The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1909-09-25

various directions, forming q system
of valleys, up which mains and Sec
Ondary mains would be laid. 1t might
be we'll here to procure the aid of a
skilful engineer. 1t is nearly always
the case in work Of this kind that
the extra cost incurred by an unskil-
full arrangement Of the system, caus-
Ing an unnecessarily large number of
| laterals, and needless expenditure in
large pipe. to say nothing of defec-
tive workmanship. IS far greater than
would have been the cost of supervi-
sion by competent person. It would,
be we'll for the owner, before under
taking such work. to give due con-
sideratiOn to the possibilities of his
drains becoming checked, and to take
every precaution for avoiding so
grave a disaster.
1t would be less absurd to set a
jack-leg carpenter to doing fine cabi-
net work than it would be to entrust
the grading of these trenches and
laying these tiles to a common labor
er. In the building Of a railway, all
the surveying has been done, the
costly excavations made, and all the
great works Of steel and masonry and
timber have been built, merely to get
| a perfectly smooth foundation for the
rails. Perhaps ninety per cent. of
the cost Of the road has been so
! spent, and now to begin to stint and
| buy inferior rails just because they
are cheap, would be the poorest kind
OF policy. In works of drainage the
surveying has been done, the tiles
have been bought and hauled, deep
and expensive trenches have been cut
and for what purpose? Merely to
get permanent little holes through
the ground. To turn stingy at this
! stage OF the work and fail to have
these trenches truly and nicely grad
ed on their bottoms or to see that
there are no bumps nor sags, to neg
lect to have every one of these little
tiles truly laid and jointed and firm
ly bedded, would result so disastrous
ly that nothing short of digging up the
tiles. cleaning and relaying them.
could possibly be the remedy.
have. here and in the preceding
chapters, tried to impress upon the
would-be drainer the Importance of
precise work. Some people are dis
posed to make so many difficulties
over work that has to be done to a
line. If they Gig ditch, it is crook
cd, when 1t was intended to be
straight, If they build a fence, 1t is
the same way. I suppose these same
people would try to hew a round log
into a square one, without using a
chalking line, or blacking line. At
eter spending three times as much
time and labor as should be neces-
sary, the only result would be the
ruin or the log. If the log is first
lined off, you know just where to hit,
AID how hard to hit; and you use
your energy in hitting, instead of
wasting 1t in chipping here and and
there, and then going over the work
and chipping again. and finding in
the end that you have done all of
your chipping in the wrong place. 4
straight ditch is easier to dig than a
crooked ditch, and a straight fence
is easier to build than crooked
1ence; because when the work is
lined off, it is only necessary to make
every cut and set every post at once
to the line, instead of wasting time
IL looking here and there to see when
the work Is straight, only to see that
IL Is crooked. 1t is true that the
pungler can not attempt at ALL with
; any chance of success; and amons
: these is tile drainage. l am digres
sing, l only wanted to inflict a It'll,
: advice upon those whom this con
Germs while l had them foul. bu
, must admit that it is against the rule.
OF the game, and will stop. l shal
, now return to my subject and en-
deavor not to depart from it.
(To Be Continued.)