Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1910-03-05
HILL ROADWAY WORK
Suggestions For Making a Quick
Drying Road.
HOW TO GET RID OF WATER.
Garry 1t Directly Across by SIoping
Highway From Bank Sidc-Ponters
on Gradins-Chanse Suggested In
King Drag For Hill Work.


Highway From Bank Sidc-Pointers
on Gradns-Chanse Suggested In
King Drag For Hill Work.
| have always been very interested
and ohscrvant in the matter of coun-
try roads and have read many vaIua-
BILE articles on the subject. But | still
think there are some points that |
have not seen touched upon relative to
roadmaklng, especially in the hill
country along the Mississippi and Mis-,
souri, slopes.
The great object of road work should
be to get the water away rs quickly
as possible. We have a good soil for
roadmakinS but the hills are OF silt
formation, and Il stream of water
crumbles them like so much loaf
sugar
Many Of our experienced roadmak
ers will throw up Il hill grade and car
ry the water down each side for long
distances. Then comes heavy rain
ldll. H'll lI'N>iillN NV ul'lN lItIl
the hillside above pour into the drains.
and such volume of water accumu-
latCs rs to cut deep GorgcS. These
make the road almost impassablc and
require several days labor number
of times each year to repair. To avoid
this trouble the road may be slopcd
from the bank side enough to carry
the water directly across the road.
When Il grade Is desired on Il side
hill roadway plow 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 slope 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 in to divert any water
that might follow the wheel track To
make these headers SCrapc with the
slushcr trench a little diagonally
across the grade about two Scrapcrs
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 rs little OBJ
structlon as possible. This plan will
always provide n quick drying hill
road. With the occasional use Of a
King drag this car be kept like
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 sangulne l 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 morticcS, lemons, etc, we use two
4 by 6 inch CroSSpleces with 3 by 6
inch lemons six inches long on each
end The shoulders of these lemons
are mitcrcd each way from the center.
These fit morticcs In each end Of the
plank. i ne nloFtltpS are lnllcTeu 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 rs before.
If properly made this drag will pull in
direct line and do better work.
When the highway IS cut through n
hill 1t Is desired to keep reducing the
grade To this end work the road
against one bank, leaving n ditch on
one side only Turn all the water from
above and along the hill into this
ditch. Plow 1t 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 will be
surprised Mt the change In steepness
effected in ten or twelve years.-W. S.
Wiley in Good Roads Magazine.