Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1908-09-22
HIGHWAY DRAINAGE.
Tiles Are Best For Gravel or
Stone Roads.
SOME POINTS ON THE WORK.

SOtnH AAM y ON tnE WUnN.
UnderdrsIaase Below Surface With
Farm Tiles 4 Great Proteetion-si
bitches That Hold Mater Make an
Inferior Roadway.
Tile drainage. says Professor Ira o.
Baker, Is the very best preparation for
q gravel or stone road. Gravel or
broken stone placed upon an undrained
foundation Is almost sure to sink grad
ually. whatever its thickness, whereas
thinner layer upon an underdrained
roadbed will give much better service.
Roads tiled without gravel are better
than roads graveled without tile
The road should be underdrained so
as to keep the water level well below
the road surface In most localities
this can be accomplished reasonably
we'll by laying line of farm tile three
or three and a half feet below the road
surface along one side of, the road
way. 1t is sometimes claimed that
there should be a tile on each side of
the road
Some writer's on good roads advocate
the use of a line of tile under the mid
die of the travelled portion, and some
advocate a. line on each side of the
wheelway. The object sought by these
tiles is rapid -dra image. and therefore it
is urged that they should be laid near
the surface. 1t is doubtful whether
any water will reach the tile, since the
road surface when wet is puddled by
the traffic, which prevents the water
percolating through the soil, and it is
certain that clay or loan the drain.
age thus obtained is of no practical
value. More than one farmer has tried
near the surface, always without ap-
preciable effect. =
While line of tile on one side of.
the road is usually sufficient. there is
often a great difference as to the side
on which it should be laid. If one side
of the road is higher than the other,
the tile should be on the high side to
intercept the ground water that is
flowing down the slope under the sur
face.
The tile should be laid in the bottom
of the silt ditch below the frost line.
OF course the tile should have uni
form grade and sufficient fall and an
adequate outlet. The size of the tile
required will depend upon the length
of the line and the grade of the ditch.
but local experience in farm drainage
is likely to be a better guide than any
general statement that can. be made.
Farm drainage is almost certain to
precede road drainage in any narticu-
lar locality,
The side bitches are to receive the
water from the surface of the Travelled
way and should carry it rapidly and
entirely away from the roadside. They
are useful also. to intercept and carry
off the water that would otherwise
flow from the side hills upon the road.
Ordinarily they need not be deep and
If possible should have a broad, far
ing side toward the Travelled way to
prevent accident if vehicle should be
crowded to the extreme side of the
roadway. The outside bank should be
fiat enough to prevent cavtng. The
proper form of ditch is easily made by
the usual road machine or road grad
er The side ditch should have free
outlet into some stream so as to carry
the water entirely away from the road.
No good road ican be obtained with
side. bitches that hold the water until |
1t evaporates |
Much alleged road work is a posi-
tive damage for this reason. Piling up
the earth in the middle of the road is !
perhaps in itself we'll enough, but leav- !
ing undrained holes at the side of the |
road probably more than counterbal- |
ances the benefits of the embankment. :
A road between long artificial ponds is !
always inferior and is often impassa-
BILE. 1t is cheaper and better to make !
a lower embankment and to drain
thoroughly the holes at the side Of the
roads. Often the public funds can be
more wisely used in making bitches in
adjoining private lands than in max
ing ponds at the roadside in an at
tempt to improve the road by raising
the surface