Cheraw chronicle. [volume] (Cheraw, S.C.) 1896-2005, 1916-06-01
PERFECTS NEW SYSTEM
FOR MARKING HIGHWAYS
State Department of Agriculture VIII
Make Auto Travelling Easier
Work Starts This
Week.

system of marking the main arterial
highways Of South Carolina have been
perfected by the state department OF
J agriculture, commerce and industries
and will be put in operation, begin
ming this week. The telegraph poles
along each road out of Columbia will
be marked in distinctive colors, visible
day and night, along their entire route
o. the main roads IN this state SO that
there will be no chal;s of autoists
losing their way.
Commissioner E. ]. Watson says
that this system was first inaugurated
in Connecticut where it proved such
a success that it was extended to the
entire length of the Lincoln and the
Transcontinental highways. Later
the system was adopted by the state
Of California.
The old state road will be the first
to be marked. Commencing at the
state house and ending at Charleston,
telegraph or other poles along the en-
tire route will be marked with broad
bands of white and blue with the ini-
tial IS" in black painted in the CEN
ter. At functional and cross roads the
names of the nearest towns and their
distances will be printed on a plac-
ard and the direction which to take
will also be given. AS quickly as pos
sible the Washington-to-Atlanta high
way running from Augusta through
Columbia, Camden and Cheraw to
Rockingham, N. c., will be marked
with red, white and blue bands with
the initial W. conspicuously painted
in black, red and white bands, upon
which will be superimposed the ini-
tial "a" will mark the new Appalach-
ian highway from Columbia to the
mountains. The initial "P" upon q
field of green and white will designate
the Piedmont highway from Columbia
to Greenville. AS soon as practica-
bic ttHa. state. department. Of agficuJ
ture, commerce and industries, will
extend the marking system from Cam
den into the Pee Dee section to George
town, distinctive appropriate colors
to be used.
At the state house will be erected
sign showing the routes and distances
to all the principal towns in the
state and the road to take and the
color to follow also will be designated.
Commissioner Watson says that he
has taken up the matter OF placing
markers showing the places OF his
toric interest along the various high
highway nearest an historic spot tell
Daughters of the American Revolu-
ton already have responded. The
plan is to have a sign at point on
highway nearest an hlstoris spot tell
where the place is, its claim to fame
and the route and distance to it.
Col. Watson says that the new sys-
tenn will take some time for compile
ton, but when finished will be of un-
told benefit to automobilists, particu-
larly to tourists unfamiliar with the
road system of South Carolina. He
is of the opinion that it will not only
cut down much delay and vexation in
travelling, but will make the highways
of the state more and more attractive
to folk from other sections Of the
country.
In connection with the new system
of marking the highways, the state
department of agriculture, commerce
and industries is getting out an en-
larged edition of the map OF South
Carolina, which is issued annually
The new map will be the most COM
plete OF it's kind ever issued in this
state and will contain data not hith-
erto carried. Commissioner Watson
contemplates, in addition to having
every highway and road in the state
distinctly traced, to show the town
ship lines i'll each county-a job OF
such labor requiring accuracy and
precision of detail, that i: takes 4
long time to complete. The commits
sioner says that he has the cooper
alton of the county supervisors and
the county engineers in the work; but
there has been some delay in getting
the required information that is nee
essary. AS soon as this information
is assembled, he stated, the work of
drafting the map, engraving and print
ing it can be speedily done. There
are some 10 counties Of the state yet
to be heard from, he said, and he sent
out hurry call for the remaining
data today. AS soon as this IS re-
ceived the map will be rushed to COM
pletion.
Col. Watson says that he daily is
in receipt of calls for the latest state
map which cannot be supplied be-
cause of the necessary delay in the
compilation of the data wanted. When
completed the state map will be CIV
en- free.
If an honest man Is the noblest
work Of God, 1t might be we'll tn keep