The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1908-06-07

HAMMOND URGED BY WORKING MEN

more readily to various methouS Oh
hitching than a heavy one, as well as
to the shifting of the position oil
the operator. The best material for
a split-log drag is dry red cedar log
1 though red elm and walnut are eN'
cellent. and box elder. soft maple. or
even willow are superior to oak,
/ hickory, or ash. The log should be
+ between and 10 feet long and from
/ 10 to IL inches in diameter at the
butt end. 1t should be split carefully
as near the center as possible. and
the heaviest and best slab chosen for
/ the front. In the front slab inches
from the end which is TO drag in the
middle of the road bore Pinch hole
which is to receive a cross stake. At
i distance of % inches from the
other end of the front slab, locate the
center for another cross stake. The
i hole for the middle stake will be on a
line connecting and halfway between
the two. Then place the back slab
/ in position and from the end which
+ is to drag in the middle of the road
measure 20 inches for the center of
one cross stake and 6 inches from the
other end locate the center of the
opposite stake. The hole for the
center stake should be located half
way between the two. All these
holes should be carefully bored
perpendicular or at right angles TO
the face of the split log.
If these directions are followed it
will be found that when the holes of
the front and back slabs are brought
opposite each other. one of the back
slabs will be 16 inches nearer the
center of the roadway than the front
one That gives what is known as
set back. The stakes, which are
80 inches long, will hold the slabs
this distance apart. When the stakes
have been firmly wedged into their
sockets, brace about inches thick
and inches wide may be placed
diagonally to them at the ditch end of
the drag. A cheated board is placed
between the slabs and across the
stakes for the driver to stand on.
By many it is deemed best to place
a strip of iron along the lower face
of the front slab for a cutting blade
and TO prevent the drag from wear
ing. The drag may be fastened to
the doubletree by means of a trace
chain The chain should be wrapped
around the left-hand or rear stake
and passed over the front slab
Raising the chain at this end of the
slab permits the earth to drift past
the face of the drag. The other end
of the chain should be passed
through link
For ordinary purposes. the hitch
should be so made that the unloaded
drag will follow the team at an
angle of about - degrees The
team should be driven with one horse
on either side of the right-hand wheel
track or rut the full length of the
portion to be dragged, and made to
return in the same manner over the
other half of the roadway. Such
treatment will move the earth to-
wards the center of the roadway and
raise it gradually above the sur
rounding level
The best results have been OBJ
tanned by dragging roads once each
way after each heavy rain. In some
cases. however. one dragging every
three or four weeks has been found
sufficient to keep a road in good con-
dition
When the soil is moist but not
sticky the drag does its best work.
AS the soil in a field will bake if
ploughed wet, so the road will bake
If the drag is used on il when it is
wet. Ii the roadway is full of holes
or badly rutted, the drag should be
used once when the ground is soft
and slushy. This is particularly ap-
plicable before a cold spell In winter,
when it is possible to prepare the
surface so it will freeze smooth
Not infrequently conditions are
met which may be overcome by a
slight change in the manner of
hitching Shortening the chain tends
to lift the front slab and make the
cutting slight while a longer hitch
causes the front slab to sink more
deeply into the earth and act on the
principle of a pillow
If furrow of earth is to be moved
the doubletree should be attached
close to the ditch end of the drag.
and the driver should stand with one
foot on the extreme forward end OF
/ the front slab
Conditions are so varied in different
/ localities. however. that it is quite
j impossible to lay down specific rules
Certain sections of a roadway will
require more attention than others
+ because of steep grades. wet weather
springs. soil conditions. exposure to
sun and wind, washes etc There Is
one condition. however, in which
/ special attention should be given.
I Clay roads under persistent drag
gings become too high in the center
This may be corrected by dragging
the earth towards the center of the
road twice, and away from it once
There is no question as to the
economy of this road-making i'm
plement. either in first cost or in op-
Grafton. In six counties in Kansas
in 1906 the cost of maintaining
ordinary earth roads, without the
aid of the spit-log drag. averaged
$3.50 a mile. These figures were
furnished by Professor w. c. Hoad
of the University of Kansas, who
secured them from official records OF