Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1908-09-02

Before finishing surface OF any
material Is applied 10 a road all the
preliminary work should be complet.
ed. The road should have been grad
ed. drains provided and the road made
safe by proper guard rails With all
ton for the different materials that
may be put upon IT,
For country roads there need be
considered only pavements that are
put on in small fragments The ma
terials most commonly used are gravel
and broken stone. Oyster shells and
Stag from iron furnaces are oftentimcs
employed In localities where these ma
terlals are at hand. while under GER
tain conditions. when no other ma
terials could be obtained. burnt clay
has proved serviceable. The object OF
a pavement is TO furnish n wearing
surface for the road and protection
for the foundation from water and con.
sequent softening. 1t is I'm reality n
roof.
soils are firm enough TO support the
weight OF wagons OF all kinds. but
when wet little support IL furnished.
IL Is well known that sand when con.
fined will stand any pressure that can
be put upon IL. Thus IL sandy road
bed Is covered with n surfacing ma
terial which will hold the sand in place
IN 10 nI.f oi
While n surfacing material Is designed
to take the wear. IL Is the foundation
that must resist the pressure and any
road which is constructed without Civ.
ing due attention to the foundation Is
wrong from the start and never will
be II good road until the defect is rom.
edied. To prepare n natural roadbcd
for surfacing material IL is necessary
TO bring it 10 II proper grade and 10
conform its cross section with that OF
the finished surface-that is, no sur
facing should be put upon roadbed
which Is fiat or, as Is oftentmes the
case, lower In the middle than Mt the
sides. In such instances the proper
shape should be given TO the roadbcd
by filling I'm with such material as Is
necessary and then rolling the whole
until IL becomes firm and unyielding.
During the course of construction of
n roadbed. If there are places that
have a wet. sprngy subsoil, they must
be drained and every prccaution taken
to make the foundation of the road
dry. The pavement will keep water
from going through from the top. but
1t viii not keep water from percolatlng
into the foundation from springs at
the sides or underneath. Therefore
where there is danger OF water get
ting TO the foundation from the sides
or from below II must be cut off either
by side drains or by drains directly un.
derneath the road itself. Where the
soil Is too light. gravelly or sandy earth
should be carted I'm 10 take its place.
With the roadbed brought up TO
grade and provision made for thor.
ough drainage II is then compacted by
rolling either by horse or steam power
In the rolling OF the foundation per-
haps quite as good results can be oh
tanned with n horse roller as with n
steam roller, and in some loose soils
much less difficulty will be experienced
although more rolling Will he required
the heavier steam roller This IL n
part OF the work that Is too often
sIightod and is the cause OF depres-
sions subsequently appearing IN the
finished road. The rolling OF the foun-
dalton will bring out the weaker
places. where there will be settling
The depressions should be flied and
brought TO an even surface with grav-
al If II is at hand. 1t is cheaper to
even up depressions 10y rolling the
foundation than 10y attempting to
smooth the finished surface with addi-
tional broken stone. When the founda-
ton has been rolled and all unevenness
has disappeared II IS then ready to re.
ceivc the surfaclng
1t oftentimes happens when grading
n particular piece Of road preparatory
to surfacing it with broken stone that
IL is necessary to do considcrab Bile
heavy filling I'm such instances II may
be advisable TO delay the laying Of
macadam for some time In order 10
give the cmbankmcnts time to settle.
for It is impossible to construct an EN-.
bankment Of earth more than few
feet I'm height without having subsc-
tileul SelliclDeUl IT tnlS SeitllUG TOOK
place evenly all along the embankment.
no particular harm would be done TO
the surfacing laid upon It. but owing
20 the difference I'm the soils composing
cmbankments and also the way tho
earth IS dumped there is always tend
cncy for some parts to settle more than
others.
II there arise circumstances making
Il impracticable TO wait for the ON
bankment 10 season" every preCau-
ton should be taken in its formation
10 guard against uneven settling. This
| can be done by spreading the earth IN
! successive layers Of about foot IN
thickness. which are rolled or tnmpcd
az solid rs possible Another advan-
tagc In delaying the surfaCing Of
newly graded road is that n chance Is
| given TO observe the action under frost
of certain sections and so provide nd.
| ditional undcrdraln. which IL omitted
might have caused failure I'm that
/ portion OF the macadam.