The Marshall republican., 1913-06-27
AN r ROAD.

WILL " o1N
II you look at the ordinary coun-
try road after a shower you will see
small puddles along the wheel ruts
and sometimes larger pools. This
water stays on the road surface be-
cause II a not drain away into the
side bitches. IL you look closely you
will see side bitches which have
grown up with bushes and weeds in
cases, and which are so far from the
travelled part of the road that the
rain water does not drain into them.
That part OF the roadway where the
wagons travel Is called the Travelled
way. To prevent water from stand
ing on the travelled, way the road
should be raised In the center and
should slope gently into broad shall
low bitches. 1t Is then said to have
a crown. II IL is ten feet from the
center of the road to the side ditch.
the surface at the side ditch should
be at least 10 inches lower than II Is
At the center where horses travel
The road then has a 10 inches crown.
The rain that falls on a. road proper.
ly crowned will run quickly to the
side and not soak into the surface or
fern pools. The side bitches for
surface water should run parallel TO
the right Of way. and should be open
At every low point. 10 that the water
can run out of them into neighbor.
Ing brooks or streams. II the ditcbes
merely collect the water from the
road surface and Il can not run away.
large pools will be formed along the
roadside, which will gradually soak
into the soil beneath the road and
make II so soft that the wheels o.
wagons will cut through the road sur
face and soon destroy II.
Sometimes water runs from land
along the road into the road and
'orms n little stream down the wheel
tracks or in the middle where the |
horses travel. When ~driveways into
farm yards arc built across the side
bitches they frequently form chan
nels for water from the farm yard 70 |
run into the road. The pipes under
lriveways become filled with leaves
or rubbish and the water can no Ion
ger run away. II the driveways that
stop the ditch water were rebuilt SC
that no pipes were necessary and the
aitch could be left open. much trou.
bic from surface water would be
stopped.
Sometimes n road runs across low
ground or through n swamp where
the road Fan not be drained by, side |
iitches alone. II the road were built |
higher Ikea railroad ,embankmen,
across such low land and made with
a crown, II would be dry and hard
Sometimes a road passes through
what Is called a cut. This Is n plac,
where the earth has been dug out sc
hat the road can go over a hill With
cut being too steep. The ,watBf
which always flows quietly under thu
ground on hill sides Is known NJ
sround water. In road cuts such wa
ter sometimes makes the road yer,
muddy. and the road then needr
what road builders call underdrain
age. A good kind OF undertaking.
y a trench TO go along under the
side drain and about 3 feet deep anf
l foot and a half wide. In this
trench a pipe Is laid near the bottom
and covered with loose stones ne
bigger than an egg. When the
trench is completely filled with loos'
stones the ground water. instead o.
soaking into the roadway. will stor
among the stones and flow down tn,
hill through the pipe.
To keep a road smooth and crown
ed the best method Is to drag It wifi
4 road drag. A road drag is mad'
easily with two halves of a log. which
has been split. The log should bt
about 0 or 8 inches in thickness anf
about 9 or 8 feet long. The two
halves of the log are set 3 feet apar'
with the smooth faces forward anf
upright. They are then fastened to
sether with braces set in holes bored
through the log. A pair of horses,
may be used TO drag the road am
art hitched to a chain fastened Y
the front half Of the log. The roaf
drag should move forward so that 1
slants across the road In such q wa,
that a small amount of earth vii
slide past the smooth face OF the lor
toward the center OF the road, thu
forming the crow The edges OF thu
log will smooth out the ruts. Thu
best way to drag Is to begin at thu
one ditch and go up one side of tn
road, and then down the either. Il
Il The newt trtn The arao shn.tId ha okar ~