The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1911-06-28

never lost faith in the method. I first
noticed the effects Of combining sand
and clay in gu: ding a mill dam and
| followed it up until | was certain |
that the system would make good in
road building. l had no precedents 70
guide me and every road-huild;ng
authority in the land was against me
and l had to strike out alone.
1t may well be believed that The
system created a commotion in Ma
rion county. The event will go down J
in history as one OF the Iivest periods
of the countrys history. Friends. rela-
tives, members of the same family. So
cieties and churches were divided on
the question. Some thought that [
was crazy and said so openly. Others
said that l was born fifty years ahead
of my time and a few others thought
my system practical and the thing to
adopt. The fight was long and har-
assing. ] left the county and the re-
port got out that / had been run out
Of the county because Of my heretical
road views. Since that time, how
ever, the value of the sand-clay road
being fully demonstrated, my friends
in Marion county have insisted on my
coming back to the county about
every four years to do other demon
tration work, until Marion county
now leads the State in road building
and bond issue of $10O,O 900 has been
voted to continue the building of sand
clay roads, the roads that / wanted to
build for them twenty years ago.
Since I did this pioneer work the
United States government has sent
out to every section of the civilized
world experts to learn the secrets of
road building employed by the oldest
and wisest countries in the world and
to find a practical method of road
building. Uncle Sam did not look for
information from away down South
in Dixie" but it was here that he
found it after many years search. 1t
has been but one decade since the
discovery was made and the growth
of the idea has been astounding. I
have now in my possession bulletins
Of the road department of the United
States Department Of Agriculture
stating that work on earth roads was
work thrown away and was entirely
useless. These bulletins go on to tell
how to build macadam road, cor
duroy roads with rails, poles and
puncheons, the same kind Of road
that / had ordered thrown away
twenty years before. Now the Uni
ted States Office Of Public Roads is
teaching people everywhere how to
build good roads and sand CLAY roads
are coming in for the greater part of
their attention.
In Richland county, S. c., the coun-
ty in which is situated COlu:nbia, the
capital of the State, the people caught
the sandclay idea about ten years
ago and they have done fine work.
They had the advantage of a number
Of other counties in that they had an
immense revenue from eight or ten
dispensaries and had the use of con-
victs on the roads as well. They have
been doing some really fine work. The
adjoining counties, Marlboro. Darling
ton, Florence, S. c., and Robson
county, n. c., caught on and went to
work. These counties have made Won
derful success Of it.
In this article 1 have tried to state
the facts plainly and simply SO that
the reader might have an idea of how
the sand-clay system got it's start and
what bitter opposition it met with.
want to publish the whole story in
a much fuller form after awhile, CIV
ing the origin of the system, the
story of my fight for it, the orders of
the court, petitions, ETC., that enliv-
ened things in Marion county twenty
years ago.
The cand-clay road is here to stay.
1t is a fact that sand and clay and
water are the worst enemies that q
good road has to fight. when they are
not raiXed in proportion. When prop
erly mixed and shaped. they make
the best road in the world. 1t is the
only road in the world that will not
wear out The more you use a sand
clay road the better it gets OF the
agencies that go to make it water is
the most important and the most es-
sential. You can make a road with
mud clay and water. In short, you
can leave out any other Of the in