The Kendrick gazette. [volume] (Kendrick, Idaho) 1892-1968, 1909-11-05
HILL ROADWAY WORK
Suggestions For Making a Quick
Drying Road.
HOW TO GET RID OF WATER
Carry It Directly Across by Sloping
Highway From Bank Side-Pointers
on Grading-Change Suggested In
King Drag For Hill Work.


on Grading-Change Suggested In
King Drag For Hill Work.
I have always been very interested
and observant in the matter of coun-
try roads and have read many yalua-
BILE articles Oh the subject But still
think there are some points that l
have not seen touched upon relative to
! roadmaking. especially in the hill
country along the Mississippi and Mis-
| souri, slopes.
The great object Of road work should
be to get the water away as quickly
as possible. We have good soil for
roadmaking, but the hills are Of silt
formation, and stream Of water
! crumbles them like so much loaf
sugar.
Many of our experienced roadmak-
ers will throw up hill grade and car
ry the water down each side for long
distances. Then comes a heavy rain
fall. Forty thousand rivulets from
the hillside above pour into the drains.
and such a volume Of water accumu-
lates as to cut deep gorges. These
make the road almost impossible and
require several days labor a number
Of times each year to repair. TO avoid
this trouble the road may be sloped
from the bank side enough to carry
the water directly across the road.
When grade is desired on u side
hill roadway plow in three furrows on
the lower side, the outside furrow to
be about twenty feet from the bank.
When grading draw this loose dirt to-
ward the center Of the roadway with
u slope Of about one inch to the foot,
carrying this slope across the entire
grade. The ditch thus made should
be opened at short intervals to let out
the water.
After the grading is done headers
should be put in to divert any water
that might follow the wheel track. To
make these headers scrape with the
slusher a trench little diagonally
across the grade about two scrapers
width and not deep. Deposit this dirt
with more from the outside alongside
the trench, making the ridge no higher
than absolutely necessary to accom-
plish its purpose and not less than ten
feet wide, thus causing as little OBJ
struction as possible. This plan will
always provide quick drying hill
road. With the occasional use of 9
King drag this can be kept like @
boulevard.
Mr.. King is an enthusiast on the
merits of his invention and thinks
lightly of any changes that may be
made in it, but for the benefit of thos'
not so sanguine l will describe m.
improvement, to be used more particu
larly in a hill country.
We are all familiar with the con
struction Of Mr.. Kings drag. Now in
stead of making this drag rigid b!
tight mortices, lemons, etc, we use TIVE
4 by 6 inch crosspieces with 3 by
inch lemons six inches long on eacl
end. The shoulders of these tenon
are mitered each way from the center
These fit mortices in each end of tn,
plank. The mortices are mitered from
the center to each side. The tenon
are secured with one inch hardwood
pins outside of the plank, thus allow
= ing the frame to oscillate. The utilit.
, of this may be seen when we want t.
carry the dirt all one way on sid
hills, etc. We pull through as far a
desired, then change the team, hitcl
Z to the opposite side, turn around ant
: continue moving the dirt as before
.. If properly made this drag will pull fl
direct line and do better work.
When the highway is cut through
hill it is desired to keep reducing tn
grade. To this end work the roa
against one bank, leaving a ditch OF
one side only. Turn all the water fron
above and along the hill into thi
ditch. Plow 1t in repeatedly each sea
son. After this trench has washed to
much for safety smooth this side ant
change the ditch to the opposite sid
Of the road and repeat. You will b
surprised at the change in steepnes
effected in ten or twelve years.-W.
Wiley in Good Roads Magazine.