The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1916-10-07
TILE DRAINING MEETS FAVOR
Wisconsin Highway Commission Out
lines Plan for Improvement of
Wet Spots in Roads

By the WISCONSIN HIGHWAY COM
MISSION)
Most Of the Springy places or sink
holes in roads are due TO two causes:
Lack Of drainage in the side bitches,
and second, and probably the greater
cause, lack of drainage beneath the
surface. In other words, the under
ground water flows so close TO the
surface OF the road that there is not
sufficient hard crust TO hold up the
travel, and the whole road surface
cuts through and becomes bottOmleSs-
Deepening the bitches viii help, mas
much as they viii help get the sur
face water of the road into the
bitches, and viii carry it away, il the
bitches are properly dug. But no mat
ter how deep the side bitches are made
(within limits of safety TO traveD,
they will not catch any great part Of
the underground water as it flows
just so far below the surface wherever
the surface is.
In the case Of springy places on fats
or near marshes, the road should be
raised as much as money permits, the
side bitches deepened and made with
an even grade so that they discharge
TO some outlet. Down the center Of the
road, as deep as you can get it and
still get an outlet, should be laid a line
OF four or six-inch land tile Inverted
sod or burlap should 0e placed over the
tile joints. The trench for this should
be dug with ordinary thing tools to an
even grade. 1t is much better If the
trench is back-flled with clean crushed
stone or clean stoney gravel These
things being done, you viii be astOund-
ed at the improvement in conditions
next spring and in all wet times. The
tile should be given a fall OF about
to get it, the more the better, though it
will flow with a fall Of as little as one
inch in 100 feet, If well laid. If the
trench described above is filed with
rock or coarse gravel, results are Sc
cured, but tile is much better.
The short spring holes, on hills
usually, should be treated by opening
good bitches at each side so the sur
face water flows of readily, and then
in the shoulder about ten feet from the
center OF the road should be laid a four
or six-inch tile at a depth Of at least
three feet below the center OF the road.
This tile should be placed on the edge
OF the road toward the side from which
the underground water comes (the side
of the road on which the land is high
est.
The trench should be back-fIIed with
stone or gravel, and If this work is
well done so the tile runs freely, you
will be surprised to see the amount Of
water it will discharge, and the i'm
prOvement in the road during all wet
seasons. In exceptional cases, the tile
should be placed on both sides Of the
road, but usually a line OF tile on the
high side viii intercept the under
ground flow and lower the water level
enough to save the road Piling stone
in sink holes until the bottom is
reached will usually improve condi-
lions, but the expense of this method
Of fixing a sink hole is usually very
much greater than thing il, and the
results are not as good, because it does
not remove the cause which produces
the bad spot, while tile does
FOur-inch unglazed field tile is worth
from 3 to cents per foot; six
inch glazed sewer pipe with bell IS
worth from to 10 cents per foot;
six-inch from 10 TO Il cents per
foot Prices vary with quality desired,
kind OF delivery and local profit Your
local dealer can give you prices
As for surface drainage, the only
safe rule is TO grade the road so the
water VIII run promptly from the sur
face OF the road into the bitches, and
to so grade the bitches that water viii
not stand at any point, but flow rapid
~ along the bitches and away TO some
natural outlet. Standing water Except
in some cases on marshes) is evidence
Of lack of care in making and main
tanning the bitches, and a sink hole or
springy place is an absolute indication
that both side bitches and tile under
drain are very badly needed.
Must Rebuild Bridges.