The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1904-11-19
BUILDING A RACE TRACK.
Simple Rules Which Are Believed 70
Be the Best.

u. >. u, .PllcnerS Point, La, v 80 ).
Kindly give your last plan for ,uild-
ing a half-mile track
For the information Of all those
who may desire to construct tracks
We republish to- following simple
rules which We believe to bo the
best, all things considered:
A Third-Mile Tracis.-The usual
rule for half-miie tracks IS 70 have
the stretches and turns Of equal
length. If the same rule is Observed
in laying out d third of mile track,
each stretch and turn should meas
ure 440 feet. Therefore, two stakes
stretch is proposed to be located, 4S0
feet apart. The opposite stretch then
should be staked cut parallel to the
first and 81 feet across Al either
end. A wire 2331 flet II l@1gth should
be made iast 70 post placed equally
distant from the end of either stcetch
and II turns sta!'cd as directed in
laying ols other tracks. The wire
should b. accurately measured.
which nay b st be done with long
st,el tape measure. Sufficient length
should tie allowed SO that several
turn5 may ..e made around a sick at
che end, ara also loop to slip over
i spike 10 be driven in the upper end
ot the turning stake. One end of the
wire should be taken and placed upon
the stake at the end Of the stretch,
while an assistant with the ether END
proceeds toward the end Of the cppo-
site stretch. When the wire has been
tightly drawn, the turning stake
should be located in exact line with
the stakes at the end of the stretches
and firmly guyed in every direction
After the circuit has been made and
the stakes driven for the turn, the
novice will probably be surprised to
find the wire is from six to eighteen
inches too long from stretching. IL
this should be the case, 1t should be
shortened so that it will exactly
reach the stake at the end or the
stretch, and the turn corrected. Al
ter the track is laid out it should al
ways be carefully measured three
feet from the stakes before construc-
t!on is commenced. If this is done
with a chain it will be found neces-
sary to have as many as three as
sistants to make sure that the chaln
follows the curve at the turns.
A Half-Mile Track.-Draw the par
a,lel lines 600 feet long and 452 feet
5 inches apart. Hallway between the
extreme ends of the two parallel
lines drive a stake. then loop wire
around the stake long enough 10
reach to either side. Then make
true curve with the wire, putting
down a stake as often as renee
post is needed. When this operation
is finished at both ends of the Ooo-
foot parallel lines the track is lad
out. The inside fence will rest eXac1
ly on the lines drawn, but the track
must measure a half mile three
feet from the fence. The turns should
be thrown up an inch to the foot; the
Str6lCnSS ludy De any "hSiS hANAAA 49,
ty-fve to sixty feet wide.
A Mile Track.-Draw line
through an oblong center 4i0 yards
in length, setting a stake at each
end. Then draw line on either SIDE
Of the first line, exactly parallel with
and All feet inches from it, setting
stakes at either end Of them. You
will then have an oblong square 44o
yards long and S34 feet inches wide.
At each end of these three linz $ YOU
will now set stakes. Now ia ,,en
cord or wire All feet 2 inches long
to the center stake of your paralieio-
gram. and then describe half circle
driving stakes as often as you wish
to set a fence post. When the circle
is made at both ends Of your parallelo-
gram YOU will have two straight sldes
and two circles, which, measured
three feet from the fence, will be ex-
actly a mile The turns should De
thrown up an inch to the foot.-
Builders Gazette.