Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1860-08-10
"rho deep dnmuatiOn of his taking or."
ssTimber, stumps aud Rubbish,

In the last report of the Board of Public
Works of Ohio, made in November last,
and under the head of "Western Reserve
and Maumee Road" we find the following
sentence:
The entire space occupied by this road which 100 feet
In width and AK miles in length, has during the past
year. cleared Of stumps timber and rubbish Of every
kind, at an expense ofSSOO.
Thirty.one miles Of this road has been
completed and in constant use for nearly
twenty years, and the remaining portion
about sixteen years. Until the completion
of the Cleveland and Toledo Railroad in
1853, the Western Reserve and Maumee
Road was the great thoroughfaro for land
travel through Northern Ohio to the West.
Although never paying property for the
State, It's receipts were until that time
quito large, and left handsome surplus
after paying expenses and repairs. Of late
years its expenses have become burthen
upon the State, the deficit reported by Mr..
Backus last year being no less than $2,95l.
In view of these facts, it may be peril
nent to inquire how it is, that this road got
along with those "stumps, timber and rub
bish" for l 6 or 20 years, most Of the time
accommodating heavy travel, and making
considerable dividends for the State, while
now, after its usefulness and receipts have
so fallen off that it does not pay its most
economical expenses, the State Treasury is
charged $500 for clearing the unoccupicd
and useless ground along its sidesl To
most minds it would seem that if this "tim-
ber stumps and rubbish" ever required re-
moving, it was while tho road was in its
greatest use and when its receipts could bear
the tax, and not when it had become aban-
doned as thoroughfare and mere conve-
nience to the comparatively small traffic of
the country through which it passes.
Taking out the distance embraced in the
towns through which the Road passes, in
which the ground was already clear, the
amount paid by Mr.. Backus would make
about $ls per mile. Considering the facts
that the stumps, DC. have most of them
been rotting since the first opening of the
old Turnpike Road, over thirty years ago,
and that there has been little accumulation
of any of the articles named since that time,
the prico alledged to have been paid for
that purpose and charged to the Treasury
certainly appears to be very liberal one.
1t would employ man we'll nigh a month
to each mile An industrious laborer
ought to remove and burn a good deal Of
rotten wood in that time. The sum char
ged to the State would clear about eighty
acres of the heavily timbered lands through
which the Road passes Take out the
Road bed, bitches and towns, and the ex-
penso of removing the "stumps, timber and
rubbish" from tho balance, would be over
half tho cost of clearing the same space Of
the dense forest which originally occupied
the ground, but which was mostly removed
thirty years ago.
We do not say that Mr.. Backus has not
expended the amount stated, and it may be
that he is able to explain this matter, and
demonstrate tho very sudden use of the en-
tire 100 feet width appropriated for the
Road, which alone can justify the remarka-
BILE expenditure noticed. 1t isa matter il
which the people are interested, and We
trust he, or his friends for him, will make
the needed explanation. Toledo Blade.