St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1910-02-23
Road Improvement.
Practical Use of a Drag Advocated by
Well Known Authority.

The American Motorist publishes an
article entitled Improvement of Town
or Lateral Roads," written by George
G. Diehl. chairman of the A. A. A. good
roads board. 1t contains SO many pract-
ical suggestions about dirt roads, the
kind Vermont must have for many
years to come, that the substance of the
article is reproduced. 1t says
The Improvement of lateral roads has
been neglected. There has been little
effort to arouse public sentiment for
such Improvement. Good roads speak
ers are continually urging the improve
ment of the main trnnk lines and the
principal market roads. These two
classes comprise only about ten per cent
of the total road mileage. Practically
all farm products must be hauled over
these lateral roads to reach the main
market roads. There are over two
million miles of lateral roads in this
country, and it is obvious that it will
be many generations before these roads
are macadamized, as at So, 900 per mile
the total cost of such improvement
would be over SIG, 900, 10000 or
$685. 100000 a year for one hundred
years.
1t is therefore apparent that cOmpre-
hensive road law should include ample
provision for the improvement OF lateral
roads, otherwise not over ten per cent,
of our public highways would be passable
at all seasons of the year.
The law recently enacted in New York
State provides not only for State and
County supervision of lateral road work,
but the State contributes, within certain
limits, from one third to one-balf OF the
cost Of improving town roads. For
many years the lateral roads were main
tanned by a labor tax instead OF a money
tax; in fact this method is still in vogue
in many parts of the country. The result
has been that very little work OF per-
manent character has been done. Under
the present New York plan every town
is required to make up a budget of ex-
penditure tor highway purposes. and en-
ter into an agreement of how and
where the money is to be spent. Such
agreement must be approved by the
State Highway Commission, with the
result that the cost of the primary work
of levelling and ditching which must be
done every year is reduced to minimum,
and that usually two-t thirds of the town
highway fund is expended for permanent
work and thus in striking contrast with
the old methods. the condition OF the
roads every year improves.
Throughout the country $40, OOO,O 900
are annually expended upon lateral
Quated day labor system. Under proper
highway laws and capable supervision
at least $5O,OOO,OOO annually could be
expended for permanent work, with the
result that in ten years there would be
built $500, 900, 900 worth of permanent
roads, and together with the main roads
built directly by the various State High
way Commissions would give hope to
the good roads advocates that within
comparatively short time they might
realize their dreams of improved high
ways.
The primary work on earth roads in
many sections costs only eight to ten dol
lars mile annually. The most effective
and economical method of maintaining
earth roads after they have been properly
graded, ditched and crowned, is by the
use of drag, which can be hauled by
ore team and should be used after every
rain in order that no ruts NAV be allow
ed to form in the roadway, or no oppCr-
tunity be given for water to stand on
the road surface.
Numerous articles have been written
on the use of the drag, and various types
are in use effectively. A form of drag has
recently been devised by the New York
State highway department, and upon
recent trials has shown quite conclusively
that the principle involved in its cOnstruc-
tion is the true principle upon which an i'm
plement of this character should be ex-
pected to work. This drag consists of
two plank runners each ten feet long,
placed five feet apart between which are
three diagonal blades, held together
with the necessary bracing and tie rods.
At the rear end of each blade is cut
spill hole through the runner allowing
any excess of material to spill out to the
side. In action it approximates the
working of a carpenters plane upon a
rough surface. that is. it cuts the high
spots but skips the low ones. The ma
terial which is taken from the high spots
is deposited in the low ones thus remov-
ing all wavy or humpv conditions of the
road surface, which is a result extremely
difficult to obtain with any other form
ofdrag, which usually follows the contour
of the ground over which it passes. The
steel cutting blades are slotted and bolt
ed to the front side of the scraper and
the best results are obtained by placing
these blades just flush with the bottom
of the shoe. The cost of this drag is
about fifteen dollars.
The most essential point to observe in
using a road drag is the condition of the
road at the time it is used. Frequently
the road is too dry. The drag should be
used Immediately after a rain while the
surface of the road is still soft, Discre-
ton should be used in the degree of soft
ness as between clay on the one extreme
and gravel on the other. A gravel road
can scarcely be said to ever be too wet.
On a clay road the drag should be used
just before the clay begins to set or hard
en-. An important point frequently over
looked is that road surface after the
use of drag will harden to greater de-
gree than at any other time.
1t is suggested that every local high
way official procure a road drag for
every 20 miles ofroad and SO systematic
his work that Immediately after every
rain the drags are properly used.
Use the American Throat Tablets
WEST nANVYTTE