The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1911-09-28

III SLralSnJ line Win the COm-
pleted road going up the hill on
the other side.
The low land adjacent to the
river on the west side and subject
to overflow in times of high wa
ter is about a mile wide at this
point. The new road across this
low land is being built on fill or
dam, that will raise it tC a perma-
nent dry level. The recent high
water gave and excellent opportun-
ity to note just what the water
would do in freshets as bad or
worse, and to determine just what
openings would be necessary in the
new fill to take care of the flow
with safety.
This high water also illustrated
very forctbly-if 1t required an IL
luStration the absolute necessi-
ty of raising the road high enough
to be out of water at all times. A
portion of the fill had not been fin
ished to it's height when the water
came, and it was completely sub
merged. Only a few hours work
was washed away, yet, had the
road been in use traffic over it
would have been practically
blocked, and repairs made neces-
sary. The completed portion stood
high and dry above the water and
suffered no damage.
A long fill of this type is a
heavy piece of work, and requires
considerable time to build, yet it is
an investment of great and lasting
value to the county. Here we have
a large and progressive portion of
the county separated from it's mar
ket and place of business by a. sec
ton of road that is bad at all
and well nigh impossible part of
the time We can patch this road
all we please, and the men doing
it can be certain of long jobs, for
after every big rain they will have
the same work to do over again.
And even then the road can never
be worthy of the name. But build
the road surface on a fill that is
high enough to be out of reach of
the water, and the money that we
are investing will serve the COM
munity to its full value-our taxes
Will be used to pay a maintenance
gang instead of a wrecking crew.
Where the water has an apprecia-
bic current, either it's level must be
raised.
Instead of using wagons to make
this fill, with the immense amount
O. hand labor necessary to load
them, and time lost in making
many turns in awkward places,
wheel scrapers and drag scrapers
have been used. Wagons are econ
omical for hauling material 1900
feet or more from pit to dump,
and then from that distance down
to about 80 feet wheel scrapers
are more economical because they
can be loaded quickly and turned
ha 4.
iEg material less than 80 feet, the
drag sclaper is the most useful.
Considerable loads can be carried
for that distance without shaking
down, the time lost in loading,
dumping and turning is reduced
To minimum, and the teams can
move around in a circle, picking up
the material in one place and drop
ping it in another, without hardly
breaking their gait.
Where the material may be OBJ
tanned right alongside of the road,
as in an open bay, the drag scraper
Is the fastest and the cheapest
method of construction. The pit is
moved forward with the fill, so
the two are kept as near together
as possible. Where the material
cannot be had alongside, as in a
wooded bay, it must be brought in
from the nearest available open
space, and not many cases will be
encountered where the fill is so
long that wheel scrapers cannot be
used to great advantage. 1t is safe
to say that at least twice as much
work has been accomplished with
the same number of men and mules
working at the same rate with wag-I
ons instead of scrapers ON this
work
Fortunately heavy fills are the
exception rather than the rule in
there are many to be made where
necessity demands and great saw
ing OF money can be accomplished
by carefully and intelligently hand
ing each situation as it comes be-
fore U.s.
The bridges on this Joint of the
road will be built of reinforce
concrete. Work on them will be
begun in the near future. and they
VIII be completed in time to be
used when the clay is hauled over
the road.
This road down to Staffords
bridge is a tough proposition, and
1t cannot be built in a week, nor in
month. Wet weather and work
el?Cwhere have made il even slow
er than would have been the case
otherwise. But the road either had
TO be built or else let alone entire
ly. The gentlemen Of the above
names committee met t,.e situation
squarely and abandoned the old
load. The route adopted is short
e: by 290 feet than the old, it is
considered cheaper than the old,
and it has only two gentle curves
against six curves and some kinks
as the road is now travelled
When the new road is open to
traffic, as will be done at the earl
Jest possible date, the public will
find it one of the most beautiful
roads in Dillon county as we'll as