The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1915-06-30
GOOD ROADS,.

Sd1lllls SAS
the subject of good roads, and max
ms some suggestions as to how these
roads may be constructed and main
tanned. We shall be well repaid
for these efforts and suggestions, II
the public will manifest some inter-
est in the subject.
There are bad roads in other
counties than Abbeville, and in other
states than our own. Of late years
people generally are beginning to
take more interest in the subject.
We have before US an article just
sent out by the American Highway
Association, under the head. Glow
to Make and Keep the Road Dry"
AS it is in line with the articles which
we have been writing, we have con-
cluded to give our readers the bene-
fit of it in full. 1t is as follows:
"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 lit
tie or no mud will result. 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 ma
turally seeks the lowest level: You
can not keep the water from falling
on the road, but you. can assist its
natural 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 traffic. Keep the side
bitches clean and with frequent out
lets to get the water away from the
road entirely. Do not let the cul-
verts clog up or material accummu-
late in the bitches and hold back
pools of water to soak into and sof-
ten the foundations 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. 1t
will pay and pay we'll. e.
Like most other enemies, water is
not very destructive or dangerous
until it collects in force. There
fore, get the water away from your
road at every available opportunity
and before it has time to collect in
sufficient volume to be dangerous to
the road, and do not invite certain
disaster by making you'd ~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 Notifications
which protect the culvert from at
tack and destruction during severe
storms. Do not build dry weather
~culverts; build them with a view of
caring for and protecting the road
during the worst possible storms
Make your road dry, build it hard
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
maintain the drainage in good con-
dition. Drag your road after 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 duration the surface
is softened but very little. AS soon
as the rain has ceased and the road
surface dried so that the clay is