Putnam County herald. (Cookeville, Tenn.) 1903-1922, 1915-07-22
HOW TO MAKE AND KEEP THE
ROAD DRY

HOW TO MAKE AND KEEP THE
ROAD DRY
Water, plus clay or ordinary earth,
when mixed. invariably forms mud.
On ordinary earth roads tie rains and
melting SHOWS furnish the water and
the passing trafic 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. III
other words. keep your road dry If you
wish 1t to remain hard. smooth and
1ree from mud.
Except in very sandy or arid regione
good drainage is the cardinal principle
in the maintenance OF earth and grav-
ell roads. Get the wat away fro /.
the road as quickly and completely
as possiblt. Water naturally seeks
the lowest level You can't keep the
water from falling on the road, bun
you can assist its natural inclination
TO get away to a lower level. Keep the
ruts filed and he road crowned with
Q slope toward 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 out
lets to get tht water away from the
road entirely. Do not let the culverts
clog up or material accumulate in the
ditcies and oold back pools Of water
to soak into and GOTTEN the founda-
ton Of your road. Water is an enemy
that will run away If you will give 1t
. chance. Do not neglect to give II
every chance 1t will pay and pay well
Like most other enemies, water is
not veay destructive or dangerous
until it collects in force. Therefore,
get the water away from your road at
every available opportunity and be-
fore 1t has time to invite certain dis
aster by making your culverts too
small to care for the largest possible
storm. Furthermore, build the cul-
verts 90 that the water will, Of neces-
sity, dow through them and not find
vay around or beneath them. Proper
" designed substantial wing and end
walls are the fortincation which pro-
tcct the culvert from attack and de-
struction during severe storms. Do not
build dry weath.r culverts; build them
with view of caring for and protect
ing the road during the worst possible
storms,
Make your road dry, build 1t hard
and compact with a crown suficient
to shed wat-r rapidly to the side
bitches, and with ample culverts and
draine. To keep your road day 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 a
road which has been properly dragged
the rain finds no place to collect and
soak into and soften the surface. On
less the rain is of long duration the
surface is sotuened very little. As soon
as the rain has ceased and the road
surface dried so that the clay is not
sticky, but while it is still plastic, drag
the road again. Any depression or ruts
are thus filled, and the surface smooth
ed up and plastered over with thin
plaster Of clay or earth which packs
and becomes very hard under passdng |
traf1c. Therefore in order to make
and keep your road dry. first provide
Tor good drainage and then maintain
The good drainage by systematic drag
ding after each rain. Dilligent atten-
lion to these points, will in general, In
sure an earth road fairly passable at !
Ill times and very good most Of the