OBJECT-LESSON AND EXPERIMENTAL ROADS, 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. 
DiCKSoijr, 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 predominating. 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 were: 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. 
