The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1913-06-17
THE repair And
MAINTENANCE
Of EARTH ROADS

UT Stays on the rOau surface because
Ii cannot drain away into the sid,
bitches. II yop look closely you viii
see side bitches which have growt
up with bushes and weeds in many
cases. and which are SO far from the
travelled part OF the road that thc
raoin water does not drain into them
That part OF the roadway where the
wagons travel Is called the Travelled
way. To prevent water from standing
on the travelled way the road should
be raised in the center and should
slope gently into broad shallow ditch.
cs. II is then said TO have q crown.
II 1t is 10 feet from the center OF the
read to the side ditch, the surface at
the side ditch should be ut least 10
inches lower than 1t Is at the center
where the horses travel. The road
then has Il lO.inch crown. The rain
that falls on road properly crowned
will run quickly TO the side and not
soak into the surface or form pools
The side bitches for surface water
should run parallel TO the right OF
way. and should be open at every
low point so that the water can run
ont OF them into neighboriHg brooks
or streams. II the bitches merely
elect the water from the road surface
ana II can not run away, large pools
will he formed along the roadside.
which will gradually soak into the
soil beneath the road and make 1t so
sole that the wheels Of wagons will
cut through the road surface and soon
destroy it.
Sometimes water runs from land
along the road into the road and
ferns a little stream down the wheel
tracks or in the middle where the
horses travel. When driveways into
farm yards are built across the side
bitches they frequently form chan
nels icr water from the farm yard to
fH" into the road. The pipes under
driveways become fllod with leaves
or rubbish and the water can no long.
or run away. If the driveways that
stop the ditch water were rebuilt so
that pipes were necessary and the
ditch could be left open, much trouble
lrcm surface water would be stoned.
Sometimes road runs. across low
ground or through swamp wherU
the road can not he drained BY side
ditches alone. lf; the road were built
higher like a railroad cmbankmcnt
across such low land and made with
Il crown. 1t would be dry and hard.
sometimes Il road passes through
what is called cut. This is a place
"here the earth has ben dug out so
that the road Can 20 over IA hift with.
out being too steep. The water which
always flows quietly under the ground
on hh'stdes Is known AS ground wa
ter: In road cuts such water some.
times makes the road very muddy.
anu the road then needs what road
builders call Understandings. A good
Kind of undedrainaSe is a trench TO
20 along under the side drain and
about three feet deep and foot and
nall wide. In this trench n pine is
iaid near the bottom and covered with
loose stones no bigger than an egg.
when the trench is completely filled
Win loose stones the ground wafer
instead OF soaking into. the roadway.
VIII stop among the stones and flow
Gown the hill through the pipe.
10 keep a road smooth and crown.
Z" the hest method is 10 drag it with
u ROAD drag. A road drag is made
easily with two halves of u 10. which
has been split. The log should he
about Six or eight inches in thickness
anu about six Or eight feet long. The
Two halves of the log are set three
leet apart with the smooth faces for.
ward and upright. They are then tas
tened together with braces set in
hoieS bored through the log. A pair
oi horses may be used 10 drag the
read and are hiicbnd 10 chain ras.
tened to the front half of the log, TIL,
road drag should move forward so
mat 1t slants across the road in such
tt way that a small amount of earth
VIII slide past the smooth face or The
log toward the center of the road
thus forming the crown. The edges
oil the logs will smooth out the rur,
The best way to drag is to begin ot
the side ditch and 20 up one side of
me road. and then down the other
In the next trip the dag should he
started little, nearer the center and
'hc last trip over the road the dra.
may work close TO the center itself
small ridges Of earth will be thrown
III tile horse track and semared by
Inc round side Of the log smoothly
over the road. The smearing Of the
earth by the dra. is called pudding
ana 1t tends TO make the surface OF