The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1911-10-19
GOOD ROADS SPECIAL
Visited Hickman Saturday,
in Interest Of Roads.

The n. c. 4 St l.. Good Roads
Special visited Hickman Saturday
morning, and after hearing a fine II.
Illustrated lecture at the Lyric by ID.
IA. Wiuslow. government expert on
road building. We believe those who
heard him have better opinion of
good roads
l. is a very worthy movement, and
one that should be fruitful. We wish
every citizen of the county could have
been present on this occasion. After
lecture at the Lyric. the public was in
vited bo visit the train and see car
especially fitted up by the govern
ment for the demonstration of road
building. In this car could be seen
every kind of road in various stages
OF construction: also miniature mod
els of steam rollers. rock crushcrs.
etc in operation. Those who missed
IL. missed treat.
Mr. low in the course OF his
lecture stated that 9S per cent OF all
freight was hauled over country roads
and that this fact alone should be
sufficient cause for a good roads cam
paign. lie said that We paid more
for bad roads than for good. and had
tho proof with him. He explained the
advantages OF various kinds OF roads.
and particularly what kind OF a road
is best adapted 10 certain localities.
the local conditions playing a large
part in the result.
After being carried out In automo-
biles by Messrs. S. l.. Dodds and X. A.
Tyler and looking over our soil, etc
Mr.. Winslow recommended for our
local use a combination known rs
"sand-clay" roads. Sand-clay roads
are composed only OF sand and clay.
The theory OF this combination l.
based on these facts Sand when
vet will become compact and offers
a good supporting surface: when dry
It is soft. Clay when wet becomes
DOGGY, but when dry is hard and dur
able. Hence, one is wet weather
road while the other Is a dry weather
road
Since We have both kinds OF wsa-
or, a logical conclusion is that the
two materials combine suitable ma
terial fU resisting all kinds OF wealth
or.
Now, by blending the two, the sand
takes the moisture from the clay and
becomes damp and solid; the same
process makes the clay dry and Il
becomes rigid
The building is simple. and com
paratively cheap. Mr. Winslow in
formed a Courier representative that
the average cost for sand-clay roads
throughout the United States run up
to $40 mile, but this was due TO
the fact that in many instances IL
was necessary to make long huls OF
sand on railroads and handle Il two
or three times.In our case the cost
should not exceed $500 mile. To
make this road. pillow up the clay
road bed about four inches deep with
an ordinary turning plow. Then put
sand about six or eight inches deep
on top OF the plowed surface; follow
this with disc or spike tooth har-
row and mix well the sand and clay
Now drag well TO the center, 50
drainage will be good, and make It
smooth. That's all.
Fulton county, under management
of our present Fiscal Court. has as
| fine system OF ordinary dirt roads
as will be found in this section Of
the state, but no dirt road will ever
reach the point where further work is
unnecessary. Our county officials
have done well with their limited
means for road construction, and we
hope their efforts will be so much
appreciated that every citizen will be-
come a good roads enthusiast. Fur
thermore, every county in the state
Is entitled to the services free of a
government engineer in the building
of one mile OF model rroad. Why
not get ours?
Last, but not least, is the old home
ly split-log drag. 1t pays bigger
divident than any other one thing
in road maintenance. The reason,
we are informed, is that looking at
dirt road under a strong glass it has
the appearance OF a sponge full OF
small holes. These holes, plus rain,
make mud. But IL the drag is run
over them, II closes up some of the
holes; in fact every dragging makes
il better. Finally the continual use