The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1870-02-01
Written for the Spirit.l
H q A ID s.

~ ptoPcI cSliiuatc Va tuS CoSt VI Con
structing turnpike roads in our county
cannot be made, approaching any degree
of certainty, until they have been FIRST
properly located, and the amount of cut
tings and filings and number and size
of culverts and bridges have been ascer-
tanned by careful measurement. An sp.
proximate estimate upon general princi-
Iples might, however, be made.
We can, however. safely say that
roads can be so located in our county
that their cost will not be onerous.-
Compared with other counties we are
perhaps as well, if not better, supplied
with plenty of road material, very con
venient, upon all the proposed lines of
our roads,and can be built much cheaper
than in some of the adjoining counties.
Gravel can be hauled from five -eighths
to three-fourths of a mile for the same
cost that it would require to break the
stone alone. Stone or gravel can be
hauled a distance of 800 feet for from 10
to Is cents per cubic yard This, along
the valleys, would be about an average
haul. Where stone or gravel has to be
hauled from a quarter to three quarters
of mile the cost would be from 80 to
60 cents per cubic yard 1t will thus be
seen that where stone have to be hauled
a distance of three-quarters of mile,
The cost will be six times greater than it
would be to haul the same 100 yards
To cover a-road foot thick and 16I feet
wide it will require 5000 cubic yards OF
stone to the mile. Therefore, the cost
of hauling the material 100 yards for a
mile of road would be S416, and the
cost of hauling the same three quarters
of mile would be 1920, difference
of $1,000 per mile. This would make
a difference in the cost of road twenty
miles long of 100000 The necessity of
locating our roads with view to the
convenience of the road material is a
matter of greatest Importance.
Weno propose to give.the prelimi-
nary steps necessary for the location of
such roads. The act passed March 49,,
1867, and as amended March 81, 1868,
provides that upon the presentation of a
petition stating the kind Of Improvement
prayed for, and the points between which
the same. is asked, signed by a majority
Of the land holders whose lands will be
assessed for the expense of the same,
and bond, signed by one or more re-
sponsible free holders to whom the petit
TONERS shall be responsible pro rata CON
ditioned for the.payment of the expenses
of the preliminary survey and report, if
said Improvement shall not be finally
ordered, the Commissioners shall ap-
point three disinterested freeholders of
the county as viewers, and a competent
surveyor or engineer to proceed upon a
a day to be named by the Commissioners,
to view, lay out or straighten said road,
as in their opinion public convenience
and utility require; the County Auditor
to notify said officers of the time and
place of meeting, and also to publish a
notice thereof in the county paper three
consecutive weeks prior to said meet
ing, the kind of improvement asked for,
the place of beginning, intermediate
points, if any, and the place of termina
ton This petition shall embrace q ma
|jority of the land owners that lie within
two miles on each side Of the line of
said proposed road The petition should
also state the width of the grade of said
road, and the kind of material and width
of the covering the grade should not
be less than twenty feet, and the stoning
or graveling not less than IL feet.
The act passed March 80, 1869, au-
thorize the County Commissioners to
appoint .hrec disinterested freeholders
as commissioners, with the assistance
of the surveyor, to view and lay out
turnpike roads In the county; the grad
ing of these roads to be at least twenty
feet wide, and shall be raised with stone
or gravel not less than twelve nor more
than sixteen feet IN width and not less
than twelve inches thick in the center,
and not less than eight inches at the
outer edge of such bed Of stone or
gravel. This law is independent of the
act of 1867, and authorizes the Commits
sioners either in whole or in part to as
sess the expense of such roads upon the
grand duplicate, of the county.
We shall now close these communities
tons for the present, with the hope that
We may yet have the pleasure Of travel
| ing upon something better than mud
roads IN our county. ENTERPRISE.