MICHIGAN ROADS AND FORESTS 



A Simple Process for Making Concrete Culverts 



Free Demonstrations for Road Authorities 



The universal movement fur better roads 



has made ;i phenomenal demand for hetter 



I and cheaper and more permanent culvert.'-. 



Tlii- rule of the good road builder is. "When 



in doubt, put in a culvert." It i- much better. 



to put in an occasional culvert where it may 



not be absolutely necessary than to have a 



g( I.K! piece of road ruined by an unexpected 



erosion from a heavy storm, or soaked and 



.-oftened by standing water. 



Culverts are absolutely essential in the elimi- 

 nation of the many little depressions, which 



decay like wood, never rust out like iron or 

 steel, never break with ice and frost; and, be- 

 ing made of one piece from end to end. will 

 not break off or become disjointed, as vitri- 

 fied clay sewer pipe is very liable to do. 



But aside from the fact that concrete cul- 

 yerts are both better and cheaper than any 

 other kind, they have this important practical 

 advantage, they are almost entirely a result 

 of home labor. Any intelligent man can learn 

 to build concrete culverts in the same time 

 that he learns to build a culvert af lumber 



PUBLIC OFFICIALS 

 HENRY COUNTY- IOWA 



A Public Demonstration in Iowa 



i- so much desired in road improvement. The 

 'lii.'stion may be said to be settled in favor of 

 putting in a culvert wherever there is a reason- 

 able occasion for it. 



But, what kind of a culvert? 

 \\Y offer to show that the great indcslruct- 

 ble building material, reinforced concrete, is 

 available for county and township mad 

 ulverts as it has proven for railroad bridge 

 >iers, for buildings, for sewer pipe and drain 

 le and for monuments and gravestones. 

 Concrete culverts are permanent: they never 



or any other material. It takes sand and 

 gravel and water. These can usually be 

 found near where the culvert is to be built. It 

 also needs a few bags of Portland cement 

 and a few pounds of reinforcing material for 

 each culvert. With these, and one set of 

 Miracle collapsible forms, two men with a 

 team can put in more and better culverts for 

 less money than it costs by using any other 

 material. There is no long hauling of ma- 

 terial as when lumber is bought in town, or 

 when heavy sewer pipe is shipped in (subject 



to breakage.) In this case, the only material 

 necessary to buy is a few sacks of Portland 

 cement and the trifling expense for rein- 

 forcing metal. 



The Miracle Reinforced Stone Company, of 

 Minneapolis. Minn., offers to prove to any 

 wideawake board in charge of the roads that 

 the concrete culvert is what they want, and 

 it agrees to make a demonstration at its ex- 

 pense, putting in a culvert just as it can be 

 done wherever culverts are needed. All that 

 this enterprising concern asks is that the board 

 be in the market for the best culvert building 

 device, 1 and that the authorities intend to buy, 

 if convinced. County or township warrants 

 are accepted; and it will be demonstrated at 

 once that the saving will more than pay for 

 the cost of the Miracle Collapsible Culvert 

 Forms the first season. 



County and township road authorities are 

 invited to write regarding arrangements for 

 practical demonstration. The place selected 

 should be as public and accessible for parties 

 from various localities as possible, and the 

 local authorities should arrange to supply the 

 necessary sand and gravel and a few barrels 

 of water. 



The manufacturers furnish all the equipment 

 required and have a competent man from the 

 sales department at hand to direct the work. 



As a great advantage to this method of sup- 

 plying the public with the best culverts lies 

 in the employment of home labor, all the work 

 at these demonstrations is- done by men living 

 in the locality, preferably men employed by 

 the local authorities to do the work after the 

 equipment has been bought. 



Any intelligent man can learn to build a 

 perfect concrete culvert in a few hours, par- 

 ticularly if he helps to do the building. The 

 work is so simple that the directions furnished 

 will enable any one to do a good job. 



The labor cost of a concrete culvert is very 

 little if any more than the labor of putting in 

 any other kind. In any event, the excavation 

 is about the same size. The only difference 

 is that with concrete the material must be 

 mixed with cement and water before it is 

 shoveled back and tamped. 



We give herewith a table showing the cost 

 of culverts made of concrete as compared with 

 the cost in other materials as abstracted from 

 a bulletin on road improvement issued by the 

 Missouri State Board of Agriculture: 



Total Cost at."> Per Cent Interest. 



