The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-08-24
PUSHING CAPITAL
AUTO|STS HIGHWAY
Large Force Engaged in
Filling in Links
TRULY BEST ROUTE OF ALL:

tIIULI UlUI HUI IL VI I'LL
Road Experts Say That 1t Is the Only
Route Which Can Be Travelled
During Wet Weather and in Winter
and Spring-Twenty-fOur Counties
Now Busy in the Work.
Reports received here from the
Capital Highway officials state that
twenty-four counties are at work on
the road. Five counties have about
completed their links. These counties
are Fulton, Columbia and in
Georgia.; Lee in South Carolina, and
Richmond in North Carolina.
Richland county, in South Carolina;
Richmond, Georgia.; Wake, Vance,
Granville. in North Carolina, have
very little more to do to their roads.
Secretary Frank Weldon figured
that 2SS miles had been completed up
to August Is. Some counties with
large forces are building a mile a
week, but the average per county is
not that much
Franklin county, N. c., is building
an iron bridge 400 feet long over the
Tar River, north of Franklinton.
Good progress is being made on the
new bridge over the Pee Dee river at
Cheraw, S. c., but the contractor for
the bridge across the Wateree River
at Camden has had trouble getting
foundations for piers.
Durham county, N. c., is building
all its link macadam. Mecklenburg
county. Va, is also building a maca-
dam road. Lunenburg county, Va,
will take up the question of imprOv-
ing it's link at the meeting of com
missiOners September 1. Sentiment in
that county is very strong for good
a NottoWay county, Va, has eX-
cellent roads and Dinwiddie is build
ing gravel highways.
Halifax is the only county in North
Carolina which is using gravel. All
the others on the Capital route are
using sand n clay, except Durham.
Secretary Weldon, who recently re-
turned from a trip over the entire
route, says that he found much more
good mileage than he expected. Com
ing north from Atlanta there are 275
miles of fair to fine roads in one
stretch with the exception of a a
Of eight miles in Lexington, S. c.,
anG that is not very bad.
The highway association people are
very much interested in the movement
started by Washington and Alexandria
TO get a fine boulevard from Washing
ton to Mount Vernon, as this would
be a link in the through route.
Road experts say that the Capital
route Will be the only north and south
road which be traveled during
wet Weather and in the winter and
spring because the sand and clay roads
do not get muddy like the red clay
road along the foothills. Those red
clay hills, thickly sprinkled with
mica, are the bane Of autoists. The
cars stick going up grade and skid
going down hill A story is told of a
man who, walking along one of these
red clay roads after a rain, saw a hat
in a rut. He struck it with his cane
to knock it off the roadway.
stop that cried a voice under the
hat
Startled, the pedestrian remarked:
Il beg your pardon, / had no idea the
mud was deep enough to bury a man
up to his ears"
replied the s-ubterranean voice. Why
I'm standing or a four-horse load Of
fodder"
The highway has behind it in this
State such we'll known men as the
Everitts, Leaks and Steels, at Rock
ingham; Leonard Tufts, Pinehurst;
VIM. Holiday. jackson Springs; Nc
Donald and Won Cannon, West End;
j.. r. Mcqueen, Lake View; p.
Mcpherson, Cameron; the Raleigh
of Commences; DR.. Arch
Cheatham, Ben Duke, Gen. julie Carr
and the tobacco interests at Durham;
ex-Speaker Graham n B. w. Las
sitter, Oxford; S. c. Vann; Franklin
ton; d. Y. Cooper, j. G. Kittrell, G.. H.
Turner, Henderson,; Walter and Rich
ard Boyd. Walter Rogers, Hal Macon.
j. K. Polk, Warrenton; Eugene john
son, Littleton; John and Sam Patter-
son and DR.. S. B. Pierce, Roanoke
Rapids.
!. in Chagres River.