The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-02-24
THE AIM TO DEMONSTRATE
To Show Local Officials How
Work Ought To Be Done
Was Purpose of Office of
Public Roads - Several
Stretches In as Many Sec
tons Improved
tBy w. r..

washington, d. c., Feb. 21.-Half
built roads in 1912-'13 under the di-
raction of the Department Of Agricul-
tpre through the office Of public roads.
Practically all the stretches were
short. the purpose of the department
being TO show local officials how the
work should be done. The work OF
he government was to furnish expert
cnciueers to make the surveys esti-
males and specifications, TO supervise
obstruction and to furnish advice to
local authorities who furnished labor,
materials and machinery.
Two stretches were built around
jerusalem, n. c., and one each neal
ar in Monroe. North W~ilkesborO,
CALYPSO, and Lexington. The material
used, he cost and practically all the
results varied according to the ma
tnre of the soils, the grades and local
conditions in each section.
The report on The improvement Of
the road rom Calypso was:
\ section of road leading from
CALYPSO southeast toward K~enanSville
was graded and surfaced between Sep
tember 4 and September IA, 1872. The
adjacent land is slightly rolling and
the soil is sandy throughout the length
OF the section. The grading consisted
in blowing the bitches and bringing
the road to the proper cross section
with "A road machine. A small amount
of material was moved for an average
distance of SO feet with drag scrapers.
For $50 feet the road was graded "a
feet wide and surfaced IA feet wide,
making the area graded 4,4OO square
wards and the area surfaced 2,562
fauare Yards. The crown Of the fin
ished roadway was three-fOurthS inch
10 ] foot. Clay to the o Of 24S
cubic yards was hauled an average
distance OF 400 feet, and 55 cubic
yards Of sand was hauled an average
distance oil 1850 feet. Farm wagons
having an approximate capacity OF
cubic yard were used for hauling both
sand n clay. They were loaded and
Hrloaded with novels Two CORFU
Sated-iron cuiverts were ordered fol
his work, but were not received be
fore The surfacing was completed
Directions were furnished for placing
them.
The equipment consisted of l roat
machine. ] rooter pillow, / turn pillow,
Split-loS drag, , draw scrapers. l disl
barrow, farm wagons, and han tools
labor cost 81 and $3.50 per day an'
'eanls cost S1.20 and $3.50 per day
The total cost of the work wa
$l3@.6o, which is at the rate o
$0,0"2i per square yard. The princi
pa items of cost were: Grading an,
shaping the sub9rade. $3.50; loadin;
sand, s3.75; hauling sand. s6.25
Spreading sand, $3.50; loading clay
$3.50: hauling clay, s4s.25; %spreadin
lay, 500: mixing clay and sane
$3.50. and final shaping with q dras
$3.50.
Road Near Jerusalem.
H~tflaclnS was started on a roa
ir"dlnC from Jerusalem Southeas
toward South Yadkin River on Octo
Der j., 1912, and completed on De
'elhber =, 1912. The road had bee
graded before the arrival of the rel
sentative Of the Office OF Publ
roads, AID no data concerning til
'os' OF grading could be obtained. III
iaNd adjacent to the road is rollin;
Shd the soil is sandy loan from static
10 to station Is 90 and red ella
from station - 90 to station 20 I 0
me ihacadam surface is 2,210 fe'
'oIiS ana II feet wide, making q tot;
area IF $3.50 square yards. ~
stone consisted of coarse-graiDed lisi
granite for the foundation course al
rap or field stone for the weafil
surface. Tho cOmpacted depth
me f"undation cotrse was 80 inche
aho Of the top course, including II
screenings IA inches. SurfaciI
material 10 The amount Of 655 cub
wards WAS used. and of his 1854 cub
Aaiu5 WAS purchased.
tonTrete cutters ] foot wide.
inches thick. and dished from l in
10 : inches. were constructed on ea'
size OF the road throughout
length. Cross drains IA feet long,
peil-jolnt pipe, were constructed
stations 81 90, So so, 10 : rs, 13 I
ana 49, so. The diameter of the fiji
TOUR drains WAS 4 inches, and OF {
last . inches. The bitches for I
cross drains in each ease were fill