Proceedings of the Annual Conference of the State Commission and the County Superintendents of Highways (Volume 2-8)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1910. Excerpt: ... here gradually to a creek which is the outlet for the moisture in the soil to the west or south, as the case may he. You go into those fields and dig a well and go down ten or fifteen feet and get all the water you want or you find on that slope, springs with plenty of water. Now, what is the result? That slope all through that section when the storms come, the springs are full and the soil is full. Do you think that the water follows the surface? No, it seeps to the water-table and then seeps to the next lower water-table and so on until it reaches the road that is properly shaped and crowned and that water will continue to follow the water-table under the roadbed that is shaped and crowned, and so on to the creek or outlet beyond. Now, the problem is to get that water intercepted and keep it from seeping under the roadbed. If you keep the water off from the road and away from the road, there won't be any moisture in the roadbed to freeze and, therefore, we do not get that heavy condition in the spring and you will find, in many instances, that you have taken care of the condition sufficiently without more expensive improvement. How shall we do that? Dig a trench in the upper ditch from three and a quarter to four feet in depth, throwing the material aside as excavated and being careful to get the bottom absolutely and positively to grade; then use ordinary land tile, if you please, placing that tile in the bottom of the trench, it being absolutely true to grade, to carry the water out in. Use the excavated material and pack it carefully under and over the tile, wrapping the joints with burlaps or tar paper and, as you lay the tile, throw the same excavated material right back into that trench; don't go to the expense of filling your trench with crushed ...