868 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
September 30, 
completion the driveway was only 11 feet wide. Two 
rigs could not pass on the bridge, neither could an 
oi dinary six-foot cut binder be run across without 
trucking, neither guard rails or any protection what¬ 
ever for such a dangerous place. The bridge cost 
about $200, and was always styled a nuisance. I 
thought I would profit by the other man’s mistake 
and build bigger anyway, so I dug the bottom out 
11 feet wide and 20 feet long. I was down about 10 
feet below the roadbed when I came to material 
that would be safe to build on, and then I could only 
find rock for the side walls. At the lower end of 
FEEDING-SHED FOR STOCK. Fig- 378. 
the excavation I could run a bar down four feet in 
the gravel, while there was good slate rock on each 
side running the whole length of bridge that made me 
stud}' some. The wise ones commenced to talk again, 
saying, “You can't build a bridge there that will 
stay;” tried to get my supervisor to stop me before I 
broke the township up, etc., but I got no orders to 
stop, and so I went right on, being more determined 
now than ever to show them I could build it. I quit 
hiring the old fellows who were firmly “sot” in their 
ways of leaning on the shovel handle telling of the 
good old times and the way they did things, while 
younger men do the work. I got a crew of good 
hearty young farmer boys. I believe they would 
have run that hole down until the water was waist 
deep if I had asked them to. When I found I could 
not get a solid foundation in the center of the creek 
bed without going down 14 feet below the road bed 
I had to abandon my first plan and do the next best 
that I could think of. 
BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION.—As the stone bridge 
was wrecked on account of the foundation giving 
away at the lower end I knew that was the most 
important part of the work, and must be started 
right. A large flat stone lay in the creek hed a few 
feet below where I wanted to start the bridge. The 
stone was about seven feet long, 2^4 feet wide and 
one foot thick, and I think would weigh a ton. We 
dug a place for it out of this gravel in center of lower 
end of bridge, each end being let down in slate rock 
by hitching on the big fellow with ropes and tackle, 
and with five good fellows to pull we finally got it 
in place. Then I built a form 214 feet wide, 12 feet 
long and eight inches thick, and made a cement block 
right on top of the stone. I then commenced laying 
in the bottom, which is Telford or more commonly 
called cobbled. The first stones were laid firmly on 
end against the cement block at lower end of bridge, 
putting a little cement in every chink or open place, 
as the bottom was laid. As the stones rested against 
the big cement block at lower end and that had a 
stone that would weigh a ton under it I thought I was 
started right at any rate. Many said I could not build 
a bridge in that place that would stay; one man went 
so far as to say that no one could. Others said a 
hard shower would come along and tear my work all 
out before it would set properly, etc. Under such 
conditions one very naturally goes carefully; such 
was my case. When I got to the upper end I placed 
another cement block 12 feet long, two feet wide and 
six inches thick, which held the stone bottom in place; 
both ways several strands of barb wire were placed 
in the cement blocks to make things more secure. 
The side walls were then laid in cement on top of 
this 11-foot Telford bottom, side walls two feet thick, 
3 y 2 feet high, which left me a seven-foot span for 
the water to pass through. After the side walls were 
up I laid a cement bottom three inches thick between 
the side walls and the whole length of bridge, which 
is 20 feet. The cement bottom covers up the cement 
blocks at ends of bridge and has 12’ strands of barb 
wire in it for reinforcement. The creek bed is so 
completely cemented that a few days ago during the 
drought a little stream of water not larger than a 
lead pencil was trickling through the bridge, then dis¬ 
appeared again in the dry dusty creek bed below. 
After the bottom was put in I got a little too hot one 
day and had to lie in the shade most of the time for 
two weeks; then it got a little cooler and I com¬ 
menced work again, putting in the forms for the 
cement arch, see Fig. 375, with a part of under frame 
in place for arches to rest on, one arch in position at 
upper end. You will also notice if you look closely 
the end of a stout log chain fastened around the 
upper end of framework, the other end is around a 
big oak sleeper in the wooden bridge above. I used 
every precaution to avoid any catastrophe that many 
said was sure to overtake me, and although several 
good floods came down the ravine, I was always pre¬ 
pared for it and they did no damage. 
THE MATERIAL.—The old stone bridge was 
built of limestone, any shape and size imaginable, 
and as I had sorted out all the nice big ones for the 
side walls, laying them to a face in cement one part, 
two sand, I now had them broken in irregular shapes 
and sizes in order to get a sharp clean surface for 
the cement to adhere to. I then commenced using a 
mixture of the following proportions: One cement, 
two sand, two ashes, using all the broken stone the 
cement would cover nicely; about every eight inches 
one or two strands of barb wire were dropped in the 
cement before the stones were put in. The arch was 
put on 10 inches thick, reinforced with fencing, put¬ 
ting it in center of cement and covering the arch 
both ways. Directly over the arch, as shown in Fig. 
376, the bridge completed, I raised the wing wall one 
foot higher than width of span, or seven feet. The 
railing is a plan of my own, and got in shape by the 
plumber, and is made of l-)4-inch galvanized iron 
pipe; posts are five feet long, three feet from top of 
wall to top of upper rail, with one pipe only over part 
that is higher than the rest. When the forms were 
ready to be taken off and the bridge filled in ready 
DIAGRAM OF OHIO STOCK SHED. FiG. 379. 
for travel I ’phoned to the supervisor I was working 
under that I was going to unveil the “gas plant,” as 
some of the croakers had named it, and as he had re¬ 
covered from his long illness enough to admit riding 
out a little, he came out in the afternoon and he 
actually acted as tickled as a boy with his first pair 
of boots, the first good word I had had since I struck 
the first stroke. 
The bridge as it stands is 20 feet long, 7 foot span, 
five feet four inches to top of arch, 16^-foot drive¬ 
way on top, good substantial guard rails, and cost 
about $200 exclusive of excavations. 
The second bridge is built on the same plan, with 
the cement bottom omitted, although the cement block 
was placed at each end of foundations, then using 
the Telford bottom, the whole foundation resting on 
good hard rock. I went over the smaller bridge with 
a broom and wash of thin cement, which shows the 
difference in the color very plainly in Fig. 377. I 
gave the larger bridge the same wash to-day after a 
soaking rain, and it makes quite an improvement on 
the work. Six tons cement, 20 tons sand, and about 
six tons ashes were used on the larger bridge. The 
ashes were got for the hauling from a large distillery, 
and gave good satisfaction. The pictures show the 
importance of keeping the form boards level from 
the start; if started with the slope of the ground 
and not leveled until you reach the top the work 
does not look right. The smaller bridge also shows 
the importance of pushing the work as rapidly as 
possible. I was obliged to lay off one day when I 
only had a few hours’ work to finish it, but when I 
went back the day after the hot sun had warped the 
top of the form so badly that after I thought I had 
it fixed the thin cement ran down over the edge of 
the dry work and shows in the picture as a bad place. 
but only spoils the looks a little. I have my road all 
fixed up now, and nearly everybody happy again. 
They asked me to go over in another part of the dis¬ 
trict and built a still bigger one along different lines, 
a 12-foot span 18 feet wide, with 10-inch steel I 
beams, concrete top. I have one side wall down and 
part of the excavation for the other done, but we 
are having soaking rains now. and the stream is 
running so high we will have to lay off a few days. 
Pennsylvania. w. a. bangs. 
FEEDING-SHED FOR STOCK. 
The open shed shown in Fig. 378 is 42 feet long, 
28 wide and 12 high; it is sided and sheathed with 
mill run lumber sawed from logs cut on the farm, 
and is roofed with three-ply felt roofing. The siding 
is nailed to stringers spiked to posts set on cement 
blocks, and the frame is well braced throughout. The 
floor plan, Fig. 379, shows the arrangement of mangers 
and stalls. The gates marked X in the drawing 
swing back between the posts out of the way if de¬ 
sired, so that a wagon or sled may be driven through, 
or two stalls thrown together. This shed will ac¬ 
commodate 16 horses or 32 cattle as arranged, while 
in Summer it can be used to shelter unthrashed wheat 
or Qtlrr grain. At the north end are solid doors, 
and at die south end are slatted gates, but the shed 
will b snug and warm because of the long crib on 
the v ‘St side. The shed is on the farm of Chas. 
Evan , Highland Co., Ohio, and for Winter feeding 
will certainly prove of great value. It has one great 
fault; there is no provision for storing rough feed 
near at hand. w. e. duckwall. 
Ohio. 
THE FRUIT BUSINESS. 
Out on the Pacific coast the fruit business has de¬ 
veloped many new features. Here is a reproduction 
of the letter head used by one of our correspondents. 
This man takes contracts for spraying, pruning, mak¬ 
ing root-grafts or about anything else connected with 
the care of an orchard. With a gang of careful 
workmen he is prepared to handle about anything in 
the fruit growing line. The time may not have come 
when similar work would prosper in the Eastern 
States, but it is near at hand. 
Pruning 
PAUL G. KRUGER 
Ktrose ne 
Spraying 
Top-Grafting 
Horticulturist •w Orchard Specialist 
Emulsion 
to. 
Budding 
Orchards Taken Care of for the 
Woo ley Aphis 
and Sitting Oat 
Entire Season, Under Contract. 
CnmUM In,,, 1^,4, 
Orchards 
ROOT GRAFTS MADE TO ORDER 
U,..,J >. 0,4— 
SMITH, THE SOAP SWINDLER. 
1 saw a reference in The R. N.-Y. to a soap swindler 
who calls himself Smith. This same man was in Green- 
ville, Pa., swindling the farmers’ wives, taking $100 
from this place. He got $10 from me. I send you the 
letter I got from him a few days after he was here. I 
don’t expect ever to get my money back ; I only wish he 
could be put where he belongs before he robs other poor 
people. e. M. 
Pennsylvania. 
This is the same old swindling game. The “agent” 
usually offers the soap at a low price and “gives” a 
carpet or some other premium. He gets the money 
and clears out, and the great premium never shows 
up. At Fig. 380 is a photograph of the receipt which 
this agent left with E. M. She finally wrote this 
“Armour Swift Soap Co.,” and received this note, 
without date or definite post office: 
On account of having a slight fire in our storage ware- 
house, we will be about 10 days or two weeks behind in 
our delivery. 
This is merely a printed circular, but is all the 
“carpet” that will ever be delivered. A letter was 
written to Armour & Co. asking if they had any con- 
tfew York Boston Philadelphia 
ARMOUR SWIFT SOAP CO., Ltd. 
American Selling Agents for 
LAURENT FILS ET CIE, PARIS, FRANCE 
Premiums and Soap shown by our Agents are 
guaranteed as represented, if not money wilt 
be refunded by manager. 
No agent allowed over six special premiums in one week 
remiutrfs irfth Cl Carf h Orders 
m. No.- \:Ot >....? L 
-> Jy^a Premiui 
Name 
Prem. No 
Ext. • l-'s*"*. 
Paid 
Del-Month 
R.F.D 
Agt. No.- 
Return soap wrappers to Manager only at th<> 
time when premiums are delivered’. 
No Agent Allowed to sell over one order to a family. 
L THE SOAP SWINDLER’S RECEIPT. Fig. 380. 
nection with this matter. Their lawyer replies that 
there is no such concern as the Armour-Swift Soap 
Co. They say this Smith is undoubtedly an imposter. 
Of course he is, and a cheap one at that. We can¬ 
not see how any reader of The R. N.-Y. could ever 
be soft-soaped in this way, for we have exposed 
this scheme many times. Some woman should throw 
a bucketful of hot soapsuds over this Smith when 
he offers his soap and carpets. Then her husband 
or brother should kick him through the gate and let 
the dog do the rest. 
