The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1910-12-28


been considered. One of the most eff
fectiyc agencies for keeping these
roads in repair has been the use of
the drag which has proved on trial
Its effectiveness and economy. Re
Gently the Pennsylvania, that fore
most of railway corporations, issued
pamphlet entitled Good Roads at
Low Cost by ID. Ward King the in
ventor of the well-known King Drag"
THE formula for making good roads
without money" says Mr.. King. "is
based on several fundamental truths
which have been more or less ig-
nored by the road builders in the past
In the first place a travelled road that
has been undisturbed for year or
more possesses a tough hard crust
which is valuable. Many roadmen
cover this impervious crust with a
thick blanket Of soft. loose earth the
first thing they do; while others tear
1t all to pieces and try (unsuccess-
fully) to rearrange it.
Now this crust or shell should nei-
ther be broken nor covered; it should
first be levelled with the drag and
all the wrinkles and ruts smoothed
out of ii. Then It should be thicken-
ed gradually. No matter how fiat or
rough and rutty this crust may be,
1t nevertheless is the best available
surface for travel and serious blum
der is committed when it Is destroyed
or covered.
Again / believe a blunder ss made
whenever loose material of any sort
Is placed on the road in sufficient
quantities to drive the travel from
the middle of the highway. Still again
not few men seem to confuse slope
with surface drainage. But a loose,
porus earth surface, even II It is
sloping surface. will not shed water,
it will absorb it
AS to the building of the drag it
self. Mr.. King advises a light one. The
length sholld I've governed by the
size Of the team; seven foot drag
for span of i,200 pound horses and
one eight foot long for team weigh
ing l600 pounds piece, Build it
from cedar post or the end af tel
ephone pole measuring ten or twelve
INCHES in diameter, or from any light
timber log.
Split the post o.! log and select
the heavier and sounder slab for the
front of the drag. FIND a point about /
four inches from the end of the slab, |
the erd that is to travel in the mid
dc Of the roai. md bpre a two-pch |
au ger hoe at right a"g'es 10 .he :ace
of the slab and in its center. Then |
" eL;y-one inches from the other cnG |
Of the slab bore another twO-irch hole |
in the same manner. Now. half way |
between these two holes bore third, |
Setti!,e the three il, line with each |
other and in he center of the slab. |
The other slab may now be brought |
up behind the first. Allow six inches |
between the ditch end of the front |
slab. mN"k and bore the three holes |
Thus when they arc pinned together
the ditch end of the front slab will |
project some sixteen inches further
toward the ditch than the rear slab. |
Then prepare the stakes to go in
the slabs. rip some pieces out of a |
two inch oak plank and if they are
full two inches square, that will be
sufficient. Shave the ends of the
stakes and slip the slabs on until
the slabs are within thirty inches
OF each other, then mark each stake
with lead pencil to show the place
whore the slab fits.
Split the stakes and drive the wedg-
es at right angles to the grain of the
slab
Drive the rear slab back on the
stakes two or three inches from .he
pencil marks and arrange the brace.
Put the front end OF the brace down
within an inch of the ground and we'll
out to the end OF the front slab Notch
it in; drive the rear slab back to the
marks, catching the brace, and then
wedge the stakes securely If this is
well dore the brace will never escape.
At the front side saw the ends OF the
stakes OF flush with the slab At The
rear allow the projecting ends to re-
main. Ther p.eseurc at the rear will
serve two purposes They will answer
the question of how the slabs are ras-
tened together. And they come in
rnru hnnhn, OF 1innnr ,,.lnr -, ,,.i..h