The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1917-08-25
f3s MAECHn4H AND sogE3aRos AUGUST % 1917
Tisscly Comment ON thc .CDsdition Of
Public Roads In Sumter C0anty.
Editor The Daily Item.

L. ffsf4f St--r---<-..,s ..t
Editor The Daily Item:
Some months ago when commit
tee waited on the County Commis
sioners to urge better roads ,tob tn
tobacco section. we were told that tn
White truck and trailers were bough
to transport road material from sucl
beds as we have in various sections
to the parts of the roads where tn,
soil Is too loamy for road build
ing. told the board that II aha
purpose was carried. out they wouls
be Justified In the. purchase of this
Quilt. and that there are two beds o
as fne road material as there is IL
the State on this side of Dlack Riv
or In sufficient quantity to surfac,
|all the roads for miles around. lant
that Il could be bought at a reason,
able price. The road from Mayesvillt
to the county line at the Noise farm
and from Scottsville to Shiloh cpult
be made a turnpike with very little
hauling from the material alongside
the roadway. The Shiloh and Trinity
roads can be made turnpikes from
the gravel about Spring branch. THE
road from McBride's to Sumter and
up and down the Brewington road
from gravel on the east hill of Blacf
River.
In u recent editorial about tn,
boil weevil trip and tho fine roads 81
Georgia you mentioned a gravel bed
in the stateburg section that wO,,I,
surface all the roads OF the county
1t In a pertinent inquiry to ash
why this truck and trailers are moi
put to this permanent road builriins
for which the board said they wert
bought Why the truck and scraper,
were put on the road toward the to
bacco country on the Sth making 1
almost impossible until the rains @
sunday and yesterday? I drove owe
II before IT was recently scra ped ant
since 1t was scraped. and not unit
Yesterday was 1t as good as it was tn
day before the scraping. Surely 4
Mr.. White would drive his Ford Owe
his road before and after scrapinl
ne would never again commit tn
Jolly. Of scraping It,,
I know Of much tobacco that ha
zone to Manning. five or six miles
Further. and to Timmonsville. tel
niles further. largely on account O
he road from Black River to Sumter
How much goes to other places from
and Turbeville because O
bad roads and no direct route t.
Mcbride cross roads. it is i'm
possible to say. Some Of these to.
'acco men say: Sumter is the bes
own to trade in, but its tobacco mar
get IL not .as good as the Others. an1
he road Is too much worse" A gen
leman from another county was will
ne on Thursday afternoon and sait
he did not know what we wer'
thinking about to tolerate such
'oad on a main highway leading t.
such a city as Sumter. We passed
! member of the county board will
his family. and my companion re
marked: II do not see what he take
his family out on such road as thi
ior."
We are told there Is no road ma
terial on this road. think II the,
would ditch for II, as has been don
In three places. a fairly good road
could be built. and I know that will
Black River gravel 1t can be mad,
as good as Liberty Street by Ken.
nedy's saw mill.
The road from Dabbs- McBrid,
Cross roads to Buddins has beer
surveyed and cut out and can bt
opened for traflic cheaper than tn
ShilOh-Trinity roads were built. "
Is tho most direct route from Sumter
to Turbeville and will cut off abou
three miles OF the distance. 1t fol,
lows almost the same course as tho
proposed railroad. We are right.
making preparation for the boil wee
vii. and the leaders of finance ir
Sumter ought to see that transporta-
tion will be more factor of pro
sress under the new agriculture
when more bulky fertilizers will be
used and more bulky produce will b,
marketed than at presnt. or course
we country people can live way of
from lines Of railroad and with pooi
public roads. but we will furnish
much less business for the city people
to live off than II we have railroad