Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1909-11-18

is often the reason Why the tonnage
of stone per mile has been argtly eX-
cptded over the original estimate or
the contractor This is very easily
stone per ton, with freight, the haul
from the cars the time consumed IN
applying the stone on the road Ia say
nothing about he expense OF watering
and rolling required To get the ROAD
into Il perfect bond trm and nnyicld-
ing.
Rut YOU will ask naturally. "lS not
the road better b! reason "f the TACT
that more stone has been used: Not
at all. This would be true If uni
form depth of stone were on the road.
But 1t is an intermittent depth. In
soule places there may be four inches
of stone. while in other places there
may be eight inches. The influence or
the roller is not uniform where the
sub-grade Is not sufficiently hard and
firm. Wherever there is an interinlt-
tent depth of stone the road will de-
yplop n weakness because the pressure
OF the roller on the road has not been
uniform.
You must have good. we'll built.
substantial Foundation as we'll as 4
good surface-~a roof to your road.
do not and never have believed that
the surface of the road can ever be-
come an accomplished fact until this
all important and necessary adjunct to
a good road-the foundation is taken
care Of.
Antedating the surface must come
directness to your road then the re-
rnction Of these grades to minimum.
then the question OF drainage. or
these the most important is under and
surface drainage. after which comes
the question of surfacing the least I'M
portant Of all things connected with
road building You want dircctness TO
your road to shorten the distance and
minimize the danger alA to carry the
surface water to its nearest and best
exit point. 1t Is not enough to get the
water off and out from the road, but 1t
must be got away from the road.
When we have done this we can com
mence TO properly construct the sub
grade, and not before.
AS Il general proposition, in accom-
pliShing well built sub-grade it is al
ways we'll to remove all loan, roots
and vegetable matter from the pro-
posed travel part of the road; also
everything of "A springy nature or any
thing found in eXcavating for said
roadway that will be liable TO heave or
settle and fill all such places with
clean sand or gravel.
Where II is necessary to fill to bring
the sub-grade up to the height required
] have found in my practice where the
filling exceeds one foot in depth that
the filling should be deposited In
courses not to exceed twelve inches in
depth. loose measurement, and require
that each course shall be extended
across the entire I'll and completed be-
fore commencing another course, no
matter If the fill be two or twenty
feet: And this method should be fol-
lowed with each succeeding course un-
til the esta blished grade Is reached.
The constant travelling over each OF
the courses by the teams employed In
handling the material will remove the
possibility of ever having cracked
fill or one that will slide after the road
has been constructed. This is very
important matter. find, and | have
used it in my work in my own state.
also find that in the cuts 1t is well
not to pow down below that point
that Is to be the finished grade of the
sub-grade. but to keep II a sufficient
height above that so that when the
roller is placed on the work it will
make a good solid foundation, and you
will not have to resort to filling In the
cut to bring the sub-grade up to the
grade desired These two principles
Of cut and fill will be found to WORK
to great advantage in the proper con-
struction of road.
The shape. or contour. OF the sub
grade has been somewhat a matter OF
controversy. some engineers holding to
the level line foundation and putting
on an extra depth of stone or material
I'm the center to make the contour or
shed from the center line OF the road
to the berms. or shoulders, while other
engineers have given the sub-grade or
foundation upon which the wearing