![The Practice of Making & Repairing Roads [&C.].](/jacket/500x500/9781151482624.jpg)
Publisher's Synopsis
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.1838 Excerpt: ... forms a study of the greatest consequence to all those engaged in the management of roads, ) is generally very little understood; and many and serious are the evils which have fallen upon the heads of trustees and surveyors from the want of practical knowledge on this subject. The obvious data from which the value of excavating earth should be computed, consist of the amount or quantity of the material which can be excavated by a given quantity of labour; and thus, if the value of this labour be known, we obtain at once the price of the work done, and may estimate from such groundwork the value of any other quantity, great or small. These data of course can only be derived, in the first instance, from actual practical observation and experience on many and different works; but being once known, they become of great importance in the business of estimating the future cost of any works of the same kind. The workmen employed in earth excavations are always divided into two classes, getters and fillers; the former employed in undermining, driving down by piles, and breaking to pieces with pickaxes the earth to be loaded into the carts or barrows by the fillers. It will be seen, in the course of the following observations, that in determining the price of earthwork, it is very important to obtain an accurate knowledge of the proportion in which these two classes, getters and fillers, are required to be employed. Where any considerable quantity of earth has to be removed, the modern practice is to lay down iron rails for the waggons to travel on from the excavation to the embankment. It is found in such cases to be the interest of the contractor, that the roads from the excavation to the teaming-places should be constructed in a very perfect manner, and that heavy..
