Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1909-07-07
HILL ROADWAY WORK
Suggestions For Making a Quick
Drying Road.
HOW TO GET RID OF WATER.

Carry It Directly Across by slipping
Highway From Bank Side-Pointers
on oradine-chanee Suggested In
King Drag For Hin Work
/ have always been very interested
and observant ia the matter Of coun-
try roads and have read many valua-
Bile articles on the subject. But | still
think there are some points that |
have not seen touched upon relative TO
roadmaking, especially in the hin
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 a 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 rlvulets from
the hillside above pour into the drains.
and such volume of water accumu-
lates rs to cut deep gorges. These
make the road almost impossible and
require several days labor 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 a side
hill roadway pillow In three burrows 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
slope Of about one inch TO the foot.
carrying this s,cGa 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 III 70 divert any water
that might follow the wheel track. To
make these headers scrape with the
slusher trench a 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 a quick drying hill
road. With the occasional use of a
King drag this can be kept like a
boulevard.
Mr.. King is an enthusiast on the
merits OF his invention and thinks
lightly of any changes that may be
made In 1t, but for the benefit of those
not so sanguine / will describe my
improvement, to be used more particu-
larly In hill country.
We are all familiar with the con-
struction of Mr.. Kings drag. Now. In
stead OF making this drag rigid by
tight mortices. lemons, etc. we use two
4 by inch crosspieces with by 6
inch lemons six inches long on each
end. The shoulders Of these lemons
are inferred each way from the center.
These fit mortlces in each end OF the
plank. The mortlces are mitered from
the center to each side. The lemons
are secured with one inch hardwood
pins outside of the plank, thus allow
ing the frame to oscillate. The utility
Of this may be seen when we want to
carry the dirt all one way ON side
hills, etc. We pull through as far as
desired, then change the team, hitch
to the opposite side turn around and
continue moving the dirt as before.
If properly made this drag win pull In
a direct line and do better work.
Wien the highway is cut through a
Hill 1t is desired to keep reducing the
grade. To this end work the road
against one bank. leaving a ditch on
one side only. Turn all the water from
above and along the Hill into this
ditch. Plow~it in repeatedly each sea
son. After this trench has washed too
much for safety smooth this side and
change the ditch to the opposite side
OF the road and repeat. You viii be
surprised at the change in steepness
effected in ten or twelve years.-W. s.
Wiley In Good Roads Magazine.