The Pickens sentinel. (Pickens, S.C.) 1911-2016, 1916-09-28
TILE DRAINING MEETS FAVOR

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, ana the whole road surface
cuts through and becomes bottomless.
Deepening the bitches will help, mas
much as they will help get the sur
face water Off the road into the
bitches, and will carry 1t away, If the
bitches are properly dug. But no mat
ter how deep the side bitches are made
(Within limits of safety to trnvel),
they will not catch any great part of
the underground water, us 1t flows
just so far below the surface wherever
the surface is.
In the case Of springy places on flats
or near marshes, the road should be
raised as much as money permits, the
side bitches dcepcncd 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 1t and
lat t,l,r a lat,
of four or Six-nch land tile. Inverted
sod or burlap should be placed over the
tile joints. The trench for this should
be dug with ordinary ttling tools to an
even grade. 1t is much better if the
trench is back-iillcd with clean crushed
stone or clean stoney gravel. These
things being done, you will be astound-
cd at. the Improvement in conditions
next spring and In all wet times. The
tile should be given fall Of about
three inches in 100 feet, If it Is possible
to get 1t, the more the better, though it
will flow with Il fall of as little us one
inch in 100 feet, If we'll 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 Off readily, and then
in the shoulder about ten feet from the
center of the road should be laid four
or slx-inch tile ut a depth Of Mt 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
or the road on which the land is high
est).
The trench should be bacl1-fillcd 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 1t will discharge, and the i'm
proVement In the road during oil wet
seasons. In exceptional cases, the tile
should be placed on both sides Of the
road, but usually line Of tile on the
high side will 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-
tions, but the expense Of this method
Of fixing sink hole Is usually very
much greater than tiling 1t, and the
results are not as good, because 1t does
not remove the cause which produces
the bad spot, while tile does.
Four-inch unglazed field tile is worth
from to s cents per foot; six
inch from AZ to cents per foot; four
inch glazed sewer pipe with bell is
worth from 6 to 10 cents per foot
six-inch from 10 to ii 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 Will run promptly from the sur
face OF the road into the bitches, and
to SO grade the bitches that water will
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
or lack of care in making and main
tanning the ditchcs, and sink hole or
Springy place is an absolute indication
that both side bitches and tile under.
drain are very badly ncu uded.