The St. Lucie County tribune. (Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County, Fla.) 1905-1920, 1907-10-25
GOOD ROADS
NOW ASSURED
Provided the Machinery is Put IN
Charge of Competent Men.
ENDORSED BY CITIZENS
Il Is Up To The Commissioners to Make
the Present Road Building Venture
a Great Success.

Between fifty and sixty citizens of
st. Iucic county visited the rock quar-
ny at Oslo last Saturday to witness the
final demonstration and test OF the good
roads machinery, and they were not
disappointed this time,
The official final test was held Friday
afternoon before the board of county
commissioners. and failed to come up
to the letter of the contract. This con-
tract stpulates that the traction en-
zine will haul six loaded cars over the
road as far as completed and carry one
car out into the sand, unload, and get
itself and car back on the completed
road unasssted. Nearly One-half mile
of road has been built according to tins
contract, one-half of it over bottom
land and the balance over sand road
that had been shelled a few years ago.
Where either of these conditions exist
there will be no difficulty in operating
the machine according to contract; but
the spot selected for the final test was
in a sand bed of several feet depth and
the big traction engine could not take
the loaded car out into the sand, spread
the rock and get itself back on the com
pleted road without help. Mr.. Neal,
the selling agent of the machinery. did
not wait for the commissioners to tell
him that the engine had failed to per-
form the work specified in the contract,
but acknowledged the fact himself and
told the commissioners that they were
under no obligations to accept. Upon
the return of the commissioners to Fort
Pierce Friday evening the balance OF
the machinery was accepted and Mr.
Neal was paid 81 600 in cash and war
rant for 81, 5S3, dated April |, 1908, was
issued in settlement, while the traction
engine and six rock cars stood refused
subject to the action Of the citizens
at the public demonstration last Shtuf-
day.
Had the failure of the traction en-
yine to render the service as specified
in the contract made it unfit for road
work, or rendered it impracticable for
the construction of majority OF the
roads in the county; and had the method
of operating the engine as specified IN
the contract been the only method OF
operation, the refusal of the commits
sioners should have been final but such
was not the case.
Those who witnessed the demonstra-
ton last Saturday were convinced that
the traction engine was Il practical and
cheap method Of constructing good
roads. and while it had failed to COM
DIV with the contract, still there were
other methods Of operating 1t, which,
while not quite as satisfactory, we're
wholly practical and that on MAJOR
jty of the roads Of the county the en-
ginc could be operated in the manner
contemplated in the contract, and taV~
, ored the commissioners accepting 1t I'M
der the reduction in price and terms
offered by Mr.. Neal.
As the traction engine is perfectly
able to transport Itself through an"
, amount of sand, thcrc aro three meth
ODDS of operating it, except by directly
:. hauing the car int" the SAINT The
first of these is to cut the engine loose
when reaching sand bed through
-, which it could not pull u loaded car OF
rock, pass the engine ahead .iNty feet
:, connect steel cable, ana ~ the trac
- ton becomes stationary engine "A
will. draw the car up with w'ndiass
, Should the sand bed be only sixty y
>, more feet the engine could pass owe
y this until it found ground to offer rests
, lance and with the use of the cable pu
,r the car to the point desired. The thir
:, method is throwing into the sand be
q roots, palmetto fans or other article
that would offer resistance to tn
wheels of the engine, or the buildln
!, of the road a few feet to one side c
the other of the present location,
IS the engine has no difficulty in goin
yo through the woods.
ds As the contract had not been KEEP
continued on page A.