The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1915-08-05
GOOD ROADS
Editor Herald:

Editor Herald:
My recent article, not finding
its way into the waste basket, and
the many compliments favorable to it
from some of the best business men
of Sank Centre, has prompted me to
again appear in print. I have been
asked what "surfacing" means or in
other words what meant by this
term, as properly applied to road
work. I mean just this: Take a load
or loads of gravel and men to do the
work, follow up any and all roads
which need repairing and fill up
slightly above all holes and indenta-
tions which travel has caused in such
roads or highways, which will make
in the end if properly and intelligent
ly applied, an almost perfect road.
Now bear in mind | said with shovel
and gravel to these holes-not grad
ing or OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES a little
work with the back bent to it! There
is one thing certain that hole in a
road caused by travel and water, new
er gets better along, and to try to fix
it with horsedrawn implements is a
loss of time and it wont be fixed either.
Along these lines we find that water
will follow wagon and buggy tracks
to the lowest points of such track and
as there is no escape for it, as mat
ter of fact, forms "hole" in the road
caused by such water, teams passing
through it and each wheel taking
small quantity of earth at each pas
sage until real bad place is made in
the road. To keep the water off and
not allow it to stand on earth-made
roads is the first requisite in making
good roads. Dragging the roads with
the present road drags when dry and
unavoidable is to throw the taxpayers
money into mighty poor return, and
the sooner it is abandoned the better.
Gravel mixed with clay "gumbo" is
good material for earth roads, and
the more one uses it the better for all
interested. Again, get the tight and
rolling stones out of the road, as they
have no place there any more than in
the cultivated field, and all good farm
ers will not allow them there any
longer than they can be taken out.
Another bad habit which is strictly
harmful, is the making of the sides
of the roads dumping place" for
stones, roots and general rubbish,
which should not be done. In grading
an old established road it is most de-
sirable to get the grade in the center
as nearly as possible, even if the
road when worked years ago was not
put there, and by finding the corn
ers" of the surveyors, and few
places" to sight by, one can "crowd
over" good bit and finally get a
good, straight road. Avoid "cattle
paths" for it is much harder to grade
a crooked road than a straight one.
A ride through North Dakota and
Canada will prove these facts, where
roads are as straight as rifle bar
rel for miles and miles, making a
most beautiful country for the travel
er to gaze upon. And in closing this
article, last but not least, be INTER-
ESTED, and try to get the most out
of the money you are supposed to be
earning, and give value received for
each dollar paid you. Under our pres
ent laws the main roads are to be re-
paired last, which fact is just and
right. Sank Centre can profit by
some of these remarks, as the gentle
man can testify who went into the
ditch on Hoboken Hill and seriously
damaged a valuable automobile. This
hill should be so repaired as to allow
the travel to take the center instead
of the side of the road, creeping along
nearly in the ditch. A certain road
builder in years gon by used to put
| up notices at each end of finished
job with keep the middle of the
road and you help to make them good;
sides dangerousv The result was a
much better road. At the bottom of a
hard hill don't leave "pitch-hole" as
| it is hard to get up the hill with big
load or auto when you can just as
well as not make the approach
smooth.
| would call attention to a method
of road Improvement" which is ex-
hibited just beyond the William San
ter farm, about a mile and half west
of Sank Centre. Here was a stretch
Of road upon which gravel had been
spread and the road made smooth, but
the road builder now drops three or
four loads of clay and gravel upon the
gravel and does not attempt to level
or smooth off the clay in any manner
whatever, making the road about as
bad as road can be made in place of
a first-class piece of road that did ex-
ist. This is only another example of
our present methods of road improve
ment.
| Why can't our road builders let the
good roads alone and exert their eff
forts upon the places that really do
require repairs
A. d. Carpenter.