Daily national Republican. (Washington City [D.C.]) 1870-1872, 1872-10-31
THE BLGDENSBURG ROAD.
Improvement Under the New Regime

CoIumbIa Turnpike In us Prsssst Dress
VnndenburE A. a Lightning Contractor.
During the month Of March, isII, Congress,
In pursuance Of an act passed by the city council
In the previous year, passed an act authorship
the appointment of commission for tho purposs
Of assessing the interest then held in what vas
known as the Rockville and washington Turn
pike Company and the Columbia Turnpike
Company in the roads owned by them respective.
ly. All Who have ever had occasion TO use these
highways know that, for years, the companies
travellers without paying tho slightest attention
to tho condition Of the road and alter careful in.
vestBatlon the commission recommended that
tho Legislative Assembly, tho new government
having taken charge, make an appropriation OF
&lL2TT.ls to pay the companies for their fran.
Chises, and this Recommendation was carried Into
effect By an act P.,sod, q, August .. ISL, the
the roads and abolishing that primitive imposl.
tlOn the toll gates
How TuE ROAD LOOKED.
SO far 90 good, but each Of the roads named
we're important ones, leading As they did one from
Georgetown to Montgomery county, Nd, aud
the other from the eastern Boundary to Prince
Georges county, Nd, and the condition Of the
grades, ~ we'll - tho surface when leit by tho
companies, rendered them absolutely unit Tor
travel. There were heavy Waspes on either sldsi
Vulnerable; there woro steep ascents and do
scents, and above all, II has been 50 long since
they had ever seen gravel that during dry
ing wet weather an equal depth Of clay mud.
In the hurry aud rush Of the Improvement
Of the city these two roads were for tho time
in which they came into possoJsiOn Of the Dis.
triet, although they were not forgotten
MOVE ToR IMPROVEMENT.
About two months ago the BOar1 Of Public
Works took trip through the northeastern
section Of the city, and Of course drove over the
Bladensburg road, which they all agreed should
DO placed In proper condition II tho time would
permit, and on their return they made up their
minds 10 send for Mr., J. V. W. Nandenburg,
the contractor, assured that II the compilation Of
VSndsnSurE was Tic man mar 70 UNDERTAKE L and
/ put II through He responded at once to tho
/ summons, and a consultation was held, At which
/ the contract for the work was awarded him, he
/ agreeing, on his part, that tho work should DO
| completed IN
ToRrY.FrvE WORKING DAYS.
| Mr.. II. ID. Carpenter, the county surveyor, At
| once had his engineers at work making the
| necessary prohles, and as soon as they wero
| ready the contractor took possession with two
determined that II the thing were possible that
/ road should be completed In accordance with the
/ contract. This force he kept steadily at work,
rs St SyT Spd him can a
i he acknowledgements among the energetic aud
hard.working contractors now working 10 and
Ing days expired, and yesterday afternoon, at 4
o'clock, the last cartlOAd Of gravel was dumped,
| and the
NEw BLADENsRURd ROAD
| was to all intonts and purposes completed, al.
| though little time and labor will be necessary
| to trim up the portion near Bladensburg which
| was In an unhnlshed condition whom tho heavy
| rains Of last week came on. An idea OF the
| magnitude Of the work accomplished may be
arrived at when II Is stated that the rOad.bed ID
thirty:hye feet wide, twenty.four Of which Ia
| Eravelod, and extends FROM II street TO the Dis
| trict bOundaTy-a distance Of nearly three miles.
All the old hills and gullics arc done away with,
| and In their stead are easy rises and descents,
| alike pleasant 10 the master and boast who are
| compelled to travel on the road. 10 order 10 &C
| cOmpllsh this result II was necessary 10 build
seven culyerts, Of which i've are Scotch tile and
| two ten-tOOt span brick arches, making about
| seven hundred cubic yards Of masonry In order
| to get the proper grade, there were u number oil
cuts and Killings made, the deepest cut being
| ten feet and the highest Milling eight feet, and
the amount Of gravel used was 90 1870 square
yards.
| knowing that the work would he completed
about the time named, Mr.. NAndenburg con
cluded that II would be a proper thing 10 have
the work Inspected by Ihe otfiolals aud accord
ingly invited the members OF tho Board Of Pub
lie Works and few friends to drive over IL
which they did. The party consisted Of Messrs
shepherd, MagTuder, Brown and Cluss, Of tho
board; HRllett Kllbourn, Geo. $, Gideon, Mai
Oranston, Mr.. Hoffman, Crosby S. NOyes Of III,
Star, and a representative OF tho REPUBLICAN,
In addition to these thore were present Messrs
peTintendenI; Mr.. X. T. DTinkSTd, and The
Todoubtable Nandonburg himself Tho party
drove over the entire route, aud each agreed
that Il was splendid piece OF work, and worthy
aBlsh eSGWQapsp1AtI9p; The only possible fault
banks Of the high rllinEl and to remedy THU
the contractor was directed TO sod tho banks
which he agreed To do at once. Tho formal pari
| OF tho trip over the party returned TO the lands
smith shop, surrounded by walters and any
quantity Of good things, they found Freund, the
caterer, anxously awaiting and prepared for ii
attack.
an admirable one by the way, was soon takeT
charge Of by the party, whose appetites had beer
Whetted by the drive, and the bost proof thai
they liked II Is tho fact that for half az hOui
there was hardly word spoken around the table
Then the corks began popping and the eatablei
were washed down with dTaughtH Of "GOulet ,
and "MonopOle," q hitting final for the feast
When all had boon served Mr.. A. X, Shepherd
called for order and briefly stated tho olrcum.
sboTs S XIV anita % IS0 GT%S as
manner 10 which the work had been done, con
graduated the contractor on the successful ter
proposing tho health Of Major Vandenburg, one
Of the lew men who adhere to and practice the
old motto where there's 4 will theresa way
The major, IN responding to tho sentiment,
said that he had accepted the contract, accom-.
plished tho work in the specified time, and II
was there to speak for itself Ho believed, with
Mr.. shepherd, that where there was a will there
was way; and rs far as he was concerned when
he was told to do anything In reason he was going
TO dOiL He cOmpllmontcd the members Of tho
Board OF Public Works on their energy, and
wound up by referring TO tho wonderful change
In the city since his advent at the close Of tbs
| war.
Several impromptu speeches were made by
| other gentlemen, when the entire party, on the
invitation Of Mr.. Mills visited his studio to 10.
| speot the plaster models OF the colossal statues
| which he has cast for the Lincoln memorial
| monument consisting Of L. NJ. Stanton, Bishop
simpson, George ID. Stuart, Henry Ward
| Beecher and Salmon =. Chase. These were
| duly ADMIRED, the blacksmith shop again
| reached, n parting "bumper" pledged, the
| hacks re-entered and the party returned TO the
city we'll satisfied with themselves, the work,
| the hacks, tho contractor, tho Board Of Public
| Works, CLARK Mills, and the rest Of mankind.