OFFICE OF PUBLIC ROAD INQUIRIES. 283 



SOUTH CAROLINA. 



Special Agent and Expert Charles T. Harrison, in his report to the 

 acting- director of this Office, in reference to the worlv done nnder his 

 direction at Clemson College, Sonth Carolina, says: 



Clemson College road, — During the progress of the Tennessee road work arrange- 

 ments had been made to carry the work of the Office of Public Road Inquiries into 

 South Carolina, and earh" in December I went to Clemson College, situated a mile 

 west of Calhoun station, on the Southern Railway, and 32 miles from Greenville, to 

 look over the ground and determine upon what should be done. Early in the fall, 

 to facilitate the work, the college trustees had begun upon the road set apart as an 

 object lesson, and at the time of my visit had laid over a half mile of foundation. 

 The college was already provided with a crusher, an elevator, and a chute screen; 

 and the broken stone, as it came from the crusher, was placed upon the earth 

 foundation; the only rolling that was done being by the aid of the wide-tired 

 wagons used on the college fai-m. As large and small stones had been placed indis- 

 criminately, the superintendent in charge of the work, Maj. J. E. Bradley, one of 

 the trustees of the college, and his fort-man, Mr. J. P. Lewis, the college farm 

 manager, were advised to have the larger stones broken. Other timely suggestions 

 were given and material looked up for the expei'imental features of the work to 

 be done later. I then returned to Knoxville. where I found the model plant being 

 shipped to its new location. December 19 I returned to Clemson College under 

 an authorization to instruct the students in the art of road building by practical 

 demonstrations and lectures. 



In the interim between my visits, the Office of Public Road Inquiries had secured 

 the loan from Mr. Murray Bocock. of Keswick. Va.. of an improved 5-ton horse 

 roller that could be weighted to 7 tons, and great good has been done with it. 

 Considerable progress has been made on the road, a gang of men being kept at 

 work breaking the large stones as they were placed. 



It was deemed best at this time to remove the plant to a point more convenient 

 to all parts of the work, and, as the Christmas holidays were coming on, when but 

 little work would be done at the college, it was decided to remove and reset the 

 plant at that time, so as to be ready to prosecute the work vigorously with the 

 beginning of the new year. This was done, the new location proving more advan- 

 tageous in every waj'. 



The road improved extended from Calhoun Station to the college campus, and 

 had been laid out to avoid the steep grades on the old road. A great amount of 

 cutting and filling had been done, and an average grade of S^ per cent obtained. 

 A fine stone culvert was erected across a good-sized creek or branch, and a fill of 

 several feet in depth made over it and on the approaches thereto. The new road 

 has a number of graceful curves, and, though the length was increased, the time 

 between the college and railroad station was materially lessened on account of the 

 easier grades established. 



The stone construction, as started by the college authorities, was 9 feet in width, 

 placed on one side of the roadway so as to admit of an earth road immediately 

 adjoining; the depth of stone varied according to the lack of firmness in the sub- 

 grade, which, on the big fill over and near the branch, had become softened by 

 reason of heavy travel in the wet season of the fall. On this considerable stone 

 was placed, which was worked in b)' travel until a firm foundation was had. The 

 average depth of stone was to have been 9 inches The stone used was gneiss, 

 and, though of an inferior quality, was the best to be obtained there, and far supe- 

 rior to mud. 



The work on this section of road, about a mile in length, was in charge of Trustee 

 Bradley and Prof. P. T. Brodie, instructor in civil engineering. It was known as 

 the •'College Road,"' though a general oversight was given the work by the Office 

 of Public Road Inquiries" representative. 



Experimental roads. — In order that it might be ascertained how good for road 

 purposes the different rocks and materials at hand might prove, the road work 

 done directly by the Office of Public Road Inquiries embraced several distinct fea- 

 tures. They were known as • ' experiments, '" and were so designated by appropriate 

 markings, so that "he who runs may read." This work began at the end of the 

 col'ege road and extended a distance of 1.302 feet by a number of curves to the 

 entrance of the main college building. The stone construction was 10 feet wide, 

 with an average depth for macadam of 5 inches. The depth of stone was a distinct 

 feature, as the general impression where stone roads have not been tried is that 

 nothing less than 10 or 12 inches in depth will answer. 



