THIS PAPER IS READ BY THE f?EOi?LE. IT GIV TH&vNEWS WHILE IT IS FRESH AND IS NEWS
Volume XV
Undr N. V C.; Friday, February 14, 1913
No. 29
CARE OF PUBLIC ROADS.
Wide Tire Improye, Whi! Norr
Destroy the Roads . t :
To the close observer it is very
plain that there IjaLheen an im
mense amount of money spent,
and lots of roads built which
have proved disappointing, be
cause the roads so soon went to
the bad qr cot too nuph tq keep
them under, repair, and I will
say now that ahy road is an ab
solute failure as a gopc road, in
the full sense of the word; which
you cannot perpetuate at a nom
inal cost of maintenance. What
was the trouble? Too often the
road was built and left to take
cafe of itself, and roads will not
do that any more than a child.
They have to be cared for and
the younger or newer they are
the closer the care must be.
But that is not the worst trouble.
The main trouble is in the way
we use our roads.
I have been watching very
closely the proceedings of the
present General Assembly to see
if they were going to try to do
anything to relieve us oi the
greatest destroyer of good roads
and give us instead a maker of
good roads, viz: wide-tired wag
ons to take the place of the pres
ent narrow tire which is in gen
eral use.
If we Jwant bad roacls made
worse and good roads made bad
we have the very thing in oper
ation, the narrow tire, and U
that is what we want let us quit
spending the people's good mon
ey, pretending that we are "red
hot' ' for good roads, and we who
have wide-tired wagons get nar
row ones, get out on the roads
when the ground is too wet to
plow, and if there happens--to.be
a stretch of road to get on which
has been built at a cost of $400
to $muo per mile, hit that, loaded
with 2,000 feet of rough lumber
weighing G,000 pounds on a one
and a half inch tire, make four
loads a day with six or eight
teams, and others follow with
cross-ties and wood, with the
same kindS of wagons. Now if
this does'jiot get this stretch of
road it will almost. Hut wait
until the corn is "laid by" and
the roads,get good and dry, try
the same Lthing over, with the
auto U) fan off what the heavy
load on so small a base grinds to
powder, and you have accom
plished the destruction of the
road, then "cuss" the man who
built it and say it was no good
What isjreally the trouble? It
was not that the road was no
irood. it was all right. Take
the same road, same wagons, ex
cept with tires in proportion to
the load, say two-inch for 1,000
Dounds. two and a half-inch for
K '
l,5CX)Jpounds, three-inch for 2
000 pounds. jthree and a half-inch
for 3,000 pounds, and four inch
for over that, same autos and
i ... .
everything, and instead ol your
road going topieces it will have
gotten better for the using.
have seen this condition, or near
ly so at various times and places
Some accuse the autos and say
they are ruining the roads, while!
others will say the road is no
good.
We have in Mineral Springs
a MpNToUI Townshins. Moore
nnu ..iv-v....
County, roads that were built at4
a cost of SHOO per milo five years j
ago and maintained since at a
cost of not over $5 per mile per
year and today are in perfect
condition. Do we have the au
tomobiles? I should say so.
Pinehurst, and Southern Pines,
two of the largest and most pop
nlar Winter resorts in the South
with scores of the heaviest of
touring cars on our roads every
day through the Winter, and
Jackson Springs one of the most
popular wrjthg 'places in the
QQuthwithjKQocj roads to it from
every direction,, open all the
Summer. , 1 would likettQ. know;
of roads in any oher part of the
State which have anything like
the automobile traffic on them.
Now let me tell you why our
roads ..are rbe,tter today than, they
were when first built, not be
cause of., the money 'we have
spent on thejn in repair, that
helped it is true, not because we
did not have the autos for we
have, and I really think they
have done our roads more good
than harm, but because most all
the heavy teaming has been dope
with wjde-tired wagons which
have kept the roads packed
smooth and hard instead of cut
ting them up in ruts as the nar
row tire will do. Another thing
should mention, our roads
which are used the most, are best
cost of construction being the
same. The wide tire has a ten
dency to keep the roads packed
hard and smooth so that the
rains will shed right off having
ho ruts to stand in. I will say
also that every man who is us
ing a wide tire, and most all are
doing so in this immediate sec
tion, would not have a narrow
tire, he would not use it if it
was given to him. I know some
say that wide tires will not do
on some roads. The one who
snys so is ignorant on the subject,
absolutely, so. I mean any road
which Is" considered a road. I
realize that this is pretty plain
talk, but I can convince any one
that the above is true, except a
fool, the wise man said he could
not be convinced and I guess he,
knew. Now we want better
roads, and want to keep them so.
There has certainly been enough
money spent in improving the
roads,, and then let them go to
the bad, and the narrow-tired
wagon is largely responsible for
it.
A few lines in regard to roads
and the kind of roads to build.
That problem is practically solv
ed. Generally speaking macad
am is a thing of the past. It was
first built trying to get something
that would stand the narrow tire
and it did for a while but it is
now found that even it will not
stand them long. The old plank
road is the only road that could
stand the narrow tire. It is no
use to mention it, as it was a
bout as impractical as the nar
row tire. All materials will
stand a certain amount of strain
or pressure a square inch, before
giving way or crushing and no
more, that being so it does not
matter so much what kind of ma
terial we use to build roads if it
packs and stays packed when
dry, and will not be sticky when
wet, but we must distribute our
loads so it will not exert more
weight per square inch than the
capacity of the material from
which the road is built. My ex
perience is for the sand section,
sand-clay. And for the clay
section, gravel with enough soil
for a binder makes the best and
most durable in proportion to
the cost of construction and
maintaining, and will stand any
reasonable strain. 1 he cost for
the sand-clay in the sand sec-
tions is $250 to $500 per mile,
and gravel roads in the clay-section
cost $100 to $1,200 per mile
Now If we will ose them right
we -do not need anything better
than the above named roads and
at their cost we can all afford
them without taxing ourselves
6ut of reason. J. B. Vancan-
j non.
COMMISSION GOVERNMENT
pvr - it . WqrkfecJ in Columbia,
South Carojina-Senti.
meat for it.Growing.
(Charlotte Chronicle.)
Ashevii is agitating the com
mission form of government and
It sent Secretary Buckner of the
bpard of trade dovyn to Columbia
to look, into the workings of the
system that has been used there
for the past few years. Mr.
Buckner acquainted himself in
detail with the operation of Che
commission plan in Columbia and
returned with information and
facts which will be given ,out in
Asheville for the purpose of en
lightening the people of that ci
ty as to the advantages of the
plan. Mayor (jibbes of Colum
bir came to Charlotte about two
years ago and outlined to inter
ested citizens in mass meeting
the details of the commission
plan and told how successful it
had been in Columbia, in provid
ing resources with which to op
erate the city and meeting all
the needed expenses of a pro
gressive administration. Some
of the things he told have been
forgotten and for that reason
their repetition as outlined to
Secretary Buckner of Asheville
will be of interest:
Tiie city has been under such
an administration for two and a
half years, and when it was first
inaugurated there was a deficit
in the treasury of approximate
lv $300,000. Since that tune
public improvements have been
made costing upwards of $500,
000 and on January 1, last, there
was a balance of J36(XX) in the
treasury. Among the public im
provements the city has paved
four and a half miles of- streets,
the first paving ever done there;
has bought two automobile tire
trucks, two pairs of horses, and
two wagons for the fire depart1
ment; increased the number of
paid firemen and raised their
salaries; increased the police
force, raised the salaries of the
men and changed from a 12 to
an 8-hour shift; has given $10,-
000 to the city school fund an
nually, in addition to the regular
fund, just double the amount for
merly given; and several miles
of sidewalks have been laid.
In additiou to this, as above
stated, all old debts have been
paid off and $30,000 remains in
the treasury.
The imi)ortant point seems to
be however, that all this has
been accomplished without in
creasing tax valuations or assess
ments, the income of the city be
ing through the regularchannels
the same as under the old ad
ministration. New AdrertUemant
The following named firms are
inviting our readers to call and
see them, by their attractive ad
vertisements in this issue.
When you visit them in response
to these invitations, just say you
saw the advertisements in The
News. This will be doing both
them and the paper a kindness.
Pulliams, ten cent sale.
Courtney Department Stores
Soring garments, dress
goods etc.
Courtney Clothing Co., Tail
oring display.
Bank of Lenoir, Statement,
lied Moon, Theatre, social
vaudeville.
Business Locals, miscella
neous matters.
If you want a steel engraved
picture that will never detoriate
in value, get one of Uncle Sam's.clared. That patient will be his
new $10,000 bills. wife.
MR. CRAVER'S AGED MULL
No Humane Society Needed
With ThU Good Man
of Davidson
(Davidson Dispatch.)
The average man does not
think that he is doing anything
wrong when he takes the best
years of a dumb brute's life,
profits immensely by its labors
and then turns it over to some
irresponsible negro or trifling
white man to be beat and cuffed
around and finally starved to
death No matter how useful
an animal has been and no mat
ter how much good work it has
done, when it reaches a stage
where it is no longer profitable
it is discarded like an old shoe.
That's the common way and noth
ing is more cruel nothing more
heartless, and it was with no lit
tle pleasure that The Dispatch
man listened to a story of Mr.
Ad Craver's mule. Mr. Craver
is a citizen of Reeds and is very
well known in all parts of the
county. As the story goes, Mr.
Craver had a mule which he had
raised from a colt. It was a
good mule and it played no small
part in making a living for Mr.
Craver and his family. When it
was no longer able to work he
did not bring it to town and
practically give it away to some
rough-neck of a horse-trader or
palm it off on some sorry negro.
He practically pensioned the
faithful old animal, giving it the
best of treatment and requiring
no work of it. The old mule
died the other day at the age of
il'J and Mr. Craver gave it a de
cent burial, borne people are
disposed to laugh at Mr. Craver
for making such tuss over an
old mule, but Mr Craver is eter
nally right. There ought to be
more of his kind in the world.
Captain Scott And Companions Die.
London, Feb. 10. News reach
ed the world today that Capt.
Robert P. Scott, the British ex
plorer, and four of his compan
ions perished in the Antarctic
while on their return journey
from the South Pole. The dead
in addition to Captain Scott, art
Dr. E. A. Wilson, Lieut. H. R.
Bowers, Capt. L. E. S. Oates
and Petty Officer E. Evans.
They reached their goal on
January 18, 1912, about a month
after Capt. Roald Amundsen, the
Norwegian, had planted the flag
of his country there. Then they
turned back toward the bases
they had formed on their out
ward journey, but were over
taken, overwhelmed and destroy
ed by a blizzard.
News of the death of the ex
plorers was brought to civiliza
tion today by the captain of the
Terra Nova, the ship which had
taken Scott's expedition to the
south and which had gone again
to. bring them back after the ac
complishment of thir task
searching expedition recovered
the bodies and records of the
party.
Tuberculoma Sram.
(New York Dispatch, 6th.)
Hurrying homeward from
abroad with tuberculosis serum
in his possession that he says is
the first of the widely discussed
Friedmann culture to be brought
to this country, Dr. Austin B.
Heid, a physician of Pittsburg,
arrived on the steamship Potts
dam from Europe today and at
once took a train for his hom(,
vhen hi xrifo a mnanmntivo
awaits the arrival of what Dr.
Heid hopes will be a cure for
her. Dr. Heid has enough bac-
cili only for one patient, he de
Automobile Bill.
Raleigh, Feb. 10. The Sen
ate and House Committees on
Roads, voted to report favora
bly the automobile bill and as
acted on by the committee it
provides for uniform display
numbers changed annually in
style and color, annual registra
tion lees of $5 on motor vehic-
es up to 25 horsepower, $7.50
Tom 25 to 40 horsepower and
$10 for more than 40 horsepower;
this to be divided equally each
year between county and State.
A dealer's license of $10 is to be
applied as the registration as
fees with right to use number on
all machines used for demonstra
tion purposes only. Fifteen
days' exemption for non-residents
is provided and that no
person under 15 years shall op
erate a machine. The speed lim
it is 25 miles an hour in the
country and 10 to 15 in towns;
right is given to sue for dama
ges on account of negligence of
drivers, throwing a cutting sub
stance on public roads is a mis
demeanor, and it is the special
duty of all officers to enforce the
law.
The revenue is estimated at
forty to fifty thousand dollars
the first year, 6,400 motor vehic
les being registered. By July
1, 1914, it isexpected that 10,000
will be on the books.
Another bill acted on favora
bly was providing for engineer
ing assistance to be furnished by
the State Geological Board to
any county asking for it in high
way construction, and appropri
ating $20,(XK) out of the fund de
rived from the automobile taxes
for the purpose. Chief engi
neers to be paid not to exceed
$2,500 and assistants $1,200.
The Senate Committee alone de
cided to favor Senator Phillips'
measure for the working of State
conviets on the county roads of
counties applying for such labor
for permanent roads.
New Depot.
Mr. J. W. Fletcher, Jr., Mas
ter of Roadway, for the Caroli
na & North -Western Railway
was in IxMioir a few minutes
Wednesday and informed us he
had let the contract for a large
addition to the Lenoir Depot.
The structure will be entirely
new as far as the passenger de
partment is concerned and will
be joined to the south end of the
the present depot. It will ex
tend out far enough for ample
waiting rooms for both white
and colored people, with ticket
offices between and will be
equipped with sanitary drinking
fountains and closets. There
will be large sheds built on the
sides next to the tracks, extend
ing 80 feet and affording ample
accommodations lor passengers
to enter and alight from trains
without exposure to rains. The
present office quarters will be
turned into the wareroom and
the present waiting rooms made
offices for the freight depart
ment. The present baggage
room will be moved and used
still as a baggage room. The
Elliott Construction Company of
Hickory has the contract and
will commence work bv the first
of March ftnd the buiUlirur is to
. . . , , , . , .
be 'Plcd by July 1st.
The best thing some men
could do &ftor m.lki a fortUlKl
, , , . . t .
would be to buy the farm which
they ran away and settle on It.
It was the woman who
first:
saw the snake, but since that
time lots of men have been at
tending to that sort of thing.
NEWS ITEMS OF INTEREST.
Interesting Reading Matter of
Local and National Affairs
in Condensed Form.
Mrs. Frances Folsom Cleve
land, widow of the late Presi
dent Cleveland, and Prof. T. J.
Preston were married Monday
at Princeton, N. J.
During, the past week the
Henkel-Craig Live Stock Co. re
ceived thirteen car loads of hor
ses and mules. This is approx
imately 300 head and shows that
the company's business ii very
active. Landmark.
Southern Pines, Feb. 10. C.
H. Dorland of New York City, a
tourist visitor who has been at
Southern Pines since November,
was accidentally shot today
while shooting at a target near
the Piney Woods Inn site. He
stumbled over a root in arrang
ing the target and exploded his
gun. Death was immediate.
Miss Bessie Mann, daughter
of Rev. and Mrs. L. T. Mann,
who was in school at Davenport
College. Lenoir, underwent an
operation for appendicitis at Dr.
Long's Sanatorium a few days
ago. Her condition is favorable.
Miss Blanche Mann, who was
at home on account of her sis
ter's illness, returned to Lenoir
yesterday to resume her studies
at Davenport. Landmark.
Charlotte Observer, 8th.
Albert H. Kimball was run down
by an automobile driven by a
young Mr. Haynes of Salisbury,
about 5 o'clock this evening, and
died shortly after reaching a
hospital at Salisbury, where he
was taken tonight. Mr. Kim
ball was coming into town on a
bicycle, from his home, which is
to the west of town. When
near the center of the business
district he was ovetaken by the
automobile, at the same time
meeting a wagon. He attempt
ed to pass the wagon on the
right but before he succeeded
the automobile struck him,
smashing his wheel and pitching
him to the ground.
His home people here received
a telegram Friday afternoon an
nouncing the critical illness of
Mr. John M. Connelly in Dallas,
Texas, and his mother, Mrs. J.
B. Connelly, and brother, Mr.
Jas. Mac. Connelly, hitve gone
to Dallas to be with him. The
latter, who is a traveling sales
man, was at Lenoir when the
message reached Statesville and
by appointment he drove
through the country to Morgan
ganton Friday night and met his
mother there, the two leaving
Morgauton on the early train
Saturday morning. Mr. W. T,
Nicholson accompanied Mrs.
Connelly to Morganton, return
ing home Saturday. Later tele
grams from Dallas state thai
Mr. Connelly's condition is very
much improved. Landmark.
Death of Homer Carltoa.
Information has been received
here of the death of Homer
Carlton, a son of Mr. T. C. Carl
ton, Centralia, Kansas. The
young man had been oieratd
on for appendicitis and was
thought to be getting well wltt-n
a change for the worse toolc
place and he died -i:: J
25th in a hospital at Sabetha.
Mr. T. C. Carlton, Uie father ot
the young man, is a brother of
Messrs. John and Hack Carlton,
of this county, and his mother
was Miss Martha Kendall, sister
of Mrs. J. C. Powell and Mrs.
L. C. Fergerson and Mrs. J. L.
Laxton.