THE MODERN CEMET.iRY. 
51 
The proper form of the finished surface will vary consider- 
ably as the grade varies. On a nearly level grade the height of 
the center above the edges of the gutter should be on a ratio of 
I to 25. This will give a crown of 6 inches for a 25-foot road, or 
12 inches if the width be 50 feet. If the grade be steep the crown 
should be proportionately higher, so that in all cases the watej- 
will find its line of quickest descent toward the gutters, and 
never parallel with them. When newly finished, the crown is 
better too high than too low, as it will constantly be wearing 
down under the travel upon it. 
Paved gutters to carry off the surface- wash are of the utmost 
importance wherever the grade is steep or the flow likely to be 
large under a heavy rainfall. If the grade be less than one foot 
Fig. 3. — CROSS-SECTION OF ROAD-BED. 
per hundred, gutters may not be necessary. Well-laid Macadam 
stone will stand a heavy flow on an easy grade. The width and 
depth of the paved gutters will vary in proportion to the amount 
of water to be carried off. If they are not large enough the 
water will quickly gouge out another gutter in the Macadam 
along the inner margins. The best work is done with regular 
blocks, laid lengthwise, as in the best street pavements, but 
where good cobble-stone is cheaper it may be used. All gutters 
should have a bed of sand at least 12 inches deep. 
The proper laying of underdrains in connection with fine 
roadways is a matter of great importance, for it largely effects 
questions of construction and maintenance. If provision be not 
made for carrying the heaviest rainfalls from the roads, frequent 
damage of a very aggravating character will be done by severe 
thunder-storms. It will be cheaper in the long run to provide 
ample drainage at first. This is a problem that may require 
elaborate engineering calculations, and some competent expert 
should be engaged for the purpose. 
Catch-basins, such as are shown in fig. 4, to carry off the 
wash of the ro'ad-gutters into sub-drains, should be placed along- 
Fig. 4.— catch-basin and its connection with drain 
UNDER road-gutter. 
side the road at frequent intervals. The overflow drain should 
be near the top of the basin, the bowl of which should be deep 
enough to hold a]l the heavier silt of each storm-flow. The inlet 
gratings should be fi cn ugh to keep out coarse drift, liable to 
choke up the drain, ai d yet open enough not to close up readily 
with fine grass, dead leaves and other light refuse always abund- 
ant in a cemetery. The road-drain should be placed where it 
will not only carry off the surface-water, but also be most effect- 
ive in draining the subsoil. Where the subsoil is liable to become 
water-soaked at certain seasons of the year, che road-drain may 
be placed along one margin of the drive and a small pipe, for 
sub-drainage only, be laid along the opposite side. 
The proper care of the road under ordinary wear and tear is 
as important as its thorough construction. The old adage of the 
thrifty housev.tife, that “a stitch in time saves nine,” may be 
applied to’a Macadam road without any great wrench of meta- 
phor. We have only to think of a rut 
as a rent, and then we can say fitly that 
as soon as one is seen it should be 
stitched immediately, or the whole 
fabric will soon be ripped up. Wher- 
ever a rut deep enough to guide a 
wheel is seen, all horses and drivers 
will instinctively fall into line and 
follow its lead. All wheeling on the 
road will thus be confined to the few inches in width 
covered by the two tires. The grooves will deepen with wonder- 
ful rapidity. Every shower will wash them out, and heavy rains 
will gouge them into watercourses of whatever size the flow may 
require. After rents are patched up the seams will long remain, 
as travel will shun them because they are rough and softer than 
the body of the road. 
To maintain a smooth surface, regular sprinkling is neces- 
sary in dry weather. It is needed not only to lay the dust, but 
also to prevent the surface from breaking up. In a long drought 
the grit and gravel will be loosened by the horses’ feet for 
several inches in depth, and the particles will be rapidly ground 
into powder. The surface may be kept comparatively whole by 
simply keeping it uniformly moist. 
On the other hand, in wet weather, it is equally important 
to scrape off the mud. A muddy road is not merely a dirty one. 
Wherever there is mud enough to be sticky it will be lifted with 
the tires, and much grit will be picked up along with it. The 
mud also prevents water from running off freely, and it is soon 
worked into slush. In such condition all travel on the road is 
abominable. The adhesion of the Macadam stones is also soon 
destroyed by the constant churning of the surface and the soften- 
ing of the matrix in which they were bedded. 
The foregoing details given by Mr. Troop are drawn from 
many years of successful practice. His conclusion of the whole 
matter is, that to secure a really permanent road-way, wholly 
satisfactory at all times, the utmost care must be taken to make 
the work as substantial as possible at every stage in the first con- 
struction. In the subsequent wear and tear of travel, equal care 
should be given to prevent incidental damage of any character, 
under all circumstances, and if damage be done in spite of all 
precautions, it must be promptly and thoroughly repaired. The 
lesson is one that everywhere deserves wide consideration. 
In days when careful attention is bestowed up- 
on the designs of trifling details of our houses, it is 
to be hoped that we shall soon be ashamed of the 
present state of what should be the beautiful and 
unpolluted rest-garden of all that remains of those 
whom we have known, or loved, or honored in life, 
or having heard of in death as having lived not un- 
worthy of their kind. 
W. Robinson, 
