The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1904-01-06
INDEPENDENCE.
Rocky Beds Enable Mr.. r. s. Link to
SIeep on FlOwery Beds Of Ease.

highways of the county Is found the
best evidence of the peoples public
spirit. =
Several years ago Supervisor Nickols
and his board of assistants organized
county gangs of convicts for working
the public roads. This, supplemented
by the road tax, gave them a consider.
able force and the requisite amount Of
money to make many improvements
The work has been going on steadily,
and will be continued.
We would mention espt cially the
great improvement on the Dendy's
bridge road, where the roadway was
resurveyed and new covered bridge
was built over Long Cane. This made
what had formerly been the worst road,
one of the best in the county, and in
stead or a poor little bridge that was
often impossible, We have splendid
bridge that will afford safe passage
for anyyears. The accomplishment
of this change was enough honor for
an ordinary officer, but Supervisor
Nickols was not satisfied with single
good deed. He lives near Due West,
and in coming to Abbepille, he knows
that for years Gordon's Lane has been
almost bottomless bog, until pine
poles were laid along the road, presum-
ably for the purpose of priziug out the
animals and the vehicles that might 60
down there during the winter.
When be went into office the poles
were still there, and they made the
road 80 rough that in passing over that
part of the highway, wagons and
buggies were in danger of being broken.
Supervisor Nickols knowing the
depth of the mud in the winter, and
realizing that pine poles were bad on
the buggies of county officers, during
the summer he resolved to make mat
tiers better for the wayfaring man.
Being of an inquiring mind-when
he is looking for something-he found
a great gravel bed on Mr.. D. E. New.
ellis land near by. Permission was
sought to experiment with the gravel
in making rough places smooth and
bopry places hard. The work was
commenced, and the Supervisor as well
az the public was astonished at the
transformation. That part of the road
that was most dreaded In former years
now affords the most delightful drive
to be found in Abbeville County. :
The praises of that road and of Su.
pervisor Nickols is in the mouths OF
those who know that in former years
the consistency of the clay and water
along that route was such as to make
it adhere to the sinking wheels In
quantities varying from a drop to, q
ton. The thanks Of those who, In for.
mer years, jolted their vehicles and
broke their favorite jugs in passing
over the pine poles, goes out to the
officer who changed all this.
And 80 1t is, that the bottomless bog
that was afterward bridged by pine
poles, has been the cause of the great.
est development Of the road-buiiding
art. #5'....
And now, as q matter of speculation
Congressman Aiken and Postmaster
Link come on the scene. In driving
over this same road, they enquired the
method by which all this change was
brought about. $
The secret was impaired. Messrs.
Aiken and Link, being men of good
and quick discernment, real.
lied that there was possibility for q
fortune. Mr.. Newell was tired OF
plowing little rocks to plant cotton,
and the breaking of his, hoes in grass
time had become monotonous,. SO
when Messrs. Aiken and Link offered
him 81, 100 for his 11S acres, q trade
was made, and Mr.. Newell parted with
his homestead. ......-
In order to better advertise the good
thing which the new owners had
bought, and to show their appreciation
of the discovery by Supervisor Nick
OILS, they were as polite to him as was
the host who insisted On his guest oc-
cupying two chairs. .-.-.
Mr.. Nickols is scattering the gravel
over the road in some places with a
free hand. but owing to circumstances
he is com PEELED to spread 1t very much
as did the fellow who spread his butter
thin.
The building of roads with this
material is no longer an experiment
About one mile of this road was built
with it one year ago, and AFTER con.
slant use, it Is in perfect condition 10.
day. In wet weather horse does not
make a track on it. The more rain we
have the harder and smoother the
road gets. H..
This thin spreading does not come
from scarcity of gravel, but from lack
of TRANSFORMATION. The hauling Is eX
pensive and the county wagons are
few
The gravel bed covers an area o.
thirty acres. A hole fifteen feet deer
was dug and the gravel, or ebert, wa'
better the deeper the hole was dug.
The government reports Of the an
alysis of the samples sent to Washing
ton are all that could be desired. Ant
we learn that its extent and value ii
such as to commend IL to the favorable
attention of the authorities Of tht
Southern Railway.
From the mile post on the road to
Due West to q point on the railroad
this side of Darraugh's 1t is only
about two miles. The land lies
we'll for laying a spur-track, and il
is possible that a line of rails may bt
laid to that point from which thous
ands of car loads of this gravel may
be hauled. Already it is said that two
cities have each promised to take
thousand car loads when the way il
opened up.
With railroad track running ou
there, the inexhaustible supply oi
gravel would be a profitable business
to the railroad, and our fellow citizen
Messrs. Aiken and Link would hav.
a source of wealth more certain ant
more satisfactory in its results than
gold mine.
This gravel bed may be the found