Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1909-08-10
DIRT ROAD IMPROVER
Wonderful Change Made by Using
the Split Log Drag.
DIRECT, EFFECTIVE RESULTS.

Dragging a Road When Muddy FillI
In Ruts and Closes Up Uneven
Spacos-Persistent Use Of Drag wiz
Soon Mako a Smooth, Hard Surface.
II has been SAID that only 10 pee
cent OF the roads in the entire UnitCd
states are the main travelled highways
The other 50 per cent are the common.
everyday country dirt roads In ths
ordinary discussion regarding road I'm.
pFOycmcnt our thoughts and energies
OF macadamizod roads, brick, stone and
other specially constructed roadbeds
that the vast ma jority of our dirt roads
are lost sight Of We talk about neces-
slty FOR road rollers and road scrapcrs.
rock cTuslrrs and various other es-
scut0l roadmaking dcv Ices, and then
whom we figure out the cost OF such
roads at from $4,000 TO $4,000 per
mile we oftcntlmcs wonder how many
generations Il Wiil take for our dirt
reads 10 hc adequately maintained. ac
cording % the best systems because
or the utter hopclcSsucss OF getting
macndamizod or other expensive i'm
proved roads I'm his locality I'm Mis-.
souri, man named ID. Ward King
bullt drag out Of log split ia hadf
some thirteen years ngo, md after
every rain, while the mud was soft
he drove mp md down the road in front
OF his farm for half mlhe. pulling
the drag at an angle of foxy five do
gYccS. Such marvellous Improvement
resulted from the Use OF this primitive
device TINT scientific Investigation lT
road engineers has been instigatcd. ana
the matter has now passed beyond the
experimental OF CROSSWORD stage.
The 90 per cent Of our dirt roads IN
the United Stntcs. properly dragged
after r1ln, can be made almost a.
satisfactory during the grcntcr part
or the year as cXpcnsively hard sur
faced highways md mt n ridiCulously.
small cost per mile carrying from 81
To- 800 In the light Of the impossi-
hlity Of macadamizing all or 1000
600 miles Of roads I'm the United States
IN one generation or even I'm any Inn
tied period Of time, ana ia the light OF
the effective ma immediate results
obtained from dragging the highways.
ire study of this method can be fol
lowed with much profit
First OF all. dragging road when
muddy fills I'm the ruts, closes up I'M
cvcn spaces and makes IA smooth sur
face. or course traffic over such
rond VIII Immediately proceed to cut
II ny again. However, as the dragging
is persisted In and the mud IS worked
into n claycy-lille mass and becomes
dry IL likewise becomes hurd Eventu.
ally thetop Of the roGd presents n re.
sistant shcll-likc cake of tough mud
as hard-as unburnt brick 49,.
After a time il VIII he noticed that
a road that has been dragged VIII be.
come dry much sooner than neglected
stretches or road I'm the same neigh
borhOod. The more attention given to
dragging road the Cralcker will ikdry
out ahead OF It's ncighbors Eventually
after several years OF persistent drag
ging tho mud shell on the surface OF
such road viii become so hard that
even after a cloudburst or rain pick
VIII with difficulty he made 10 pcnc-
irate The surface for over two inches.
by the skilled use OF the drag the
road can he made high in the middle
The average neglected country road IS
usually hollow I'm the middle and after
q rain has small lakes ana pools stand
ing over It's surface. sometimes FOR
many days and weeks But the
dragged road. having such a crown.
sheds water into the side cutters
These facts 20 the uninitlatcd OF
skepiical may ON first impression
seem farfetchod or exaggerated. but
they are facts based on the experience
" reputable men from Missouri 10
Ncw York state who have been drag
cling the country dirt roads after CIV.
cry rain
The roads today iu many sections Of
the United Srtcs arc mo- better than
they were fifty years ago even with
The labor ard money That have been
expended upon lhom Iu some local..
''s almost fhn rr'irr amount ~ fbn
tax is expended u temporary work
while nothing is spent for permanent
Improvement v'fH .h. result thaf CON.
o.t.'rs remain Unclaimed Trs sooner
"r nou gof sf ,un uf road dragging
.r grra'0d H ...~r community tho
sooner wiI Wc btre tho aD Dor cont
~ our neglected DIRT roads sdaarafaIr
ard permanently improved fnr.ugueut
fHn greater r1r' Of thr r.ar I1 the
United s.1fc- Donald NrCavEov
n ID