The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1915-06-29
HOW TO MAKE AND KEEP THE
ROAD DRY.

Water. plus clay or ordinary earth,
when mixed, Invariably forms mud.
On ordinary earth roads the rains
and melting snow furnish the water
and the passing traffic the mixing.
and the result is muddy roads. Take
away the water or prevent it from
mixing with the clay or earth on the
road surface and little or no mud Will
result. In other words. keep your road
dry IL you wish 1t to remain hard,
smooth and free from mud.
Except in very sandy or arid re-
gions, good drainage is the cardinal
principle in the maintenance of earth
and gravel roads. Get the water away
from the road as quickly and COM
pieteIy as possible. Water naturally
seeks the lowest level. You cannot
keep the water from falling on the
road. but you can assist its natural
inciina ton to get away to a lower
level. Keep the ruts filed and the
road crowned with a slope towards
the side bitches OF from three-fourths
TO one inch to the foot, and the water
will not collect on the road to soak
in and be mixed to mud by passing
traffic. Keep the side bitches clean
and with frequent outlets TO get the
water away from the road entirely.
Do not let the cuIverts clog up o.
material accumulate in the ditchr g
and hold back pools Of water to srak
into and soften the foundation OF your
road Water is an enemy that will
run away IL you will give 1t chance.
Do not neglect to give 1t every
chance. II will pay and pay well.
| Like most other enemies, water is
not very destructive or dangerous IN
! til It collects in force. Therefore. get
| the water away from your road al
/ every available opportunity and before
! 1t has time to collect in sufficient
volume to be dangerous to the road
and do not invite certain disaster by
making your culverts too small to
care for the largest possible storm
/ Furthermore, build the culvetrs sc
that the water will. OF necessity, flow
through them and not find way
around or beneath them. Properly
designed substantial wing and end
walls are the fertilization which pro
test the culvert from attack and de
struction during severe storms. DE-
not build dry weather culTerts; build
them with a view o. caring for and
protecting the road during the worst
possible storms.
Make your road dry, build IL hard
and compact with crown sufficient
to shed water rapidly to the side
bitches, and with ample culverts and
drains. To keep your road dry main
tain the drainage in good condition
Drag your roads after each rain: drag
ging fills in the ruts, smooths the sur
face, and maintains the crown. On q
road which has been properly dragged
the rain finds no place to collect and
soak into and soften the surface. I'm
less the rain Is OF long duration the
surface Is softenad but very little. A.
soon as the rain has ceased and the
road surface dried so that the clay l:
not sticky. but while It Is still plas
tic. drag the road again. Any depres
sion or ruts which have been formed
=, during and after the rain are thu.
filed. and the surface smoothed III
. and plastered over with a thin plas
ter OF clay or earth which packs ant
', becomes very hard under passini
, traffic Therefore, in order TO MAX.
, and keep your road dry. first provide
, for good drainage and then maintain
> the good drainage by systematic drag
ging after each rain. Dfligent attention
to thes.s points will, in general. insur'
an earth road fairly passable at al
, times and very good most OF the time