Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1909-12-23
SAND AND CLAY
MAKE BEST ROAD

over our SAMMY atCllOu mas beeu SET
p lied when the idea Of mixing clay
4 with the sand was adopted
8 Southern farmers have long had
} reason TO execrale TWO kinds of char
I acterlstlc Southern roads-one a road
! OF sand which is usually found on
. level stretches, the other of clay
which is characteristic Of hill sides.
! AS The sand in dry weather ifs deep,
aud the clay in wet weather is deep
also, any long drive has meant hard
stretches Of one or the other. Meth
er kind Of road was ever good sim
ultaueously. But it has now been
discoverad-rather late. It would seen
for a thing so simple that sand and
clay. when combined make an ideal
road. Long stretches Of sand-clay
road have been built IN South Carroll
ma In late years Around Columbia
is magnificent system of sand
clay roads that is q JOY forever to
/ farmers and motorists" H. j. Wat
son writes Of this subject in the
| Good Roads Magazine; Eventually 80
much as $45O.OCO annually might be
saved annually ia South Carolina to
cotton producers alone. by the con-
structiou Of good roads. At present
about 5000 miles have been improved
by the sauG-clay method, but there
remain about 50 600 miles in need of
treatment. OF macadam, there are
only about 200 miles in the state, Of
shell 100 MT Watson says Of the
work now going on
There has just been completed one
long stretch OF 3O-iootwide sand-clay
speedway over which have myself
ridden in q heavy motorcar at a
speed exceeding so miles an hour
with scarcely a jar of the machine
indeed with more satisfaction than
over many of the very best roads in
England and IN France,
"The mixing Of the sand and clay
IS accomplished By the passage Of
traffic over the surface. The total
cost Of construction Of one mile Of
the best 30-loot-wide sand-clay road
Is not over $500 per mile as an aver
age. The cost OF maintenance does /.
not average over $40 per mile annu
ally ig the repair work is done con
stanuy IL the season is rainy one /
the repair work should be done once .
a month. A floating gang OF two or
three mcu-all that is needed-is /
maintained for this purpose. With
the two or three men four or five
miles day can be put in perfect
condition
"The methods employed in build
ing these roads are described as fol
lows;
"The first thing to do is to grade
the road and give it a very light
crown not over two inches to every
ton feet from center to ditch; then
the clay should be put on six inches
deep; then sand on the clay Us clear
OF vegetable matters as possible; this
keeps down the dust; It depends en-
tircly ON the quality of the clay as
TO the necessary amount Of sand: If
il is pipe clay or chaliy kaolin it re-
luires a great deal more sand; sand
mas to he applied after each rain un-
IN tho clay stops cutting or bogging;
.hg ruts should De kept closed and
he proper crown kept on the road
with a road machine until IL becomes
lard. The important thiug is the
and Ii should De as clear of soil as
possible il tho sand is fine and badly
worm the result is nos as good
"As 10 the cost that depends en-
irely ON tbe haul Of the clay in real
.cuulue sand hills where clay can be
ound only hy digging pits on the {
in Sides or IN che bottoms lt costs
bout $500 per mile for a So-ioot :
Dad. whore che clay can be found
oor the roadside and often in the
ltchcs by digging two or three feet. 1
rs ,ery much less
"As 10 the durability OF the sand
nfClay roads. they win last as long 3
s m8ra tam There are stretches Of
roads ia this country B
here they are level. that are in good b
audiuous that were built ten years
20. while the maoadam road built
s. HyaUs Park twelve years ago .
as entirely rebuilt last year. Then :.
20. the saud.clay roads are easily
ll cheaply repaired for the reason -
lat the material is always conven-
ut jsut here.
VERY little machinery is needed W
have used roller An the tools W.
lat are necessary are a road
.raper. wheelers. dump.wagous or
,r,s. and a road pillow"