South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1920-06-27

When you see three or four barns
on "A muddy backwoods road being
turned into garages by lot of ex-
village -blacksmiths. YOU know the
said road is about to be a detour.
A detOur is an automobile trap set
by a road supervisor who Is In league
with the most incompetent garage
men 20 be found in the country.
IL starts somewhere 10 starboard
of a couple of elongated saw horses.
with the word danger on them, and
which are stretched across per
fectly good road. Sometimes il
ends on the same road Is or 20
miles further along. Sometimes II
doesn't end anywhere at all. and you
have 10 get a local guide and a
couple Of bloodhounds to ind your
way 70 a road that does end some
where.
If you go out into the country on
any fine spring morning. you will
see the county detour board laying
out detours.
They bawl along in the county
flivver till they see a nice tOppy hill,
with a few mCraSseS on the side of
it where hidden springs are coming
up for air II there are no woods
between them and the hill they go
along till they find the same kind
OF a hill that is entirely surrounded
10y woods
Woods as you know conserve the
water supply making roads muddy
all the year round, whereas roads
that don't have any woods on them
dry up IN the summer months and
become moderately passable. This
latter is a condition which utterly
units any detour for its purpose.
When the requisite hill and the
REQUISITE woods are discovered, the
members OF the detour board chop
a few trees down here and there,
and nail on others, signs bearing the
single word "Detour." with a hand
pointing in the direction OF the
deepest morasses. You can follow
these signs like the pioneers follow
ed the old blazed trails, only not
nearly so rapidly
Getting Ready for business.
Having nailed up their signs, the
detour makers go back and notify
the boys at the blacksmith shop that
there ought TO he good business up
on Smither's Hnl for next six
months. and advise them TO teIe-
phone into the wholesaler for a few
Then they rest up for another de
sour locating expedition on the fol-
lowing day.
II Is your turn next. You roll
merrilv along telling yourself that
she's not missing on a single one,
and that you ought TO make II an
average OF IS day at the least
Suddenly YOU are confronted with
the elongated saw horse. You
swerve sharply 10 the right but you
don't swerve very far. II becomes
almost Immediately necessary TO
stop. get out and lead away fallen
tree which the axe men didn't want
10 take out OF the new road.
Fallen trees aren't lightly brushed
aside ike tobacco ashes on are
pretty tired when YOU get the job
done. Along YOU go for SIX or eight
I'm a sink hole. That means a little
more patient labor. say about two
hours OF 10.
a few more holes. in and out
and you gain the rock hillside. That
Is better going. but II is hard on the
springs-sO hard In fact that unless
YOU are very 1.-the and athletic they
are likely 20 break, break, break. in
a way that would show up the sea
on its cold gray stones.
Welcome at Garage.
IL is matter OF brake control
going down the hill, which. II the
detour has been used by anybody
else, will De worn into little pillows