Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-05-13

An exceedingly timely article by q
well known engineer on the upkeep OF
first roads appeared in recent issue
Of the American Motorist. The article
is of especial interest to the farmers
and city residents of this vicinity at
this time, due to the fact that work
on roads will soon begin in earnest
and be prosecuted to such an extent
that at least majority of the high
ways in this section will be IN good
condition. The author explains how to
repair the bad places in dirt roads as
follows:
THAT road is no better than its
worst mud hole may be true from
one point of view, but the fact that
the mud hole can be easily and read
ily eliminated often makes necessary
other bases Of comparison OF good
and bad roads.
1.-THE earth road we have always
with us. OF the 2150,000 miles OF
Highways in the United States, some
thing over 20 per cent are ordinary
earth roads, and most OF these are
unimproved, in the usual acceptation
OF the term, l. e., they have not been
properly graded, and crowned, and
drained. They have, probably. most
Of them, been worked from time 10
time by q bunch Of farmers on pic
mic, directed by farmer who knew
as much about scientific construction
as crow knows about the quantity
Of gasoline.
swhat these farmers, who are sup
posed to be working out their road
taxes which practice Is still main
tanned In many localities, do to the
roads on their annual outing, Is US
ually worse than nothing. The
many chances In favor OF 1t being
made worse instead Of better; they
may I'LL IN low place in the road,
they are exceedingly likely to NIL II
with sods and ditch washings. In
almost any event, the real 1mprov-
ment to the road is almost nil
1T does not require a technical
education In highway engineering 1or
the average man to know how to NIX
a bad place in road But 1t does re-
uuire some knowledge of primary pr1n-
ciples and some horse sense The
PRINCIPLES should be within the COM
drive a motor car, and he who mas not
horse sense should return to the
society OF the equine for the compile
ton OF his education.
"FiIInq the Mud Hole.
"The worst places in country roads
are usually mud holes which nave
been formed by traffic in place where
the water has settled. The constant
action of wheels, going deeper and
deeper into the saturated and con-
stantly dissolving earth produces a.
condition which is a menance to the,
motorist, who cannot determine
whether the submergence will include
the rim, or the axle, or even part
Of the body of his machine. Especially
il the road be strange one 10 the
driver, the chances he is obliged to
take at a fully developed mud hole are
nerve-racking. They may mean, IN
any individual instance, the miring OF
his machine, and the consequent
humiliation Of farmers teams, i'm
provised derricks and bucollic SYM
pathy, to say nothing Of the expense.
nor Of the subsequent condition OF
the car.
Strange as 1t may seem, 1t is an
almost universal custom, not only OF
agricultural road overseers, but also
OF automobile clubs who try to fix up
the roads, to FILL up the worst mud
holes with stones and boulders II
they are convenient and with some
other material II stones are scarce.
This almost universal failure to rec
ognixe the obvious reveals one OF the
essential peculiarities of the human
intellect.
Everyone knows that earth and
water properly mixed produces mud:
everyone also knows that water runs
down HILL or, in other words, seeks
lower levels. Why, then, is 1t not the
obvious thing to do, to drain the wa
ter away from mud hole? Still mud
holes filled with stones and sticks ana
rails and saplings. and almost every
other conceivable article, are as COM
mon as mosquitoes in Jersey.
Convincing Rural Road Builders.
Most automobile clubs, have good
roads committees and it Is usually the
duty Of such committees to secure the
greatest possible improvement to the
roads which they use. It Is for the
mem DerS OF SuCQ committees W uoI
only observe the conditions. but to
give advice and information, when
necessary or advisable, to the local
road authorities. Consequently, 1t is
necessary for such road committee to
give some study to the proper meth
DDS of earth road repair. at least to
the extent Of knowing how to fix
few of the worst places.
1.-THE primary idea, in the construc-
ton or repair of any road, is to get 1T
well drained, when there is a mud
hole The first thing to do is to con-
struct ditch-no matter how far
that will take the water away, and
drain the mud hole to the bottom
When this is done the depression may
be filled with good, cleantearth, never
sticks nor stones nor sods. but earth
of the same general character Of the
balance of the roadway. This will
compact under traffic and if the drain
be kept open there will be no more
mud holes.