Virginia gazette. [volume] (Williamsburg, Va.) 1893-192?, 1913-06-19
EARTH ROADS HOW TO
REPAIR AND MAINTAIN

and sometimes larger pools. This
water stays on the road surface be-
cause il cannot drain away into the
side bitches. If you look closely
you will see side bitches which have
grown up with bushes and weeds in
many cases. and which are so far
from the travelled part or the road
that the rain water does not drain
into them. That part Of the road
way where the wagons travel is call
ed 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 bitches. 1t is then
said to have a crown. II il is 10
feet from the center of the road 10
the side ditch. the surface at the
side ditch should be at least 10 in
ches lower than it is at the center
where the horses travel. The road
then has a 10-inch crown. The
rain that falls on a road properly
crowned will run quickly to the side
= and not soak into the surface or
form pools. Tne side bitches for
surface water, should run parallel tc
the right of way. and should be
open at every low point so that the
;. water can run out of than into
q neighboring brooks or srseus. Il
s the bitches merely collect the watei
q from the road surface and il can no
run away. large pools will be formed
along the roadside. which will grad
ually soak into the soil beneath thr
3 road and make it so soft that th
q wheels of wagons will cut thrcugI
l. the road surface and soon destroy il
Sometimes water runs from ian
D along the road into the road an
ot forms little stream down the whes
IN tracks or in the middle where ID
at horses travel. When driveways int
Id farm yards are built across the sid
is bitches they frequently form char
nels for water from the farm yard |
run into the road. The pipes und,
driveways become filled with leav,
or rubbish and the water can Z
OF longer run away. If the driveway
Ia that stop the ditch water were o
cn cesssry and the ditch could be le
Isl open. much trouble from surfat
o water would be stopped.
Sometimes a road runs across 10
on ground or through a swamp whe
OF the road can not be drained by sic
&c bitches alone. If the road We
" built higher like a railroad emban
ment across such low land and ma
3 with crown. il would be dry ar
hard. Sometimes a road pass
|N through what is called cut tt
:" is place where the earth has DC
dug out so that the road can 60 oy
nj hill without being too steep. "
its ter which always flows quietly und
she the ground on hill sides is known
ab- ground water. In road cuts su
,eh water sometimes makes the rol
to very muddy. and the road th
the needs what road builders cali uad,
nx drainage. A good kind of und
ca. drainage is trench to so along I
der the side drain and about 3 Fl
inc deep and foot and half wide.
the this trench a pipe is laid near I
inc bottom and covered with loose stS
ing es no bigger than an egg. When /
ant trench is completely filled with loS
ure stones the ground water. instead
IN soaking into the roadway. will ST
cea among the stones and flow do
, as the hill through the pipe.
ri To keep q road smooth a
,ule crowned the best method is to dl
las il with road drag. A road diae
lbs. made easily with two halves of a
T-,o which has been split. The
r. should DC about 6 or 8 inches
~ thickness aud about 8 OF 8 feet Il
any The two halves of the log are
and