Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1909-12-28
DIRT ROAD BUILDING
Practically Only Three Tools
Are Needed.
GRADER, HARROW Ard DPAG

the matter OF good cOuur. raa4 OBJ.
native earth This is e.p. .a SD s..
the community west OF Al,,ul. T.. i'
md generally so all over the county
and in adjoining counties. When the
work was first started about four years
ago. few people had any faith i'm re-
suits, and fewer still took any part In
the work. But those few kept at II.
dragging the winter roads rain o.
shine. muddy OF dry. till now almot
everybody believes in road drag2iH
and very large number tu:n Oui wiz
teams for work every few days. sa
Hiram III. Shepard I'm the Woman
National Daily. An exceeding .IJt
ough test is being made Of the native
earth to see what can be done. A.
though ali are constructed on the sa.l.
general principles, yet many diIIerel.
kinds Of road dragS have been built
and their respective merits tested
Most Of them are constructed of b.
10 inch timbers from eight To ten fcct
long and require two teams for draw
ing them. Some have steel cuttiM
blades. and some have not; some have
open space between the two main drag
tlmbers. and others have solid. smooth
bottoms. They have found so far thar
the drags with solid bottoms are best
for soft muddy roads, while those
with open spaces between the timbcrs
are best for dry roads or for use just
after dry freeze.
On Jan. % the roads in Wabash
county were frozen TO depth OF five
| or six inches, and the surface had be
come comparatively dry and loose. On
the afternoon OF this date all drags
were put In operation on the roads
One OF the drags with two teams pass
ed back and forth over six miles OF
country road in five hours on the after
noon Of that date. The surface Of the
roads was dry and rotten enough SO
that the earth was easily moved. and
being frozen below, the track was left
as smooth and hard as floor. In
many places as much earth was moved
and placed perfectly in the center of
the road as could be done in the sum
mer with good steel road grader. All
horse tracks and wagon ruts were fill
! ed, and after the drag passed both
ways the road was left as fine as the
4 best city pavement. After two days
! .ravel these roads were i'm perfect CON
lition, with no ruts or horse tracks
deeper than half an inch.
There are practically only three tools
necessary for making and maintaining
good natural earth roads. They are
the road grader, harrow and road drag
Road graders cost from $500 TO $500
each, according TO size and style. Har-
rows are on all farms, and the cost Is
reasonably low, while the road drag is
so very simple Of construction that al
most any one can make one himself
For a road drag TO do effective work 1t
must be heavy enough so that two
| teams VIII be required One team is
hitched at either end Of the drag, and
when driven one team is made to go
ahead of the other SO that the drag
| moves forward at an angle Of thirty to
forty-fve degrees toward the center OF
the road, thus forcing the surface
earth always to the center, making the
road rooflike, which allows surface
water to escape. On the front timber
steel cutting blade is fastened so as
to project below about half an inch
This cutting blade is not particularly
| necessary for real muddy roads, but 1t
does effective work when the soil is
| 1oes effective work on dry soil, and
real grading can be done with it.
| The road drag's greatest efficiency Is
for roads In winter when they are wet
and muddy or for leveling them in
winter just after a dry freeze. BY run
ming the drag over bad winter roads
horse tracks. wagon ruts and other de-
pressions are filed easily and rapidly.
the water being forced out so it can
run away and the surface left smooth.
The common field harrow is also an
other excellent drag, and its use is in
creaslng each year. Best results are
obtained by using the harrow when
the roads are rough hut dry 1t then
acts as n lcveier. but not grader by
raking of the clois and bumps max
Ing them fine and filling In depressions
10 prevent the accumulation Of surface
water which is the main cause Of bad
roads Keeping the ruts md holes filed
Is the greater part OF road maintP.
nance The harrow ana the drag are
the two best tools known for doing Il
rapidly, cheaplv and we'll
The foundation for good native
earth country road is made by drawing
the dirt 10 The center. leaving drain
bitches on either side to carry Of the
surface water This style might right
~ be called the roof road. since the
roadbed slopes from the center to the
sides like house roof, carrying The
water off i'm similar manner.
The roof ridgug Of native earth
roads in tho beginning can be- done
cheaply and neatly only with 10 mod.
ern iron road grader, which acts MS
both pillow ana scrcper Of former times
The blade Of the grader is set at am
angle 80 that tbc earth at each furrow
Us pushed toward the center of the
foad Besides th9 rapid work of The
grader the long sharp iron blade
moves straight Leaving the surface
haro and smooth n maintained fin tho
condition in Vr hlrf tn - L. r--.-