The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-05-01

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bearing. On the prepared subgrade the
earth should be spread, narrowed If nee
essary. and rolled to a bearing.
With narrow roads, enough material
may be excavated to raise the roadway
above the subgrade In forming the side
bitches. When the earth is brought up
to the final height it Is again narrowed,
and ultimately rolled to hard and
smooth surface.
: No filing should be brought up In layers
exceeding nine inches In thickness. Dur
ing the rolling. sprinking should be at
tended to whenever the soil requires
such aid for its proper consolidation.
The cross section of the roadway must
be maintained during the last rolling
stage by the addition of earth as need
ed. On clay soils a layer of sand or
ashes spread on the roadway will pre-
vent the sticking of clay to the roller.
The finishing touches to the road sur
face should be given by the heaviest
roller at hand. Before the earth road is
open for traffic the side bitches should
be cleaned.
Gravel Roads
The most excellent gravel for road
building stands perpendicular in the
bank. compact and firm, and cannot be
dislodged except by. use of pick, and
when it Is dislodged falls in great
chunks. Such material contains Just
enough cementing properties to enable 1t
to readily pack and consolidate, and
when properly placed on the prepared
roadbed makes a surface which possesses
most all the qualities of a good stone
road. Rounded or water-worn gravel
should never be used for surfacing of
roads, as much gravel remains loose and
shifting like materials In a shaken
seive. For the wearing surface gravel
should be comparatively clean. hard, an
gular and tough. Such gravel Is easily
consolidated and will not readily pull
verize into dust and mud.
The foundations of stone and gravel
roads are too often neglected. 1t is well
to remember that without durable
foundation there Is no durable road.
The cross section of the foundation
should conform to that of the finished
road, and should be so thoroughly rolled
that wagons passing over 1t make no
perceptible impression.
A layer of gravel not less than inches
nor more than 6 inches in thickness
should be spread on, sprinkled thorough
ly and rolled until very compact and
firm Next spread a layer of the best
gravel available over the surface to a
All inequalities, together with stone
and graves exceeding three-fourths of
an inch In diameter. should then be
raked out. 1t Is again sprinlsled and
rolled until the desired hardness and
smoothness are obtained. The roller is
doubtless the most important piece of
machinery connected with the building
and maintaining of good roads, and 1t is
we'll to remember that 1t cannot be used
ia It'll, IT,. {LA ,tnrfy. v1n1
the frosts and rains are so destructive.
Stone Roads
The advantages to be derived from
good stone roads are SO manifold that all
other material should be discarded where
tough road stone Is available for their
construction and maintenance. But 1t IS
greater economy to use earth or gravel
than to go to the expense of macadam-
izing roads with too soft, too brittle or
rotten material. Many use this because
/. liz more easily prepared. A road should
never be surfaced with anything short of
trap rock or serpentine Inferior mate
ria. may often be used with impunity
for the first layer or foundation, but
even this should be selected with great
care.
The evils resulting from improper con-
struction of stone roads are even greater
than those from the use of improper
material John L. Macadam never in
tended that a heterogeneous conglom-
Grafton of stone and mud be called
macadam road. Neither did he intend
that the name should be applied to roads
constructed of large and small stones
mixed together and spread over the sur
face. The surface road built in this
manner is constantly disturbed by the
larger stones, which work to the surface
ana are knocked hither and thither by
the wheels of vehicles and the feet of
animals. Such methods of construction
cannot be too severely condemned.
Macadam
The first course or foundation of the
macadam road can be made OF the
coarsest stones from the cfusher, pro-
vided that they are in uniform size and
that each stone shall weigh not over six
ounces and will pass through a two and
inch ring. Where the road is to
be eight inches thick this foundation
should be four inches after rolling If
than eight inches, the foundation should
be composed of two courses separately
rolled.
After having thoroughly rolled this
foundation apply enough ground stone
or coarse sand to fill the interstices
This should be wetted and thoroughly
rolled until a hard and uniform surface
Is obtained Upon this foundation the
surface material should be placed, wet
tec and thoroughly rolled. The stones
of which this surface material Is COM
posed should be, If possible, crushed to
a size of one inch in diameter; but If
that is not possible they should never
be larger in diameter than one and one
half inches. Ground stone screenings
should then be spread upon the surface,
wetted and rolled as before. until hard,
smooth surface is obtained.
Road Maintenance
Without proper care the most expen-
sive road may go to ruin in two or three
years and the initial expense of con-
structing 1t be nearly lost. They not
only wear out. but wash out and freeze
out. Water is the greatest road de-
stroyer.
1t is necessary to the proper mainte-
nance of road that 1t should Grown"
or be higher in the middle than at the
sides. If 1t is fiat in the center. it soon
becomes concave and it's middle becomes
a pool or mud hole If on a level or a
water course If on an incline.
A hollow rut, or puddle, should never
be allowed to remain. but should be
evenly filled and tamped with the same
of which the surface was orig
lnally constructed. A rake should be used
freely, especially in removing stones.
Jumps or ridges. Ruts may be avoided
by using wide tires on all wagons which
carry heavy loads.
If stones are cracked on road with a
hammer smooth surface is out of the
question. Use stone chips for repairing
stone roads and remember that all for
eigr material and rubbish will ruin the
bes. road, and that dust and mud will
double the cost of maintenance.
Ordinarily the chief work done by
people on highways is repairing
the damage resulting from neglect. Why
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