The Powder River County examiner and the Broadus independent. [volume] (Broadus, Mont.) 1919-1935, 1922-02-17
REVOLUTI0NlZE
ROAD BUILDING
MIXING OF GUMBO AND GRAVEL.
IN RIGHT PROPORTIONS
MAKES IDEAL ROAD.


IN RIGHT PROPORTIONS t
MAKES IDEAL ROAD. =
Stretch Of Road in Northern Montana /
Built Of This Material Said to be
Attracting Much Attention Among !,
Contractors and Road Builders.
Between Vaughn and Sun River in {
the vicinity of the Adams ranch, not
far from Lange's corner, is a half
mile stretch of gravel road built by
M. l.. O'Neil that has caused much !
favorable comment among those who
have recently driven over 1t. It has
q hard, smooth surface and is stand
ing the strain Of traffic admirably.
It crosses q low piece of ground
where others had previously attempt
ed to build road but never had
made success Of It.
The road was built by O'Neil ac-
cording to a formula which he has
spent many years in developing and
road building in Montana II general
~ adopted. It is the simple process
of mixing gumbo and gravel in the
right proportions and in the right |
manner, which sounds easy, but ac-
cording to O'Neil requires experience.
It was In 1918 that the Cascade |
county commissioners first built a
gravel road across the lowlands in
the vicinity Of the Adams ranch on
the Sun river valley highway. This
road, however, was never satisfac-
tory. The gravel would not ''stay
put" and after 1t had been driven
over few times was virtually as bad
as the rutty, sticky trail that had
been there before gravel was put on
it.. Farmers and ranchers in that
part of the county were constantly
complaining Of the uselessness of
such a piece of highway.
Early last fall, M. L. O'Neil. who
owns "Sun River Slope Farm" about
~ miles northwest of Great Falls on
the park-to-park highway. applied to
the county commissioners for job
as road builder. He submitted rec
concentrations and other evidences of
his ability from Wisconsin people
where he lived before coming to Mon
tana, but he did not seem to arouse
. the commissioners interest until he
, offered to build q piece of road any
. place in the county they might select
for which, If he did not complete it
to their satisfaction, he would charge
the county nothing. In this offer
the county commissioners saw an op-
t portunity to give O'Neil real test.
: So they turned him loose on that hall
: mile stretch near the Adams ranch
= which had been q source of grief to
them for three years.
O'Neil has been paid 800 which II
J, was agreed he would receive If his
+ road work was satisfactory, and the
: farmers who use that particular roat
: are sure that an equal sum was neve
2 better spent by the county. The rOa,
is almost pavement in its smooth
mess and hardness.
e It is O'Neil's idea that Montan,
3 gumbo and gravel can be mixed II
!, road building in much the same wa,
that cement and gravel are mixe'
for sidewalks. He uses pit run gravel
which means that It does not have t
> be sifted to certain size and b
mixes it with the gumbo, when bot
are dry, with his road grading ma
:. chimes. The secret of the success o
- the formula depends upon the proper
=: lions of the gravel to gumbo and tn
~ manner Of mixing them.
II Montana gumbo is unsurpasse
! for binder in gravel road construt
" tion," says O'Neil. 1.-THE amount 9
,. gumbo to be used depends upon tn
|. quality of the gravel. The best gum
= DO is the stickiest. but 1t should b
"A mixed with the gravel when both ms
a terials are dry, and it should b
a mixed thoroughly from top to bottol
M of the road surface.
Is "After the proper mixture has bee
n decided upon, the material must /
mixed so that the coarser will be
the bottom and the finer on to-
mostly through the center, and tt
8. undesirable sizes on the outside edg
f. A heavy road grader with long whe
TO base has proven best in mixing nj
IN terials.
rs "After the grader has done i
N work, q wooden road drag is use
al The drag hastens the curing of IL
mixture. After the materials al
properly mixed and in place rain
ts welcomed. The surface is hardent
W. by that time, and there is lit
Sc chance for the water to penetrate al
e. cause the gravel to loosen and Their
"a by make chuck holes"
ed Engineers who have visited Il
st piece Of road say that It excels 9th
ol gravel road construction because Il
i'll average gravel road is built in an 9
n tirely different manner-gravel b
ce ing hauled and dumped on the ro'
and then shaped up" improp
- binding material being used. The I
suit Is a rapid deterioration of t
ne road and high maintenance costs
on "chuck holes are easily made viii
&c. can never be satisfactorily fixed.
ay O'Neil was only Is years old VIII
in
Of
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