The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1902-11-27
GOOD ROADS IN
RICHLAND COUNTY,.
what Has Been Accomplished
III the Past by Mixing Sand
and CLAW,

" WIN "Sh NY MlNluR San
y and Clay.
+ The Columbia State, Nov. II.
O Out OF the $50 and odd miles {
public roads in Richland County onl
G about 100 miles yet remain to be ~,
!, in first-class condition. During tn
j past year and at present almost over
: road in the county has been placed i
tho elegant condition which has clicitc
: 80 much admiration from the expert
who have inspected thom. The wor
!, now is being prosecuted with prea
activity and the results could hardl,
be moro gratifying.
The Camden road and its branche
has since January of this year beer
worked TO within two miles of th,
county line. This remaining shor
distance will not occupy the time O.
the chaingang more than two weeks
longer. The work on the Ancrum
Ferry road has been carried to the Is
mile post. About three miles more
will have to be overhaulcd. A new
road has been cut from the Camden
Pike to the Two Notch road. This is
Tor the purpose of short cut and is
about two and one.half miles IN
length.
The Leeshurg road, which caves the
Garner's Ferry road between the five
and six mile posts and joins the old
road from Waterce to Camden, has
been completed and is in beautiful con-
dition. All the cross roads near East
over have been worked and the Two
Notch road is in good condition up to
tho twelve mile post.
Almost all of The roads IN the upper
part of the county are model pixies ex-
cept the Monticello road. This is not
80 good as the othors, but is being put
in shape now by chaingang. The
Asylum road has been worked to q
point beyond Killians.
A bridge and some filling is now be-
ing put in by a gang at Crane creek on
the WinnsborO road. Another gang
is working on the new road from the
Camden pike to the Spears creek
church. This gang will be transferred
to the Bluff road as soon as it Is pos
sible. This road is an old one and
though it is often worked constant
care has to be taken of it. The soil
in the vicinity is not well fitted for
road making, there being neither sand
nor clay in abundance. An effort will
be made to carry these two materials
to the road and to build it up 80 as to
stand travel permanently.
The equipment for road making Is
now more adequate than ever before.
Two chaingangs, numbering about 20
prisoners each, and an additional gang
Of 10 men are kept constantly at work.
The health and physical condition of
the mon leaves little to be desired,
their food, clothing, accommodations,
etc., being very comfortable. Good
care is taken of them and within the
memory Of the present county supervi-
sor only Ole convict has boen lost
through death from illness. The
gangs cost the county about $4,000 a
year and are well worth the price, as
the statistics lately exploited by the
road making experts in The South show
that the cost of convict labor for the
purpose is far less than that of hired
force.
About $4,000 worth of new machi-
merry has been purchased during the
past year, Of which sum the cost of
three new road machines and two
cham dump wagons is the greater part.
The equipment Is now very adequate,
and 1t is probable that no new machi-
merry will have to be purchased during
1908, though constant repairs will, as
matter OF course, be necessary.
A pamphlet has lately been issued
which is reprint from the Yearbook
Of the department of agriculture for
1901. 1t is entitled " Road Building
with Convict Labor in the Southern
Statcs," and is by Prof. j. A. Holmes
of Chapel Hill, N. G., special agent in
office of public road inquiries for
Southern division.
Two pages of the pamphlet are dc.
voted to " tho sand.clay roads in Rich
land County, South Carolina" and are
very readable. The article follows:
"The sand-clay roads in Richland
County, S. c., are worthy Of special
consideration, not only as product
of convict labor, but also as all illus
tration of how much may be accom-.
plishcd in many localities III highway
improvements at small cost, by treat
ing the road surface with a simple ad.
mixture Of sand and clay. This coun.
ty, with Columbia as its county seat
is located where the hill country mergos
into the lowlands, and where the
beds of coarse sand and clay arc in
close proximity. After constructing
z IL miles of ordinary macadam road
at cost of from $4,000 to &3 900 PEI
mile, the county supervisor (who il
all South Carolina counties has charge
of the public roa,ls) wisely decided t
try the simpler and cheaper plan o
spreading sand over the clay roads ant
clay over the deep sandy roads, an'
he has carried forward this work to al
extent and degree of efficiency per
haps equalled nowhere else in tn
noighboring States. 1t was not eas,
to determine the amount of sand il
, the one case, or of clay in the other
which would give the best final result
Consequently, it has been necessary t
3 watch the resulting road surface 70
several months, in some cases addin