Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1909-08-28
Ten BALES HAULED
BY TWO MULES
A New Record For Good
Roads in Sumter
Cotton Weighed 5,O32
Lbs.-Total Weight
Over 5000 Lbs.
Made Distance of Three Miles From
Plantation to Warehouse in Seventy
Five Minutes.

Sumter establishes one record only
to break it within few days. Last
week the best record for all South
west Georgia was made when two
mules easily hauled eight bales of
cotton, weighing over four thousand
pounds, from the plantation of Mr.
c.. Morgan Eldridge, three miles from
the city, taking little over an hours
time to make the trip This was cOnsid-
cred a remarkable feat. 1t was also
a wonderful demonstration fthe ben
eft of good roads, an eye opener to
every farmer in the county as to what
good roads meant directly to him in
his business operations.
So fine was this record, vastly ex-
ceeding anything that had ever been
done before, that a photograph was
made and an illustration will appear
in next Sundays Recorder, bringing
forcefully home to every reader the
enormous benefits accruing from the
work of improvements on the roads
that has been going on the past year
But this eight-bale record gave way
to ten-bale record yesterday. Short
ly before noon a pair of mules came
down Jackson street, drawing ten
bales of cotton. Perched away up in
the air the negro driver was calm
ly plotting the motive power that
walked along as easily as though
there were not even five bales Of sta
pie behind them. From the outskirts
the mules and their great load were
the centre Of attraction. 1t was the
first time in the history cf Sumter
county that pair OF mules had ever
drawn such a load 1t is probable
that at no previous time under the
most favorable conditions had even
four mules pulled such weight of
cotton jnto%the city.
Attic warehouse the bales were
speedily unloaded and weighed Their
total weight was 5,032 pounds, the
heaviest bale weighing $50 pounds
and the lightest $50. Adding the
weight of the driver and the weight of
the wagon, it is probable that the to-
tai weight hauled by the pair of mules
was over six thousand pounds.
Six thousand pounds, hauled by two
not overly large mules, a distance of
three miles in seventy-fve minutes.
That is about the finest record ever
made in the South, in all likelihood.
1t is unquestionably the record for
Georgia. 1t is doubtful if it will ever
be exceeded The roads from Mr..
Eldridge's plantation are in fine shape.
Over the same roads a few years back
the same pair of mules would have al
most broken their backs hauling three
bales and taken a much longer time
to do it. If there ever was cOnvinc-
ing argument in favor of the continu-
alton of the policy of road improve
ments, the building of fine highways
through the county, it is furnished in
this incident of yesterday
Among the delighted spectators OF
the ten bales drawn by two mules,
perhaps the most delighted of them
all was Chairman Frank Sheffield of
the County Commissioners, probably
the most enthusiastic advocate of good
roads in all South Georgia.
They say we are are building the
roads for the automobilists. Does
that look like it?" said Mr.. Sheffield
with pride as the mountain of cotton
passed along the street. Il wish ev-
cry farmer in Sumter county could see
that sight, especially those living on
bad roads who know what a strain it
is to pull two or three bales of cotton
to town 1t seems to me it would con-
vert every one of them into a hearty
| advocate of good roads and make them
all eager for the pushing of the work -
On all of the good roads in the
county it is now possible to haul two
or three times the amount of cotton to
| the pair of mules that it was a couple
of years ago. Unfortunately, though
the mileage of good roads is yet lin
tied. But if the County Commission
! ers receive the backing they should
from the people it will not be long be-
fore Sumter will have fine highways
cutting through it in every direction