Newspapers / The Danbury Reporter (Danbury, … / May 24, 1911, edition 1 / Page 2
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Page 2 MAKING DIRT ROADS State Geojegist Pratt Tells How To Do It« Taking Care of the Water the Most Im portant Thing To Consider—Valuable Information For Overseers. When we stop to consider the number of miles of road in any county and compare this number with the small number repre senting the miles of specially surfaced road, we can readily see that it will be a great many years—perhaps generations—be fore all, or even half, the public roads are surfaced with macad am, or sand-clay. For this rea son it is very important that we should give very careful consid eration and thought to the con struction and maintenance of the dirt road. When properly constructed, the dirt road can be kept in good condition throughout near the whole year, except, perhaps, during periods of severe freezes and thaws. At the present time we have very few earth roads but what can be improved, and usually the question of improve ment is not a very difficult one to solve. The old idea that anybody can build a dirt ro n d is fast losing | ground, and our people are be ginning to realize that road con- i struction, even of dirt roads, re-j quires the services of men who ( have been trained in this line of j work. As careful thought j should be given to the construct- j ion of dirt roads as is given to j the hard-surfaced roads: and in I those counties which rely on just the labor tax for the con struction of their public roads a great advance can be made if this labor tax is utilized under the supervision of an experienced road engineer. The location of any public road is the only permanent portion of the road: therefore, great care should be taken that when the road is once constructed there should be no question whatever regarding its relocation. In lo cating a road it should be done so as to permit of an easy grade —none over 4 1-3 per cent—and should be constructed so that it will readily shed the rainfall. How often we see a road going up a hill and down the other side, when, by building around the side of the hill, it could have been kept at an even grade, reaching the identical point with in the same distance, or but a little greater. If, in grading a road, we have any grades over 4 1-3 per cent, it will be necessary to construct across the surface of the road a V-shaped surface ditch to turn the water off the surface of the road, for if this is not done the water will, with the grade over 4 1-3 per cent, have momentum enough to seriously gully the surface of the road. No matter how carefully these V-shaped ditches across the surface of a road are constructed, they are very inconvenient to travel, are hard on the wagons, and should be avoided wherever possible. They can be avoided if the grade is kept below 41-3 per cent The dirt road is more suscept ible to damage by water than, of coarse, any of the specially surfaced roads; therefore, great cars should be taken to work out an efficient aystem of drain age for the road. Water must be kept away from the road, and the rain which falls on the road must be permitted to run off as rapidly as possible, and by a very easy grade. It must not only be taken off the surface of the road as rapidly as possi ble, but also out of the side ditches. Care should be taken that these side ditches are not too steep, and that every op portunity is seized for turning the water out of the ditches in to the adjoining fields. Many of our country roads are bad because in their construc tion no arrangement was made for taking care of the water, and thus they are very muddy and filled with ruts and holes. Instead of the middle of the road being higher than the edges, so that the water can | readily run off on each side, j many of them are flat, or even concave, with the center of the road the lowest point. If the road has been constructed so that it is well crowned, with the j slope about 1 in 20 from the ( center of the road to the side j ditches, and these ditches have! been graded so as to readily take care of the water, and yet not steep enough to cause them j to cut deep gullies on the side ! of the road, and if the water is taken from these ditches at every available point so as to prevent seepage of water under the surface of the road, there should be little difficulty in keep i ing the road in good condition. | Very often it is necessary to ; carry the water from one side !of the road to the other; and when this is necessary, it should be done by means of either ! concrete, metal, or terra cotta culverts or pipes which will carry the water under the surface of the road. After the system of drainage has been in stalled, provision should be made to keep it up, so that the drains and the culverts will not become stopped up. The surface of a dirt road should be kept of dirt, and when ever any holes or ruts have de veloped in the road, they should not be filled up with stone, or brush, but with dirt, and with dirt as nearly as possible of the same character as the dirt com posing the surface of the balance of the road. If, on the other hand, holes or ruts are filled with rock, gravel, or brush, the wearing effect will be uneven, and the wheels will begin to scoop and cut out holes just be yond or on the opposite side of the road from the hole filled up. If there are stumps or rocks in the road, they should all be re moved, so that the dirt surface can be smoothed over and brought to an even slope from the center to the ditches. After the road has been well construct ed and the right slope and sur face obtained, it can be kept in this condition very readily by judicious application of the split log or King drag. This simple road machine, if used regularly after a rain when the roadbed is wet, will smooth and shape up ; the road, so that as soon as it has dried out it will be firm and ' hard. The drag will fill up the ruts and holes and will keep the dirt road in first-class condition with hard surface, throughout | nearly the whole year, i As moisture is very detrimen tal to a dirt road, the sun should be permitted to strike the sur face as a dirt road as much as 'possible; and, therefore, care should be taken not to have too much shade along a dirt road, 'and, where necessary, the trees should be cut away so that the j whole surface of the road is ex- j posed to the sun for at least | several hours during the day. Shade is good for a macadam road, but bad for a dirt road. In repairing a dirt road the I same thought must be given as jin the construction of the road, ' and, when cleaning out ditches, i the material should not be thrown into the middle of the road or on any part of the sur face of the road, but it should be thrown into the adjoining fields; for this material is usually I composed largely of fine silt and i vegetable material, which holds moisture like a sponge and be ! comes very difficult to dry out, | and is entirely different in character and consistency from the dirt surface of the road. How many times have we seen j the dirt road repaired by this ' material being thrown up into | the center or just beyond the ! edge of the ditch, thus prevent ing the surface water from flow ing into the ditches, and, in- I stead, turning it down the i road. | In the maintenance of our dirt | roads they should be divided in to sections, with a foreman or overseer in charge of each sec -1 tion, whose duties should be to igo over every mile of his section after every rain and at least I every two weeks, and wherever! ihe finds a portion of the road needing repair, he should have it done. After each heavy rain he should run a road drag over the road in order to bring it into i shape and to fill up any ruts or holes that might have been started. We must bear in mind that roads will not maintain themselves, and that repairing a road simply once a year will not keep it in good condition. In repairing a dirt road, don't fill up the holes and ruts in the dirt road with brush, with rocks on top, and a little dirt to cover the rocks; but fill up the hole with dirt of the same character as the balance of the road. Don't throw all the refuse from the ditches into the middle of the road, thus softening the surface and destroying the solid, firm bed that you have obtained by previous work; but throw this material out on the opposite side of the ditch. Don't leave the center of the road the lowest point; but make it the highest and give the sur face of the road a slope of about 1 in 20 to the side ditch. Don't carry the water across the surface of the road from one side to the other; but carry it by means of culverts underneath the road. Don't have grades on your road over 4i per cent; for if you do it will be necessary to build V-shap ed surface ditches or' Thank-you mara's" across the road. Don't, in working out the labor tax on the roads, try to make a holiday of it] but give THE DANBURY REPORTER • an honest day's work on the road. Let us eliminate what is often seen in those sections where the roads are maintained by the labor tax—ten or twelve men and un overseer, a little grey mule, a small plow, six dogs, three or four guns, and i a few tools which often are not! considered worth using at home. I I ; This road force is not only hard i on the rabbits, but also hard on i | the roads. i Don't reject the split-log drag | because it is a cheap road ma-, | chine, but use it constantly, for i it is the most efficient road ma chine that we can use in main- 1 taining the dirt road. ___________—— : J. A. GENTRY. Watches, Clocks. Jewelry. Silver! Ware anil Optical Goods. 407 North Main .St., Winston-Salem, N. It gives us pleasure to make favorable mention of Mr. J. A. Gentry, a gentle men of vast experience In the watch and jewelry lawlnewi. He commenc ed the traile in IKM) ami for some 15 years has followed the business In "this city, lie has beenat his present location for 10 years. The stock carried here Is quite large and com prises a very fine line of goods. His more than :W years experience has given him such a thorough knowledge of values that he Is en abled to select his stock with unusu al ability and discretion. As an ex iiert repairer he stands at the top. No watch Is too complicated for him to adjust anil he gives special atten tion to high grade work. Heis favor ed with the patronage of many of our best people throughout the city and county. Mr. Gentry Is an hon orable merchant and a gentleman of most excellent standing. NOTICE OF SALE OF ItKAL ESTATE. By virtue of a decree of the Super ior Court of Stokes County rendered on the l'.tth day of April, litll, in the special proceeding entitled "James E. Shelton and others. Exparte". 1 will expose to public saleto the high est bidder for cash, atjthecourt house door in the town of I (anbury, N.C., on Monday, the ."tth day of June, lull, at the hour of one o'clock p. in., a tract of land 1 u Stokes County, Snow Creek Township, containing 4(1 acres, more or less, ami being the tract devised by the last will anil testament of Mrs. Sallie Joyce to Nannie E Shelton, wife ofi.Thomas Shelton, being lot No. "J. asset forth on a plat of of the lands of Mrs. Sallie Joyce accompanying said will, ami which appears on pageiitiof will book No 7, in the office of the clerk of the Superior Court of Stokes Co., said tract btiumlcilasfidlows: Begin ning at pointers, thence North llli de grees West, !» chains to a maple, thence North, degrees East, :i'» chains to a stake, thence North v degrees West. •• chains toadogwood, thence North degrees East. • '. :t , chains to a stake, thence North degrees West. 2 chains to a willow, thence North :l',chainstoasassafr.is. thence North :!l degrees West li'j chains to a black gum. thence North II degrees East. In chains to a rock, thence North chains to a stake, thence East it ll , chains to a black oak, thence South degrees East, lit chains to a rock, thence North *5 de grees West, li chains to a stake, thence South. :i degrees East, l.Vj| chains to a stake, and thence South 52 degrees West, 7 chains to the be ginning. This the 19th day of April, 15*11. N. o. PETKEE, Commissioner. NOTICE! Having duly qualified as adminis trators ui»«n the estate of Abram Lewie deceived, all persons holding claims agaiint said estate are here by notified toll resent the sami' duly authenticated Jor payment, to the undersigned, dn or before the first day of May, 1912, or this notice will lie pleaded in bar of tlielr recovery, anil all tiersons owing said estate are hereby requested to come for ward and make immediate settle ment of the same. Germanton, N. t!., K. F. D. No. 1, April 20th, lttll. GEORGE LEWIS, J. P. LEWIS. Administrators of Abram Lewis, deceased. J. D. HUMPHREYS. Atty. for Adm'ra. NOTICE! Having duly qualified a* adminis trator of the estate of Thomas J. Tuttle deceased, notice Is hereby given to all persons holding claims against the said estate to present the same to me, properly authenti cated. for payment on or before the 25th day of April, 1912, or this notice will lie pleaded In bar of their re covery, and all persons Indebted to said estate are required to come for ward and make Immediate settle ment. This April 15th, 1911. GEORGE W. TUTTLE, Adm'r of Thoma* J. Tuttle, dee'd. J. l>. HUMPHREYS. Atty. for Adm'r. NOTICE 1 Notk-e is hereby given that the undersigned will apply to Governor W. W. Kltchln for a pardon for Hump. Mitchell, who was convicted at fair term, 1910, of the Superior I Court of Stokes county on a charge of false pretense ana sentenced to work on the public roads of Rock ingham connty for a term of two years. This April Mst, IWI. CORA HAWKINS. J. D. HUMPHREYS, Atty. —^— ■ I Beautiful I Stationery I Farmers / I Special Offer For 30 Days to Farmer Readers of Re porter: I 150 Letter Heads I 100 Envelops with name and address and farm name (if you have named your farm) nicely printed on good grade of paper, and mail ed to any address, only SLOO Name your Farm and be Up-to-date. I Danbury Reporter I DANBURY, N. C. 1 LADIES!! LADIES! Most anything you wear. Nice Slippers and Dress Goods A Specialty. Boyles Mercantile COMPANY Kinj, - - - - N. C. " R. DAVIS Selling Out At Cost DRY OOODS, NOTIONS, BOOTS, SHOES AND LADIES' MILLINERY, AND FURNISHINQ GOODS. Oreat Bargains. R., DAVIS 411 LIBERTY ST. WIN9TQN • SALBM. m /am idAfslvAJl.--' &W;iA/ -iiV'"-.ifci''. l -. '* K!bJ£ski*i LAND SALE. I will on Saturday. June lttbl 1911, at 1 o'clock p. m., on the preol Im Mil at public auction to tM a:hnt bidder a tract of land COB ntng about 70 acre* lying on bafcl aides of the Mt. Airy and Madljn road on East Bide of Peter's ONM adjoining land of R. B. Hart, Dr, A. J. Prtngie and others. It wllUjaAjit Into two lota and offered |m 1« separate lota and then all tw|M». This Is a splendid farm, good ttroag land, has good dwelling thereon, has about 10 acres of good bottom land on It, and any person deal ring a good farm will do well to bay. Ap ply for deacrlptton and any other Information to my attorney, J, p Humphreys, of Danbury, N. 0., arte myself at Smith, N. a, R. F. ]). NQ. 1. April SUt, int. Terms rush, or y cash riMl biUtM on one and two years time wju# bylwd. 1 F. L. IIOORR. I
The Danbury Reporter (Danbury, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
May 24, 1911, edition 1
2
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