OBJECT-LESSON AND EXPERIMENTAL EOADS, 1912-13. 29 



mately 3.9 per cent, as it was before the improvement. Two corrugated metal 

 culverts 26 feet long were constructed; one, 12 inches in diameter, at station 

 27+35 and one, 15 inches in diameter, at station 55+00. 



The road was graded to a width of 44 feet, making a graded area of 29,783 

 square yards. Earth, 2,708 cubic yards of which was moved, was for the 

 greater part placed with an elevating grader hauled by a gas tractor, though 

 plows and scrapers were used when more practicable. After the rough grading 

 was completed the road was harrowed with a disk harrow and then shaped 

 and compacted with a blade grader hauled by the gas tractor. 



The equipment consisted of 1 gas tractor, one 8-horse blade grader, 1 elevating 

 grader, one 4-horse blade grader, 2 small wheel scrapers, 1 drag scraper, 1 plow, 

 1 disk harrow, 1 spike harrow, and hand tools. The gas tractor, with operator 

 and supplies, was hired at a cost of $25 per 10-hour day. Labor cost $2.50 and 

 teams $4.50 per 10-hour day. 



The total cost of the road to the community was $236.92, or, disregarding the 

 cost of culverts, $182.80, which is at the rate of $0.0061 per square yard. The 

 principal items of cost were: Excavation, at $0.0405 per cubic yard, $109.82; 

 fine grading, at $0.0017 per square yard, $50.48; compacting, at $0.0008 per 

 square yard, $22.50 ; culvert pipe, $49.92 ; and labor on culverts, $4.20. 



Dickson, Tenn. — Work was started on November 12, 1912, on an earth road 

 leading southwest from Dickson and was discontinued on November 29, 1912, 

 after a section 5,280 feet long had been graded to a width of 24 feet in cuts 

 and 18 feet in fills. The adjacent land is hilly and the soil varies from loam to 

 solid rock, with rock pretlominating. With the limited amount of funds avail- 

 able for this work, it was impossible to reduce the steep maximum grade of 10.1 

 per cent materially or to make the general character of the work such as was 

 desired. 



The total area graded was 11,710 square yards, while the volume of earth 

 excavation was 1,700 cubic yards and the volume of rock excavation 25 cubic 

 yards. The maximum cut was 3.6 feet and the maximum fill 2.5 feet. Earth 

 was loosened with plows and hauled with drag scrapers and wagons or moved 

 with a road machine. Rock was excavated by hand drilling and blasting with 

 40 per cent dynamite, and the loosened material was moved by hand. A 12- 

 horsepower traction engine was used for plowing and also for pulling the road 

 machine. 



Two timber culverts were constructed — one at station 25+18 having a span 

 of 2 feet, a height of opening of 1 foot 4 inches, and a length of 15 feet, and the 

 other, at station 41+48, having a span of 3 feet, a height of opening of 2 feet, 

 and a length of 24 feet. 



The equipment consisted of one 12-horsepower traction engine, one 300-gallon 

 tank, 2 plows, 2 No. 2 drag scrapers, 1 reversible road machine, and hand tools. 

 The traction engine, road machine, and tank were hired as one outfit for $9 per 

 10-hour day, and this price included all charges for operators, fuel, etc. Labor 

 cost $1.25 and teams $3 per 10-hour day. 



The total cost of the road to the community was $429.65, which is at the rate 

 of $0,037 per square yard. The principal items of cost vvere : Clearing, $1.13 ; 

 excavation (earth), at $0,194 per cubic yard, $330.14; excavation (rock), at 

 $1,275 per cubic yard, $31.88 ; dynamite for rock excavation, $7.15 ; constructing 

 culverts, $4.30 ; materials for culverts, $12.95 ; fine grading, $12.60 ; superintend- 

 ence, $28 ; and incidentals, $1.50. 



Fannett, Tex. — ^An earth road, leading from Fannett northwest toward 

 Nome, was constructed between May 5, 1913, and June 13, 1913. The road 

 traverses marsh or rice land, having a black, waxy soil. The maximum fill 

 was 3 feet, and the average fill throughout the length of the road was 1 foot. 



