Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1915-07-21
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 re-
suit. In other words, keep your road
dry If you wish it 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
completely as possible. Water natur-
ally seeks the lowest level. You can
not keen the water from falling on
the road, but you can assist its natur-
al inclination to get away to a lower
level. Keep the ruts filled 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 traf-
|fc. Keep the side bitches clean and
with frequent outlets to get the
water away from the road entirely.
Do not let the culverts clog up or
material accumulate in the bitches
Eand hold back pools Of water to soak
into and soften the foundation Of
your road. Water is an enemy that
will run away if you will give it a
chance. Do not neglect to give it
every chance. It will pay and pay
we'll.
Like most other enemies, water is
not very destructive or. dangerous I'M
til it collects in force. Therefore, get
the water away from your road at
every available opportunity and be-
fore it 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 culverts so
that the water will, of necessity, flow
through them and not find a way
around or beneath them. Properly
designed substantial wing and end
walls are the fertilization which pro
tect the culverts from attack and
destruction during severe storms. Do
mot build dry weather culverts; build
/ them with a view of caring for the
worst possible storms.
Make your road dry, build ithard
and compact with a 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;
dragging fills in the ruts, smooths the
surface, and maintains the crown.
On a road which has been properly
dragged the. rain finds no place to
collect and soak into and soften the
surface. Unless the rain is of long
( dufatlon the surface is softened but
very little. As soon as the rain has
ceased and the road surface dried So
that the 35clay4is not sticky, but while
| is still plastic, drag the road again.
Any depression or ruts. which have
been formed during and after the
rain are thus filed, and the surface
smoothed up and plastered over with
q thin plaster Of clay or earth which
packs and becomes very hard under
passing traffic. Therefore, in order
to make and keep your road dry, first
provide for good drainage and then
maintain the good drainage BY
systematic dragging after each rain.
Diligent attention to these points will,
lin general, insure an earth road fair
Ily passable at all times and very
good most Of the time.