The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1921-09-14
R1AIlSHILL
3. Sell. MARKED.
2 ople Travelling Them
VIII Know. Where
They Lead

Twas a dark and stormy night
and an automobile party hud be;
Come lost IN the mountains For
zone time, IT had become apparent
Hat the driver, a stubborn fellow,
nd taken the wrong turu some.
where and all the others swore
aeatnst him, AT last they arrived
IA crossroads village where there
d store, and few houses but
al was dark, for it WAS long past
Iftdffight.. On the corner at the
store however, stood telegraph
mole, with q signboard about eight
RI ten feet from tho ground. There
pyas NO flashlight in the outfit, and
ccarefu1 frisk OF .ths- crowd dis.
closed one solitary match. twas
decided that the driver should be
made to shin up the pole and read
the sign, inasmuch as he had got
the crowd into the di5agTeeeable
predicament through his pighead:
edness5 This he agreed to.'dO, pro
tyided Ssomeone would stand on the
ground; strike the. match and hand
q mp TO him.
Twice, he.assayed the climb, and
tg1ce he slipped block to the
GROUND, But at the third attempt he
made 1t. held on to the sign with
one hand and called for the match.
There was a sound of scraping on
the matchbox, and while all held
their breath, the tiny flame was
c8refully nutsed until there was no
danger Of being blown out by the
i Ugh wind, then handed up.
4, The slgn'read, "FRESH PAINT.
Yet few days, and there will
be no danger Of any automobile
party having any such an expert
ence within miles of Fairmont, Mt
least on the roads leading 10 Graf.
ton, Glarksburg. MorgantOwn or
Sloyers GAP, IL the work started
this morning by District Road En-
gfneer B. Fl. Palmer and his merry
crew Of assistants goes forward us
expeditiously as they expect.
Pursuant to instructions re.
ceived from the state road com
iI1ission, the district road engi.
naeTs this morning the work of
marking the distance from the
colrt house to the end of the hard
pavement on each OF the roads
named This is necessary to be
done, say the commission, before
they formally take over the roads
10 become parts Of the state high
ways, beginning January /, 1922
The plan of marking the dis.
lance is the same as that used in
New York, Pennsylvania. Ohio and
other states whore the state gov
ernments have taken over the inn
provement OF the main roads, and
consists OF marking the distance
from the starting point every hun
dred feet on telegraph pole.
fence, or any other available place
with numbers about four inches
likh,
BY this means, the exact dis
lance from the court house can be
figured out. For instance. II there
is doubt as to the distance. and
the number 52S is found. the dis
lance will be $500 feet, or ten
miles. Another advantage will be
found where paved roads cross and
there are no signboards. In that
case, the way to the court house
HAY be found by the simple ex-
nedient Of following the numbers
after the manner of Hansel and
Gretel who found their way home
81 following the pebbles let fall by
Hanset as the wicked stepmother
took them far into the Black For.
est for the purpose OF losing them.
Another useful feature OF the
plan Is that the numbers can be
used as location marks whenever 1t
becomes necessary to report bad
spots In the road to the commits
sion, for the purpose of having
needed repairs made.
The paved roads to be taken over
by the state, now extend to about
two miles beyond Rivesvtlle in the
direction OF Morgantown; a little
beyond Hutchinson in the direction
81 Ctarksburg; to Glover's Gap
with the exception of short
stratch near Metz and about a
mile beyond KIngmont on the road
to Grafton.