Evening journal., 1918-10-08
Engineer Recon- m e n d S
Combination of Gang and
Individual Plan
RECOMMENDATION
GOES TO COURT

cOmDlnatlOn, Mr.. GruDDS Outline says
Produces the best results. l should
favor the individual patrolman, fur
nished merely with the small tools,
who should be supplied at intervals
with necessary materials, and whose
work should be supplemented by a
large force TO overcome work piled
up"
q The following are the duties OF the
individual patrolmen as enumerated In
the recommendation:
Keeping waterproof the surface OF
tar covered macadam by painting with
tar.
Filling and patching holes in surface
with tar and chips.
Filling depressions along side Of i'm
proved road metal TO prevent water
from paying along stone bed.
Removing all trash, tin cans, nails. old
iron, bottles, etc.
Replacing broken floor boards in cul-
verts and bridges.
Replacing broken guard rails.
Keeping culyerts open.
Cleaning bitches and shoulders.
Cutting grass and weeds which keep
water from cutters.
Trimming brush and trees at curves.
Painting or whitewashing guard rails.
bridge and culyert heads.
Previous TO outlining the details Of
the system which he maintains must
be established in order TO preserve the
roads for necessary travel. Mr.. Grubb
deals with the difficulties that are be-
ing experienced not only in this State
but in neighboring States In maintain
fng roads in a condition TO meet the
modern automobile and truck travel.
I'VE realize" says the report, 1T Is
no small problem TO maintain for all
kinds OF travel TO even trucks weigh
ing loaded IS tons or more, roads con-
structed to Withstand at greatest a l.
ton load. Some spots and stretches
are hound to fail. We can, however,
accomplish a wonderful amount Of good
in forestaling many such failures.
"As you know, we are resurfacing
many miles Of our macadam roads with
tar and chips TO insure a WATERPROOF
mat over their surface. This mat must
be maintained In perfect condition II
the light roads are 10 Withstand the
traffic during wet periods. II moisture
is permitted TO penetrate this surface
even in small spots, the sub-grade be-
comes saturated and the first heavy
load causes the stone bed to settle and
soon the road Is cut through. On every
road there aer certain spots which fan
periodically. Almost without exception
these spots are located Immediately In
front or on the down grade side OF
clogged drainage pipe, Of an entrance
or intersecting road. A few are found
in narrow cuts where cutters are too
shallow and close 10 the stono BED OF
when ruts have existed along the stone
metal. such failures might be pre-
vented.
THE patrol system, in one form or
another. I believe TO be the partial
solution OF this problem OF mainten-
ance."
"The two most popular methods
continues the report, may be de-
scribed as the gang patrol and the In
dividual patrol. The users OF each are
ready 10 show the particular advan-
tages OF them. The method OF gang
patrol calls for the division OF road
mileage TO districts OF from 30 10 4O
miles. each district assigned as a pa
troll This ordinary patrol consists OF
from s 10 ~ men furnished with vari-
Gus road equipment and an autom0-
bile truck for carrying OF men ana
tools and for supplying materials Tor
repalrs. This gang rOtates from one
end of its patrol to the other, cleaning
culyerts. bitches, replanklng bridges
and patching the road surface continu-
ouslv Al times, Of course, IL Is neces-
sary 10 Increase It's size to overcome
larger repairs and to furnish additional
trucks for unloading cars.
"The Individual patrol system may
be divided into two classesi First, that
,lass in which the individual patrol
nan Is furnished with a horse and cart
and Is depended upon TO do most OF his
own hauling; secondly, that class In
which the individual Is supplied at IN
tervals with materials at convenient
spots along his route and he, himself,
Is furnished with merely the small
tools and a wheel barrow. In either
class the work Of the patrolman must
he supplemented at intervals by a lar
Ger force concentrated on his district,
10 scrape the shoulders into first class
shane or make larger repairs than one
man can handle. This means mat any
individual patrol system overlaps the
gang system.
"The gang patrol system has It's
greatest advantage in that competent
foreman can be placed in charge, and
held responsible for all repairs. He sees
that each detail Of repair is properly
done and his direct supervision ellmi-
mates chances to loaf, thereby produc-
ing satisfactory and efficient work. Rec
ords, however, when both methods
have been tried. show that this greater
efficiency Of the gang is overcome by
the daily efforts Of the individual pa
trolman. On the job every day he
patches while the hole Is small. While
the gang covers its territory maybe
once in six weeks. the individual COW
ers his territory once every week. He
saves material and catches the repair
before II becomes a weakness to the
road, case of "A stitch in time saves
nine" The individual, having to de-
pend entirely on himself, soon realizes
that the better he does his patching the
less he has to do; he is interested TO
find out the best means OF repairing a
hole. Thus instead OF having the per-
sonal interest of merely the few fore
men, we would soon have every indi-
vidual patrolman competing with his
neighbor. In addition the gang would
often find they had no immediate use
for their truck, II would stand idle
during the cleaning of culvert or a
ditch. As such equipment is only eco
nomical where in motion, this would
add to the expense OF the gang patrol.
To eliminate loaflng Of the individual
patrolman as much as possible, I
should supply him with flag. II, for