Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1911-10-01


be mixed with plows and harrows
while they are comparatively dry, af-
ter which they are puddled, during
wet weather, with n harrow. If clay
works to the surface and the road
becomes sticky, more sand should be
added The road is then shaped,
crowned. and ditched in the usual
manner with the road grader. This
should be done when the surface is
soft yet stiff enough to pack well
under traffic Wide, shallow bitches
should be provided ON both sides of
the road, and culverts or cross drains
placed so as to prevent water from
flowing across the road
The sandy, clay road, after compile
ton, should be carefully maintained
until the surface becomes firm and
smooth. The construction of this
type Of road is by no means a quick
operation.
If soft. sticky places appear. more
sand should be added, and If loose,
sandy places are found, more clay is
needed. It is just as important to at
/ tend to these small details as to any
other part of the work, for If they
are neglected, the road is liable to fail.
There are so many kinds of gravel
that is is almsot impossible to lay
down principles of construction which
will hold good in all cases. A road
building gravel should bind well. The
qualities of hardness and toughness
are important, but not so important
as cementing value.
Angular gravels with sharp frac-
lures are best. Water worn creek or
river gravel, which is round and clean,
viii seldom produce a satisfactory re-
suit Such material may, however,
be used for a foundation II bonded
with a layer of suitable pit gravel
II the gravel varies in size from
very small to large pieces good re-
suits may sometimes be obtained by
the use of power or hand separator
| II there Is an excess of earth, sand,
or clay, as is often the case, these
should by all means be removed by
screening. Gravel roads built OF
screened gravel are usually SUPERIOR
to those built Of unscreened gravel
although there are exceptions to this
rule.
There are many different methods
OF building gravel roads. Most OF
them, however, are built without me-
thod or plan. Some fail because the
material is poor, but the majority of
the failures are due TO the fact that
the material is not properly applied
to the surface.
The following arc the principal
causes OF failure:
First--Poor material, round, water
worn gravel. too little binder or too
much sand, earth or clay.
Second--Unstable foundations plac-
ing gravel on surfaces filled with ruts
and holes
Third--Poor drainage, too fiat. or
too high in the middle. side dtches
too deep or not deep enough. culyerts
which are too small, or which are
laid 80 flat that they are soon filled
with silt or trash.
Fourth-Spreading gravel In dry
weather. dumping II In piles and leav-
ing II for the traffic TO spread.
Fifth-Making the road too narrow
Ito accommodate the traits, or so mar
row that wagons will track and soon
cut the surface into ruts.
gzih--Failure to keep ruts and
holes filled with gravel.
With wood binding or cementlng
gravel, satisfactory roads may be
made by surfeclng the prepared sub
grade with one or two layers Of this
material. The earth foundation IS
first shaped with a road grader and
Is possible, rolled with an eight or
ten-tc.., roller.
The earth foundation should be
crowned, but slightly The material g.
spread In one.t or three layers e.
q total depth Of from eight to twelve