The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1911-09-17
BY Frank L. Mayes.

tion OF stone has been laid. ana al
that il needed is q macadam surface
to make the best and most duraoie
road on the entire route, through
section OF country also that 10 one o.
the most beautiful and picturesque N
the United States. This route. between
Nashville and Louisville, is being I'M,
proved under the Lincoln Central
Highway project and Is destined IN the
very near future to be one of the most
famous and popular automobile routes
on the continent
The best roads we found were those
Of Montgomery county, Ala, and from
Indianapolis to near Hammond. Ind.
AS q whole think the Montgomery
county roads were the best on the
route. These roads-3S2 miles Of them
were built just like railroad IL built
by contract calling for certain
character Of work and a specific method
OF construction. md that this Is
really the way to get the best results:
The old system Of working out poll
taxes on the roads which so many OF
the states originally adopted. and
which many yet retain, IN bad. II pro-
duces o hap-hazard, hit-and-miss road
that Ia unsatisfactory. The MontgQm-
cry county roads are constructed mostly
of gravel and they not only ride wen,
but they drain well and wear well.
Pike county, Ala, also has good roads.
but hardly as good. I think. as the
MONTGOMERY county roads: The Jener-
son county. Ala, roads radiating out OF
Birmingham are good, but there are
not 50 many miles Of them as In Mont
gomery county. The road from Bards-
town, 10 miles. into Louisville IL ex-
celIent and this IL one part Of the
Lincoln Central Highway that ID above
reproach. The roads through Indiana
- - - e.mAr R@xnA 8r~v
Louisville 20 Seymour, Indiana, the
road, while hard, Ii veyr rough and Is
slow riding for an automobile. Be-
tween Lafayette and Hammond, Ind,
much of the road IL macadam and a
part Of this IL filed with a tar binder
which makes the road almost as good
as asphalt. 1t was over these Indiana
counting the run as . whole.
One thing about the Pike county.
Ala, roads that ! want to particularly
commend and recommend as well to
our people in Florida and to people
everywhere. They have marked thees
roads with granite mile posts and each
It the number of miles to Troy, the
county seat. If every county in the
country did that, 1t would be no trouble
for q person to drive anywhere at any
time. No other place along the route
did I observe a system of this kind.
We were on the road IL days and on
nine of those days it rained. The car
had no top and some OF the time we
were all pretty well drenched. This
was the case on the last 40 miles into
indianapolis. It rained all OF the way
Ia cold driving rain which wet us to
the skin and chilled us to the marrow.
TS~a& ezR Gf0fa NxroG
after dark. do not think we could
have made 1t under the circumstances
had II not been for the Indianapolis
escort which piloted the way. These
same Yankees also saved our lives by
quartering us at the Columbia Club,
row chilled party into a Turkish bath.
and then serving a supper which
warmed and sustained US inside as the
bath had outside.
We encountered some notable and
gratifying hospitality along the entire
route and 1t would ill-become any of
us to differentiate or to place the cor
dial spirit of one place above another.
But coming as 1t did and when 1t did
think our other generous friends will
not think me unappreciative when
say that nowhere were we so ovre-
whelmed with hospitality or were we
more 8ppreClAI1Ve OF IL IMAM WAS the
case Of our reception In the capital
citv of the great state which President
Harrison. Senator Beveridge. George
AIDE, Lew Wallace. James Whitcomb
Riley, and scores Of other notable men
have made famous.
The crops along the route formed an
interesting study and particularly to
me. as my boyhood days were spent
upon the farm. 1t may therefore sur
prise the readers Of The Journal, as II
| did me. when say that along the en-
| tire trip I saw no corn-and corn is
| the greatest American crop-I saw nc
corn that compared with the big yields
per acre which we are now growing In
| Florida and Alabama. The difference
is that, in addition ~ raising more
| corn per acre than they do in the
north. we can always grow another
and sometimes even third crop OF
some other farm product on the same
] acre during the same year.