The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-08-18
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Florida Leading in Good Roads.

The soil Of Florida being NANNY OF
a sandy nature p%recludes the making
Of hard roads except by a top surface
Of rock, shell or other similar mate
rial. For this reason hard surface
roads in Florida are a luxury In most
counties except Dade, and here there
are more miles Of rock road than in
any other county in the State Of Flor
ida. To those unfamiliar with the
subject this is probably a surprising
statement, but to all good roads en-
thusiasts it will appear familiar.
At the present time there are some
200 miles of hard, rock roads in Dade
County, other than the paved streets
Of cities and towns, and the present
Board of County Commissioners have
other roads in course of construction
and are anticipating the building OF
fifty miles more of new roads outside
of the 200 miles already built, and
the new roads in course Of construc-
;tion and contemplated.
The city of Miami and the city of
West Palm Beach are thoroughly
paved and are an example of city road
building, having practically the best
paved streets in the South. These
roads are constructed Of the lime
rock that is ~quarried at the lower
part of Dade County, principally In
the neighborhood of the town of Ojus.
This rock has been given the name
of Miami rock, and it is seldom re-
ferred to as Dade County or Florida
rock. It is white, limelike in SUBJ
stance and hardens with exposure.
At Atlantic Beach, Mr.. H. E. Bemis,
manager of the Hotel Continental,
also Of the Royal Poinciana at Palm
Beach, and the Colonial at Nassau,
made a valuable experiment in road
building by first putting down "a heavy
layer Of cinders, covering this with a
coating Of five to eight inches Of
Miami rock, the result being that the
rains ]percolated through the cinders
and the exposure to the air cemented
the whole mass into a solid macadam.
This method of. road building Is
now being carried out on the Okee-
chobee road extending from West
Palm Beach across the marsh lands
to the farming and fruit growing
country that is now being developed.
About ninety miles Of the county
roads extend in a north and south d.
rection, a part Of the main trunk line
of the so-called Appian Way that is
expected eventually will connect
through from the Homestead coun-
try, south Of Miami, to Jacksonville;
this ninety miles extends from one
half mile south Of West Palm Beach.
The distance between West Palm
Beach and Miami is about seventy
six miles, and south Of Miami to one
half mile below Perrine the distance
is about eighteen miles, which makes
up the entire main line, except the
connecting link between Homestead
and Redlands, Of about four miles.
Running to this main line there are
in the neighborhood Of 10 miles OF
rock road, these laterals being largely
in the Miami district, while a portion
are in the district lying to the north
and south Of Miami.
Owing to the rocky nature Of the
land around Miami, a great many
roads have been built by private SUBJ
scriptions, as the parties in clearing
their land were able to put the rock
where the roads were required, and
with the private subscriptions the
county roller and other machinery Sc
cured to complete the road.
Among the best Of these lateral
roads running out from Miami Is the
stretch to the Orange Glade section,
five and one-half miles in length. To
General Samuel c. L~awrence's grape
fruit grove three and one-half miles
Of the best rock road in the State is
built, and is a favorite thoroughfare
for farmers, visitors and home people.
From the golf grounds to Orange
Ridge there is another stretch of five
miles, and from Lemon City to Or
ange Ridge five miles. From Buena
Vista to Allapattah schoolhouse two
miles, and from Little River to Hum
buguse four miles. From Fulford
there extends a three-mile road in a
western direction touching most Of
the farms and groves. Another west
ern road at Ojus is of about four
miles in length. At Hallandale a
road through a number Of truck
farms extends in a northern direction
some four miles.
At West Palm Beach there is IN
der construction the famous Okee-
chobee road, a little over four miles
in length at the present time, a road
that opens to settlement some of the
finest truck and vegetable lands IN
Dade County. These are practically
all the laterals in. the northern por-
ton of the county, except a few small
stretches of road at Stuart, Delray,
Boynton and other towns.
While some of the best lands in the
county are in its northern part, owing
to adverse circumstances the northern
part has not been S4s>red by the
county commissioners in road build
ing, and it was also practically i'm
possible for private individuals to
build roads because of the lack OF
rock with which to build without pay
ing heavy transportation charges
from the quarries near Miami, as the
lands that are being opencI west OF
West Palm Beach, and, in fact, all
the land in the northern end of the
.. f-o, ctuart RI Deerfeld are