Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-05-06
RAILS A NECESSITY.
The Dispatch Explorers Com
PEELED to Rob the Fences
Of Many Farmers
TO GETOVER SOFT PLACES.
An Astonishing Mathematical Calcu-
lation Made
MEMBER OF THE EXPEDITION.
Armstrong and Jefferson Counties Still
Covered With Mud,
MEMBER OF THE EXPEDITION.
Armstrong and Jefferson Counties Still
Covered With Mud,
THOUGH LIMESTONE is ABUNDANT
rFRoM OUR SPECIAL COMMISSIONED
THE PITTsBURG DISPATCH
COUNTRY ROAD EXPEDITION.

THE PITTSBURG DISPATCH
COUNTRY ROAD EXPEDITION. 7
KITrANNING, May 5. }
Only one thing has disturbed our con-
science on this expedition. A few fenct
rails have been borrowed and not returned
The Butler county farmer who saw us ap
passed on, depending upon our honesty tc
replace it, may find the rail lying on the
left hand side of the road, just beyond the
speckIed school house, in Slippery Rock
township, Lawrence county.
Another rail which month ago grew and
blossomed upon fence in Hanover town
ship, Washington county, now rides the
waves of Chesapeake bay in Virginia. At
least we threw it overheard as THE DIS
PATCH wagon forded the Sinnemahoning
creek in Northern Pennsylvania, and we
saw it float off toward the west branch Of the
SusQuehanna river.
Rails We're Indispensable.
It was necessary, for the sake of safety, to
keep fence-rail fastened to the bed OF the
wagon. We never left rail in the same
county we got it.
Honesty is the best policy, and until Sat
urdsy our dreams told us that it would have
been more dignifed had we stopped and
paid each farmer for his rail as we borrowed
it, or, at least, to have given him the address
where he might reach 1t by mail or tele-
graph In the next county. Our conscience
did bother us. 1t interfered with real en-
joyment. 1t prevented the photographer
from looking farmer square in the eye,
even through the focusing glass of his cam
era. All three of US have shared the dis
grace. Each one of us will find from four to
twelve oak fence rails apiece scored against
Us in the recording angels book.
By Way of Apology.
This is joint apology to the farmers Of
Western Pennsylvania. We couldn't help
it. The roads were bad, and we had to get
out OF the mud. "But a fence rail or two
won't be missed" suddenly said member
of our party on Saturday as he crawled over
the front seat in the wagon.
He had been quiet ior two hours. /
thought he had been writing letter home,
but saw the paper he had been seribbling
upon was covered with figures.
"Look here" he continued. 81 think we
may rest easy now. Oh, you know what 1
meanl If 1 am not mistaken, it was YOU
who stole the last fence rail. But all the
same, there is no need of you telling the
farmers where they may find their missing
timber, See here, can prove to you it can
be easily spared.
Mathematical Calculation.
"Up to this moment The DISPATCH
wagon has covered 536 miles of country
roads in Western Pennsylvania. A rail
fence is built on either side of a road: SO
multiply $50 by 2, and you have 1,072 miles
OF rail fences which we have seen. You
know how monotonous this sort of scenery
has been. Write a letter on that. and
say nothing about our unrest
of conscience. Now, the law used to call for
a fence seven rails high, but those we have
seen will average six rails high. In every
rod, therefore, there are II rails, making g.
$40 rails in every mile of fence.
Leaving out 72 miles of what we have