Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1867-04-20
Conneaut.-From the Reporter.

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which had been destroyed by Bowers wife, in
order to secrete it.
Conneaut.-From the Reporter.
On Thursday last, a chap got off the New
York Express train at the station, with some
bodys valice Conductor Fields telegraphed
the facts, together with description of the
man, to deputy sheriff Coughlan While deci-
phering the dispatch, man with q valice in
hand entered the store of A. NJ Coughlan, and
offered it for sale, together with the contents.
He was arrested. brought before Mayor Smith,
and bound over.
Coon TEMpLARs.-A lodge Of Good Temp
lars, was organized in Cool's Hall, on Thursday
evening of last week. The organization has
fifty five members, and the prospects fora most
rapid increase are highly fattering.
Our neighbor of the Sentinel has the fol-
lowing very proper and timely allusion to our
road between the village and the station. The
sentiment of the article, is by no means rare
one among our Jefferson neighbors, as we have
assurance from personal intercourse, and the
feeling in Jefferson is also common one else
where, throughout the county, with those hav-
ing occasion to travel this way. There is no
blinking the fact, and perhaps not sufficient ex-
tenuation of it, that for this and last spring this
has been the most intolerabe piece ofroad per-
haps in the county,-the course of just cen
sure as well as detriment to our village and
township fame and business. The subject is an
ugly one because of its imperious demand for
attention. as well as the expense that any effort
of an effective nature, adequate to the task of
meetingthe urgency of the case involves. If,
then the thing has to be met, why may we not
make virtue of necessity andmeet it prompt
ly? There are perhaps but two methods from
which to choose to put the road in good condi-
ton. The first is a return to plank. This will
meet the case at once. The other is to gravel.
This with sufficient expense, time, and system
attic labor will give us good, and more pleas
ant and agreeable road for all purposes than the
plank. 1t will, however, require time, and the
question to be settled, is. can we wait for it?
While the hauling is good the whole margin
of the road should be strewed with an abun-
dant supply of the coarsest lake gravel, or small
stone, and some one with sense and prompt
ness enough deputed to coat the track with this
material as often as the surface is softened and
the stone are workcdin by travel This course
persisted in will in due time secure hard and
permanent road. The amount and variety of
travel over this road would seem TO warrant the
best possible accommodation as well for pleasure
drivers as for heavy service. The summer is the
time to secure the material, and flour authori-
ties suffer this season to pass without having
given their attention in this direction, or that of
saving and laying down the planks, they will
not be free from culpability.
The Plank Road.
We do not wish to find fault or complane ur.
necessarily. But it is not possible for any one
to pass over the road from this place to Ashta-
bula depot, without seeing that something ought
to be done-particuTarly on the last mile and
quarter. The planked part Of the road is bad.
and extremely rough; it is possible to get ov-
er it with tolerable load. But the pieces OF
road where the plank had been taken up and
an attempt made to macadamize it with creek
gravel, are out of all character. Now we do
not know whether the Plank Road Company
controls this part of the road or whether it is
managed by the village of Ashtabula In either
case it is an outrage upon all who drive over il
especially those who are using their teams in
hauling lumber and other heavy loading-as
they are often compelled to double their
teams. and then scarcely get through. We had
supposed that the experiment of making a road
out of soapstone gravel, would have taught
those concerned, more than year ago, the fol-
ly of the thing, without continuing it through
another winter and spring The best that can
be said of it, is that it is very foolish expert
ment ;'and if the Plank Road Company have
the control of it, they should at once lay down
a course of Planks from the new railway to
the Depot, in justice to those who pay toll over
the road. If the village is responsible for it,
the council should do the same, for the honor
of the place, if nothing else for it is fact that
we think cannot be denied, that there is not
another village of the same size and wealth in
the entire State, whose main street is in such
an abuminably bad condition as Ashtabula. 1t
is no excuse to say that it is bad only in mud
dy time. That is when 1t should be good and
for the matter of putting it in order, they can
do nothing better than to plank it. 1t will cost
less money to put down two rows Of planks
than it will to make good gravel road. As to
the whole road, there is this to be said The
recent law allows an increase Of toll. II there is
not sufficient income new let the tolls be increas-
ed, aud the road made as it should be, and let
| these foolish experiments of grayelling be aban-
doned.
FRANKLIN AND JACKSON, the NJ an of Thought
| and the Man of Action, with Portraits ts-Mark
Lemon, of the London Punch-Portraits of
Nineteen Kings and Queens of Sweeden-Allie
Arnold, Poetess--A Cherokee Legend The
Origin of the Human Race of Game and Indi-
| an Corn, by E. G.. quier-Phrenology in
| Schonls-The Metric System-TipIIt I.acinr IL