Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-08-29
STATE FAIR VISITORS FLOCK TO
ROAD SHOW AND DEMON
sTRATloNs.
FARMERS INTERESTED
IN svRpRIsINa NUMBERS
Types Of Road Construction and
a Bridsss, With Various Kinds Of Paw
" ing, Exhihitsd-Gravs Road speeifi-
cations Give Splendid ,Results-Live
Stock Judging in Progress.
Special to Times.Republican.

Des Moines. Aug. 29.-Altho in
somewhat OF an out Of the-way ioca-
ton, the exhibit Of the state highway
commission at the Iowa state fair is
sought out by. many visitors at the
fair. With so much being said about
highways In the present political cam
patgn and OF the law which made the
state highway commission there are
many farmers who are looking up this
highway exhibit.
The commission has a permanent
. exhibit uf types of roads and pave
ments for cities and rural districts and
Of bridge construction. This was put
In last year but Is apparently OF more
interest now than ever. The commits
sion explains 'ahat in /placing the
roadway and pavement exhibit on the
state fair grounds 1t has the single
object in view OF providing an oppor-
tunity for all who are interested in the
studying Of highway and street i'm
provement and the development OF
better roads and streets in iowa to
see and comparefa number Of stand
ard types for euch improvements" 4 Z
The permanent exhibit shows amen :
trance bridge, roadway culvert and for
city paving the. following types: A
sheet pavement section, one course
concrete, vitriaed brick. creosoted wood
block, two-course concrete, sheet as
phalt, and asphaltic concrete.
Country Roads Section.
In the country roads section the
following types are shown: Earth
I. roads, gravel roads, asphaltic maca-
I dam, vertical fiber brick and rein
forced concrete. The highway COM
I mission makes 1t plain that It is not
advocating any particular kind OF road
! but this exhibit shows the various
types that are in use and explains
something Of each type. In all types
OF paved rural highways; only the cen
ter sixteen feet lis surfaced while the
edges or shoulders are composed Of the
natural materials found on the side of
the road.
The earth esection shows an earth
srcad properly graded. ,sIoped and with
1 the right sort of drainage. The stand
ara earth roadway has a shoulder to
shoulder distance ftwenty-four feet
and ditch to ditch distance Of thirty
SIX feet. The outside ditch banks are
sssloped SO that they may be seeded and
moved WITH IN ordinary, moving ma
l chine.
The sample gravel road In the state
highway exhibit is constructed by the
latrench method. The standard specifi-
cations Of the highway commission re-
quife for a sixteen foot roadway with
eight inches Of compacted gravel at
the center shout 1900 yards of gravel
per mile. Commenting on this type
I the commission says:
I'm the past splendid results have
been secured from the use OF gravel
) roadways constructed with little at
tention given to the proper selection OF
material or placing. With the use OF
suitable grades Of gravel and proper
road machinery for placing and COM
pacting the material very much better
monty been experienced in the past.
ed over the state and can be made
available for use within a reasonable
cost on large percentages Of the
county road systems Of the entire
state"
Photographs Of Construction.
The highway commission has en-
larged photographs showing road and
bridge construction work in various
parts Of the state and of how faulty
road construction or bad places in
roads have been overcome by proper
drainage. Some excellent views of
permanent bridges are shown and also
OF graveled stretches Of road.
L The commission also shows models
OF the types Of bridge construction and
retaining wall work on which patents
are claimed and over which there is
now litigation in this state. The
models were gotten up by the state for
use in trial in the federal court In
which the Thatcher interests are suing
for alleged infringement Of patents.
Live Stock Judging.
Judges in the cattle department are