The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1908-09-08
IMPORTANCE OF DRAINAGE.

full Paper Sent Out by the United
States Office of Public Roads--Will
Soon Issue a Bulletin OF Concrete
Drains.
With an average Of 2I,0D0 :..:!> Of
water falling in the form Of rain Oh
each mile OF public road in the Unit
ed States annually. it ;s scarcely TO
be narvelled at that .'lA ten COM
mandmentS Of the road b:iiIicc can be
summed up succinctly in the word
"drainage.
The saying has truth f'r a basis,
as good drainage is the primary re-
quisite for all roads. Even in sand
roads this holds true, for there ''good
drainage' means such as will safely
remove the storm water without eros
ion or gullying and still retain tie
surface moisture.
To secure good drainage one must
take into consideration both the sur
face water and the underground wat
er. The surface water mast be re-
moved quickly and completely and
without subjecting the road to exces-
sive scour or erosion. For this rea-
son, the center Of the road should BE-
raised and the slope towards the 81 1e
bitches should be from one-half to
ione inch to each foot distance, or so
that the water will run freely to the
side bitches and not flow down the
road or remain in puddles on the
roadway. The side bitches should be
Of ample size to care for the severest
storms with a fall Of not less than +
inches to each 100 feet Frequent
and ample cross drains should be con-
structed and every opportunity taken
to get the water away from the road
as quickly as possible. Any road along
which YOU see water standing in the
side bitches or on which puddles Of
water have collected or which has
been badly quilted and eroded by the
rains has poor drainage and is in need
Of immediate attention. In fact earth
roads nearly always require little at
tention after each rain. The split-log
drag is essentially a tool to maintain
good drainage on our earth roads,
and should be used after each rain. On
heavy clay or gumbo soil the drag
when properly used tends to puddle
the road surface, keep it free from
ruts, dense, smooth and hard, thus Sc
curing the best surface drainage pos
sible.
But in many places the underground
water is too near the surface and
must be removed before a good road
will be possible. This means that some
form Of sub:drainage must be resorted
to, usually tile drains, Of clay or con-
crete. Water from whatever source
must be gotten rid of effectively, for
water plus clay or gumbo invariably
equals mud when mixed in spring and
summer. Water becomes ice in win
ter and as water in freezing expands
one-eieht its volume, the road heaves
out Of shape and when the ice melts
the .oad disappears beneath the rising
tide of mud constantly fed by rains,
melting SHOWS and underground
springs.
In seepy and boggy places the sub
drainage in order to be fully effective
should lower the water level to not
less than three feet below the road
surface. If tiles are used they
should be carefully laid, true to grade.
Most failures in tile drainage can be
attributed to carelessness in laying,
or too flat grade. Tile less than !
inches in diameter should rarely be
used, nor should a grade Of less than
inches to the 100 feet be used I'M
less absolutely necessary. In a very
dense soil, it is always advisable to
cover the tile to at least depth OF
to - inches with coarse sand or
fine gravel Care should always be
taken to secure a free outlet for the
drains and to protect the outlet with
a concrete bulkhead or catchbasln.
which can always be kept clean and
the outlet free.
The kind Of tile to be used depends
on local conditions. Concrete tile If
properly made are equally as good as
clay tile. Which kind to use is Ell
tirelv a local question Of dollars and
cents. IF concrete tile can be had.