El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-05-08
MARKERS ON
RURAL ROADS
Thomas J. Hay, Authority on
Autos, Appeals for Sup
port in Fight for Signs.
By THOMAS J. HAY,
Chicago HupmObIIe Distributor.

According to the state automobile
license register Of last year there are
over 100000 men and women licensed
to operate automobiles.
L appeal to every autoist in the
United States and every one Of the
hundreds of thousands Of others
Throughout the United States to join
in q movement to place markers on
country roads, just as they are placed
on city streets.
I have thought talked and written
Of this subject for several years, and
now I believe the time is ripe TO call
for concerted action.
Did IL ever occur TO you while speed
ing along a country road lined Win
prosperous farms and comfortable
homes that the people occupying them
are being cheated out Of something TO
which they are entitled?
Applies to Whole Nation.
1 While 1 address this appeal first OF
| all 10 the autOists, I insist il is some
thing that applies to the whole coun-
try at large / insist that the farmer.
| the merchant the telephone and tele-
graph companies, our own Uncle sam
i and his mail service. as well as the
autoist are all concerned.
| Suppose you. Mr.. AutOist, are driving
| along country road and you ask
[ farmer to direct you to some given
point. Here is a sample reply;
| Keep right on to the turn at the
1 creamery, jog left, then right ad fol-
low the road to the white school house.
! Cross the plank Dad and turn to the
/ right for mile until you hit the creek
road and the first big house with a red
barn behind it is your place
I Why
Why is the farmer, who may be uv-
ing like prince, denied the privilege
OF definite geographical location2
w ny IS the autoist, or any one else who
IS stranger TO the locality, compelled
to grope his way as if he were in the
dark2
T@
TT IS a thousand times worse at night.
/ II IS algebra by day 1t is a combina-
ton Of Greek, higher mathematics and
the fourth dimension by night
Farmers Good Natured.
Most farmers retire early. II the
autoist gets lost he must awaken the
1armer-something 1 do not like to do,
I fo- L have some consideration for the
other fellow.
Usually the farmer is good natured.
he directs you in such manner as
would be perfectly clear TO a resident
Of the neighborhOOd, but the autoist
has TO trust to luck and a kind provi-
dence- And sometimes it happens that
the farmer is angry. Worse yet. II
often happens that the autoist gets
out of the front gate ahead OF a dog.
/ once in a while he. isn't ahead
Worst OF all are the nights when
storms are raging If there is any
thing worse than being lost on a coun-
try road at midnight in the midst Of a
/ driving thunderstorm 1 would like TO
II is not right It is not fair, either
to the autoist or TO the farmer Sup
pose, instead Of the foregoing Gin my
COMPARISONS I am using ChicaEO and
vicinity as an example,, We had a con-
dition like this.
The autoist is Overtaken by night. |
he reads name on a sign post and
nfIos that he is on the De Soto road. |
DRIVING ahead a short distance to the
first farm house. he reads the NUM- |
Der on the gate pOst-16.400 He con- |
suits his map and like a flash knows he
IS on the De Soto road at point close /
Dy the CORVALLIS road
All Roads Have Names.
Ut, II the gate post is not numbered,
ne drives ahead until he comes to the
1lrst cross road. which he finds by the /
sign post is LAFAYETTE turnniL-e an
he goes TO CORVALLIS road. proceeds /
via this road to De KaIb highway. He !
passes Anderson. Argyle. ana a score ]
OF other roads and is soon at home re- /
Why not?
There is scarcely any road I'm This /
country that does not possess a name
OF some sort II may be Potato Creek I
road, or swamp Hollow, but it has a /
name, known only TO those who live Z
nearby or travel il very frequently.
Why keep these names secret? II /
would cost so little for each county or i
township government to place mark /
often wondered why the farmers do not /
DO 1t themselves for their own con- /
venience. n
Yet so many different interests are
concerned that I am taking this op-
portunity to call on the autoists of the /
country to start a movement. embrace |
ing al that viii rectify this deplora- /
bic condition
I believe a community is Drosnero,,s
IN direct ratio TO its progressiveness.
Dlstrlcts where sign posts and dfrec-
ions are frequently encountered are
Almost invariably In prosperous agri-
cultural communities where convene
ieneces are highly regarded.
mere IS absolutely no sensible rea- Il
son why the myriads Of city streets /
should be any easier to name. or to I
try roads.
UnmistakabIe Signs Needed.
EEery one OF those roads should have 1
a definite marker at every cross road.
EseIy road leading in and out Of Chi
SaSo should have the same markers. I
" hen the autoist, or the driver OF a I
morse vehicle, or any one else is on
the Elgin, Crown Point, South Bend.
Green Bay, Sheridan, Milwaukee or
otEer roads, he should be able to know
1t by unmistakable markers.
suppose a Chicago man is going 20 /
annapolis for the races. He is di-
rected TO 60 south on Cottage Grove
avenue to the end Of that highway.
When he gets to the end the only v-av
ne can determine which is the Scum
BENZ or Crown Point. or some orner :
road, is by further inquiry. and when
Two roads converge at an acute angle
L IS very easy to make a mistake and
lose hours of time.
rms may seem big proposition. |
but ii is not really so. II ever, one /
u the various interests concerned will I
get together the desired result can be /
accomplished in a remarkably short
lime.
Cooperation viii do if. The autoiet !
reeds It, the farmer needs il, Uncle |
sam needs it, the business man needs /
I And just as soon as they viii get |
ogether and realize it. just so soon
VII every road have its definite indf- !
,lduality and general improvement OF !
hose roads will begin.
DRIVING in THE CAR TRACK