dry and rotten enough so
that the earth was easily moved, and,
being frozen below, the track was left
as smooth and hard as floor. In
many places as much earth was moved
and placed perfectly in the center of
the road as could be done In the sum
mer with good steel road grader All
horse tracks and wagon ruts were fill
ed, and after the drag passed both
ways the road was left as fine as the
best city pavement. After two days
travel these roads were i'm perfect con-
dition, with no ruts or horse tracks
deeper than half an inch.
There are practically only three tools
necessary for making and maintaining
good natural earth roads. They are
the road grader, harrow and road drag.
Road graders cost from 5000 to $500
each, according to size and style Har-
rows are on all farms, and the cost is
reasonably low, while the road drag is
so very simple OF construction that al
most any one can make one himself.
For road drag to do effective work il
must be heavy enough so that two
teams will be required. One team is
hitched at either end of the drag, and
when driven one team Is made to go
ahead of the other SO that the drag
moves forward at an angle of thirty to
forty-five degrees toward the center of
the road, thus forcing the surface
earth always to the center, making the
road rooflike, which allows surface
water to escape. On the front timber
a steel cutting blade is fastened so as
to project below about half an inch
This cutting blade is not particularly
necessary for real muddy roads, but &c
does effective work when the soil is
does effective work on a dry soil, and
real grading can be done with 1t.
The road drag's greatest efficiency Is
for roads In winter when they are wet
and muddy or for leveling them In
winter just after dry freeze. BY run
ming the drag over bad winter roads
horse tracks, wagon ruts and other de
pressions are filed easily and rapidly.
the water being forced out so 1t can
run away and the surface left smooth.
The common field harrow is also an
| other excellent drag. and it's use is in
creasing each year. Best results are
obtained by using the harrow when
the roads are rough but dry. 1t then
acts as leveler, but not q grader, by
raking off the clods and bumps. max
ing them fine and filing in depressions
TO prevent the accumulation Of surface
water, which is the main cause OF bad
roads. Keeping the ruts and holes filed
Is the greater part of road mainte-
nance. The harrow and the drag are
the two best tools known for doing Il
rapidly, cheaply and well
The foundation for good native
earth country road Is made by drawing
the dirt to the center, leaving drain
bitches on either side to carry of the
surface water. This style might right
ly be called the roof road, since the
roadbed slopes from the center to the
sides like a house roof, carrying the
water of In a similar manner.
The roof rldging OF native earth
roads in the beginning can be done
cheaply and neatly only with tie mod
ern iron road grader. which acts as
both plOw and scraper Of former times.
The blade Of the grader Is set at an
angle so that the earth at each furrow
Is pushed toward the center OF the
road. Besides the rapid work Of the
grader, the long. sharp iron blade
moves straight, leaving the surface
hard and smooth. n maintained I'm the
condition In which the grader leaves Il.
the road viii remain dry. smooth and
passable for a large part Of the year.
HotnI A., - AZ