Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1911-06-28
FOR ROAD BUILDERS
SUGGESTIONS TO HELP THE IN.
EXPERIENCED IN HIGHWAY
CONSTRUCTION.
FIRST STEP is DRAINAGE
Get Water OF and Away From Road
as Quickly as Possible-Weeds and
Sod Mako TroubIe-Proper Use Of
Gravel.
BY HOWARD H. GROSS.

ny nOWAhO n. GHOSS,
1t is not overstating the fact to say
that three-fourths of the men charged
with the responsibility of building
and repairing the roads the country
over, know very little about the sub
ject; they have not had the engineer
ing experience or even the practical
experience necessary; they have sim
ply followed their predecessors and
they do what the fellow before them
did.
In the movement for better high
ways the first step is more intelli-
gent expenditure of the time and
money appropriated for the better
ment Of the roads, to the end that the
community shall get the most and the
best results for its contribution. It
is common practice to do either the
wrong thing, or If perchance the right
thing is done, to do 1t at the wrong
time of the year, and the result is
very often an expenditure of one dol
lar to get thirty cents worth of bene-
At. AS an instance we might cite
that Illinois is spending FIVE million
OF dollars a year upon the highways,
and those in position to know, assert
that more than half Of 1t is wasted
by Ill timed and misdirected effort.
What is true Of Illinois Is true
throughout the central west
In order to make suggestions that
will be of value one must assume
some typical conditions and indicate
what 1t is best to do to improve the
roads under them.
In road Improvement the first and
most important step is drainage.
Without proper drainage every effort
will fail. Water Is the only natural
enemy of roads. and water is a cow
ard and will run away II given a
chance, hence get the water OF the
road and away from the road as
quickly as possible. This may be
done either by surface or sub-surface
drainage, by side bitches with ample
fall and proper outlet to carry the
water away from the highway, or by
tile. If the latter is done nothing
less than four inch tile ought to be
used and 1t should be very carefully
laid, and should be put on each side
of the road. particularly where the
drainage is most needed. Be sure
that the outlet is unobstructed II side
bitches are used, especially on hill
slope, and have them as wide as prac.
ticable at the bottom.
Suppose the bed Of the ditch ID
twenty-four inches wide down a hill
slope. Construct 30 that the bottom
Of the ditch next to the hill side will
be an inch or so lower than the side
next to the road, 30 the flow will
tend to the hill side instead of to the
road.
Wherever 1t is necessary to carry
water across q roadway, 1t is best to
use iron or concrete pipe and carry
1t across at an angle. Strong tile
will do If 1t is placed sufficient dis
lance below the surface so it will moi
be broken by the traffic. The outlet
of this crossing should be considera
bly, farther down hill than the in.
| take.
Where cuIverts are necessary have
them of ample size. and 1t is equally
important to give the culvert sufficient
fall. A twelve inch culvert, twenty.
four feet long with fall of -four
inches. is better than one twice, the