The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1914-12-24
How They Got Good Roads in Georgia

! How 1Hey lot GOOU fOaQS In georgia
Pike county has some of the best
roads to be found in Georgia. These
roads are not just few of the most
public ones, but are to be found the
county over.
Up to 1907 our roads were almost
untravelable. A farmer with load
ed wagon to town, three or four
miles, would be from two to three
hours on the road-that is in the
winter time when they were at their
worst, but at their best, from an
hour and a half to two hours was
considered good travelling. A busy
farmer who lived three or four miles
from town and had to go to town
on business usually lost a half day.
You see rural telephones and parcel
post were not so common then. In
fact, there were no rural phone lines
and farmers had never thought of
parcel post. So you see when far
mer needed anything there WAS moth
ing else to do but to lose the time.
Suppose his crop needed him as
crops usually do in a busy season,
he lost great deal of time.
In 1907 there was change in our
way of working roads. Heretofore
our roads were worked by a few
hired day laborers and we were
lucky indeed to get them worked
every two years. These few day
laborers didn't take any special in
terest in their. mission, their salary
was all they cared for.
In the campaign of 1906 candi-
date for governor advocated that all
counties in the State work their own
convicts on roads. He promised to
work for this if elected. The far
mers seriously realizing this need
rallied to his support. He was elect
ed. He fulfilled his mission. A few
counties-about thirty in number
worked their convicts beforehand
and leased them from other coun-
ties. Pixies neighboring county,
Spalding, had been at it, for years.
Yin this 1907 we recalled all our
least ones and put them on our own
roads. Our commissioners bought
some twenty large mules, three or
four road scrapers and several
wheeler dump. This was thought
sufficient for the time being.
From that day our roads began to
get better, our county began to pros
per, our people began to travel more,
social calls were more frequent, peo-
pie would go to church more, many
poor and sore-shouldered mules be-
gan to look better. We started with
some twenty convicts. Bridges that
were out of repair were rebuilt or
built up.
The convicts get over our roads
about once year. Our roads were
getting better yearly, our commits
sioners realized that We could do bet
ter. They bought 30-horse-power
tractor two years ago which would
pull three scrapers with ease. With
this tractor and three or four labor
ers twelve miles per day was an easy
matter. They could work our roads
three or four times year. The con-
victs with their picks and shovels
were put on hills and fills to make
our roads straight and more level.
They graded our roads down nicely,
widened them also. Many places in
our roads before were so narrow
person could hardly pass without
running into ditch. Now majori-
ty of our roads are thirty feet wide
All low and sloppy places have been
filled and now we find no mud holes.
Bridges have been done away with
over small streams and large con-
crete culverts have been made: this
looks so much better and is better.
All bitches on both sides are kept
open. The roadbed. is in a rounding
form from three to seven feet high
er than bottom of side bitches. When
we started with our good roads it
was thought to be a great undertake