The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-06-04
M E N " Q M E N
 A D T HIN G s

You may hear that London bridge is falling down" and all that it will do will be to bring back to you the memory of your childhood, and game that gave you joy; but when you hap pen to be headed for Montgomery and hear that Cahaba bridge has fallen in, then your interest in bridges is most i keen.
 know what 1 am talking about, for Saturday a week ago I had an en- gagement with Fred M. Jackson to make a trip through the country to the Capital City to attend the commence nent exercises of the Woman's college. was to meet him at his office at a. m. and was there on the dot, for punctuality is my middle name.
 I had worried little about a 100- mile drive in such heat, figuring that we. would be on the road at least five hours on account of their condition; but when I was told the havoc which truck had played at the Cahaba, ana that the chance for it's being repaired any tune soon was AHoSI iShiotc, found that instead of fve-hour tril it looked more like an all-day ride.
 Fred got busy on the phone and after calling up several friends he an nounced that he was going to try reaching his destination by way o< Bessemer Blocton, Centreville, Ashby and get on the highway somewhere near Jemison. We had his son Phil at the wheel and he had little trouble in negotiating the stretch which lay between Birmingham and Bessemer. Qn passing might say, however, that any one interested in the road prob lem has chance to study all varieties within space of the IS miles)
 From Bessemer we, made for wood stock and picked up the highway there into West Blocton. happened to catch good luck had it, he had just made a. trip to Montgomery in Ford ana strongly advised that we cut out Gen. treville and head through Six Mile to Wilton, and thence via Montevallo to Calera, which we did, and found the roads in fair condition, even for big heavy touring car. I was glad to make the detour which carried us through some interesting country. We were making a good clip down the road when I remarked that It would soon be plum time, and we had hardly gone quarter of milo before we came upon 8 sure enough plum orchard laden with ripening fruit, but unluckily we were about two days ahead of the season, but the tempta- ton was so great that we risked few near ripe" ones just in memory of our boyhood days, for who ever knew lad to wait for plums to get full. ripe before he would dare to pluck them.
 We arrived at Calera after having gone nearly 50 miles out of our way. but the fast moving car created it's own breeze. and we suffered not at all from the heat Shortly after leaving CalAa on the Montgomery highway we found shady spot and well and had our lunch. What is there about cold spread eaten out in the open air to make it taste so good? do not know, but any one who has ever tried it knows that it's case of appetite waits on good digestion.
 The run to Montgomery was without special incident save for the pleasure we got in watching the growing crops. We had a good chance to observe them | in Jefferson, Bibb. Chiffon, Autauga, Fillmore and Montgomery counties. We found the statement of W. P. G. Hard | ing to be true, that the farmers after their period of "winder. anger and ae- pression" had pulled off their coats and gone to work to make something on their lands. The crops were all clean and in good shape.
 A 5O-mile swing around ins Mont gomery county was revelation of it's re sources as a great agricultural as- set to the state. The roads, the homes the crops. the manner of cultivation evidenced rre fact that the farmers were getting on to the busii9ss CT tarming and that the lands were re- sconding most bounteously to divers.- ftation. Fields of waving grain, some alreauy harvested, while others "e:e awaiting the scythe, showed that the small gratns with the various s-asses
 would insure sufficient feed for .he cattle industry~
 On the way home, Erwin, Freds youngest son, was at the wheel. We
 got as far as Pelham and made in- quiry about the bridge. to find that 1t would not be in service for some days. We met two men from Columbus, Ga. who had come. so they said. by the waterworks, and related such tale 1 of woe that they nearly made us turn back. But be pushed on and found that the valley route was not near so bad as they had painted it. In fact.
 we saved many miles and some hours
 by tackling it instead of the route
 we used in going to Montgomery. The I trip was a heartening one so far as the state of the crops were concerned
 and as a matter of fact the roads were not as bad as the name some give Il them
 l 1c..NffnI IExAnan<fH