Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1911-06-08
HOW 10 MAKE a ROAD.
state Engineer Is Seeding Oat =
Pamphlet.

and do you know how to keep that
road In condition? Perhaps you DO
but there are thousands in Kansas
who lack this knowledge. To supply
1t the state highway engineer, w
s. Gearhart, has issued . bulletin
It is an exceedingly valuable docu-
ment, written in plain, non-techni-
cal language. 1t meets the need
as nearly as possible, of officials
who have direct charge of the road
work and who have neither time nor
the technical ability to read an ex-
haustive treatise. This bulletin may
be had by applying to the Extension
department OF the Kansas State Ag-
ricultural college.
Under the head Of Road admins
tration" the township boards are urg-
ed to employ only one overseer in a
township and keep him at work all
the year. They are also urged to
employ regular gangs of men and
teams, and to use an engine whenever
possible to haul the graders and to
do road work by contract.
Considerable space is given to road
location, how the roads are laid out.
the advantages of diagonal roads;
and special stress is laid upon OBJ
tanning natural located in laying
out roads.
The table Of limiting Trades and
the information on maximum grades
used In other countries and In the
states of the Union, standing in the
front rank in road improvements,
in addition to number Of examples
of bad location. and the rules for
obtaining the best location, should
at least cause the viewers to hesi-
tate when they are about to locate
a road on a section line up the face
OF small mOuuGaln.
Special emphasis Is given to road
drainage for the side bitches. Before
giving instructions to grade any road
and before buying an machinery, the
trustee should read carefully not
less than three times the discussions
givin on 1.-THE Time to Grade"
"Where to Begin Grading" "The
Width of the Grade Machinery"
(its use and care), "Plows," "Drags
or Scoop Scrapers," "Fresnos,"
sWheel Scrapers," "Road Machines"
''The Elevating Grader" "Harrows,
"Rollers," and "How to Grade an
Earth Road" And the overseer
should be required to read it over
every night before going to bed while
he is doing road work.
The discussion ON "Hill and Con-
struction'' and the accompanying
cuts should be a great benefit.
Any. road, no matter of what is
is made, requires constant main
tenance. Mr.. Gearhart has strongly
urged that proper attention be given
to every detail at the right time and
states clearly when and how it should
be done.
Six pages are given to the "Road
Drag" Description of the Drag"
1.-THE Object of Road Dragging"
"The Effect of Road Dragging" and
Constructions for Dragging" A
number of cuts are given showing
different drags.
The discussion on sand-clay roads
and how to construct them and their
cost. in addition to the examples
given of this type of road in Kansas,
will be of special interest to the
western half of the state. The oiled
earth road discussion and the ex-
amples given in addition to the cost
data, will answer multitude OF
questions.
A large amount of valuable infor-
nation, the kind the county engineer,
the county surveyor, the county
board, the trustee and the overseer
need, is given in the discussion on
"Culverts,F ;'Area of Waterways
REQUIRED" wood Culverts," "Steel
Culverts," Corrugated Metal Gull
verts,D "vitrified Clay Pipe" Brick
Culverts,'' "stone Culverts," "Con-
crete Culverts," and the specifica-
tions for concrete masonary.
1t is often asked how much mater
ial will be required to make a cubic
yard of concrete with the different
proportions, where reinforcing bars
can be obtained, what they cost, and
the freight rates to different points.
These questions are all fully answer
ed and plans for both flat top and
arch concrete culverts are given for
spans from IS inches up to six feet.
There is one medicine that every
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