-10- 
     
    
   
   
    
     more difficulties added. In spring and fall the roads, made of 
     
     soft Island clay, were impassable. Orwell Notes in the Qaily 
     
     Examiner of April 1895 declared "the mud on the roads now here 
     
     exceeds the depth of three feet." The previous March the grevious 
     
     story of a wéllvknown commercial traveller was told. “Who having 
     
     business at Vernon River, procured a team at one of the livery 
     
     stables and started for that place. He found the roads so bad 
     
     that he was obliged to turn about. Before turning he tried to 
     
     reach his destination by driving across a farm, but the owner.of 
     
     the land refused to allow him to do so." (Daily Examiner, March 13 
     
     189#) 
     
    
   
   
    
     At the Hillsborough River horse and rig would be driven 
     
     across the ice in winter, but when the ice was not deep, in spring 
     
     Qrafall or during mild weather when the currents ran deep, it 
     
     shifted noisily and dangerously, and it was necessary to turn back 
     
     or risk drowning. (MacPhail, The Master's Wife) In the fall there 
     
     was more mud and Vernon River notes in the Daily Examiner of Dec— 
     
     ember 1901 comments, "The roads of this section are now in a very 
     
     rough condition after the last few days frost and all are await— 
     
    
   
   
    
     ing a fall of snow and the natural bridge of Jack Frost.“ 
     
    
   
   
    
     In winter a further hazard made travel by road difficult. 
     
     It was up to each man to keep the road clear through his own 
     
     property and that this was not always done is seen in a further 
     
     newspaper account. Here the mailman O'Neill, who had the run to. 
     
     Belfast, had been called to account for his delivering the mails 
     
    
   
   
    
     on time. His defender used the paper to tell the complainant