Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-08-11
BUILDING GOOD ROADS.
The Broad Tire fs a Factor to Be Care.
fully Considered.

rulIy CONSIDERED.
Poag's Rear Estate Monthly.
Having lived a good while, with
varied experience and observation, and
having read and heard a great deal
about the improvement of our roads,
and regretting that our lawgivers have
seen fit to levy heavy taxes to make
said improvement, ask space in your
columns to give my views to the in
telligent public.
OF course we all want good roads.
How to secure them is the question
My belief is that they can be secured
by small outlay in money, together
with a moderate amount Of labor, an
nually. Let our legislature make it
obligatory on proper hands to work
the roads under an overseer for as
much as five or six days in each year,
If necessary. Then authorize the
county supervisor to cut up the roads
into sections-say half a mile each
and contract with a proper person to
oversee that section, paying $1.00 or
$3.50 per day for his services and as
signing sufficient force to do the
work The road should first be sur
faced so as to be slightly raised in the
middle and shedding the rains into
bitches on either side. Then every
year haul stones from the size of a
child's head down to the size Of an
egg and lay them on a space 25 or so
not crush them on a space 25 or so
feet long and 9 or 10 feet wide. Do
not crush them, but leave them until
next year, when another stretch is to
be laid and the larger protruding
rocks laid down the previous year are
to be broken with hammers. 1t is
unnecessary to macadamize road,
besides being too expensive. The
hauling may have to be paid for, but
the work can be done by road hands,
and anybody ought gladly give the
stones in order to be rid of them. In
this way and by laying stones on the
worst places first we can in time have
goou roads at small expense.
speak from experience. Seven
years ago, with three men and two
teams, l laid $50 feet Of road in one
day, one man arranging stones on the
road while the others hauled, and
that is a good road today-a perfect
road
1t is error to suppose that a good
road must be macadamized. Just lay
stones as above mentioned and use
broad tired wagons, which really
work the roads
Eight years ago 1 had three worn
out wagons. After receiving some
advice and thinking over the question
Of buying new wagons. or repairing
the old, l concluded to cut down the
wheels and put on broad fellows and
tires. | have never regretted having
it done at a cost of $14 for each wa
gon, because the bills for repairs have
been almost nothing. / would not
change back to narrow tires for any
consideration, within the bounds or
reason. Broad tires run lighter across
fields and on the roads; they are stout
err therefore less liable to break; and
they really work the roads. There
being more iron in a broad tire, 1t Is
less liable to expand and become loose
on the wheel; therefore it Is more
durable and more reliable.
would suggest that the legisla-
ture enact a law requiring all tires on
two-horse wagons and heavier ones.
after three years, shall be five inches
or more in width.
If the above plan is adopted and
followed up. we can save the extra
two mills tax imposed on property
for improvement of roads. as we'll as
the extra SO poll-tax for the same
purpose.
I know whereof I speak. for exper-
ience and observation have been my
teachers. There is no speculation in
this plan-only common sense and
information obtained in the best
school-experience.
Saml E. White,