The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1884-06-13

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The Street commissioners Of our city
who had been elected from year 70 year
had each in HE turn done biz work in'
accordance with his predecessors plan !;
this plan. which was the rounding or the
road bed very high, leaving large open
wster Ways on either side. The result
|of this mode Of carrying on the water in
|variably gave % The Street Commis-
.sioner an extra amount OF work after
each heavy fall Of rain. Our streets IN
the City OF Flint have been kept up III
this manner until about kix years ago.
when was chosen by the electors Of the
second Ward 70 represent them Is their
Aldermsn. and was made chairman OF
Ithe street committee. ! was ANXIOUS 10
isee some reform in the mode of street
work, and especially that part Of Il which
Ipertsined 70 getting rid Of the surplus
water, and OF understanding All soft and
low places. proceeded 20 have large
amount Of tile placed along the sides Of
the streets, putting In receiving basins a
each street crossing. BY ypuiting ia these
drains the water was drawn of from 4
low place where II had stood for thirty
|yesrs. breeding disease and death. This
was done at an expense Of about twenty
dollars. removing the water from one Of
our public streets. where Il lad been 70
Uncommon thing for II TO overflow The
sidewalk six or eight times year. From
y small beginning like this il the city al
the commissioners In the surrounding
towns make @ much calculation on
draining their roads 81 they do in their
annual blowing and scrsping. To illus
trste the advantage Of road drainage |
will call your attention for moment 70
one emall investment that ! persuaded
the Commissioners 10 make. There was
h hin between my yard and the city
which was underlaid with quick-sand.
and every spring and fall You could
scarcely get down or up. AZ times the
road would be dry on top and would
shake like piece of earth floating on
wktcr. The town had repeatedly dug
out and filed IN with stone, but they
would sink out OF sight. Finally tney
pu: 10 three drains disgonally across the
hill, using three-inch tile. The result
yves that the hill IN I short time eettled
down and became q hard q any road
The one trial has been followed by many
more 10 the same town. ! think / can
|ssfoly say that there IL nc other one out
Ley that pays snch large dividends o I'M
dsrdrainiug. and the increasing demand
Tor tile. both for road and farm drainage.
70 n evidence that the people ere alive
10 the fact that IL psys. Our road drain
age 10 only In its infancy, yet It Il grow
Ing il favor eli over the State Of Michi-l
gan. and Il only needs little more At
tention BY this Convention 20 mske ~
still more widespread and universally
adopted. We had one sfreet il Our city
which would have from six inches 70 one
foot or mud nearly ali the time being
spongy. finally persuaded the Com
missioner 20 put IN : four-inch drain d.
rectly down the center. running two-inch
branches out on the low aide every l6
feet. That street has been al right since
ising tiled.
The system or road work IN our section
of the State u bad and has tendency 20
retard their Improvement. Our farmers
are warned out by the road commission
err 70 work out their road tax, and many
OF them look forward 70 the time of road
work a. time when they will have .
rest, each trying with the other 20 see
Who shall 40 the least work. II the tax
could be collected in money and good,
reliable man elected g road commis-
sioner, We would have better roads il
The surrounding country.
But before closing ! would Ike 70 di.
grces little from the subject Of road
drainage and give You the experience of
one OF our practical farmers IN the town
OF Flushing, Genessee county, Mr.. Fru-
man. He moved IN from the state Of
Ohio, and bought large farm, which
was rather low. He saw 3: once that
there was plenty or fall for the water II
properly underdraincd. He commenced
on 20-acrc field which had been crop
ped several times but always drowned
out. He opened Z book account with
the field. and proceeded to undcrdrain III
thor ouchlv. after which be plowed and
cultivated Il IN corn, charging the field
with III the tile and labor u putting in|
the crops and gave II credit for the pro-
duct The first year the field cleared
him 60. and be told me that be expect
ed thst field would clear him the next
year $500, IL II did as well as i did the
fIrst year. And l an glad TO state that
the representative farmers Of our county
are alive 70 the fact that undertaking
pays il pccuniary point Of view, and
paws etill better as . sanitary measure.
Al drainage convention held February
3. 1854 IN Des Moines. lows, there was
4 paper read By 9. +. Clarkson advocai-
Ing farm drainage FOR the following rea-
sons. to-wit: First, il makes our soil
ana climate warmer: second, II will IN
sure large crops: \: third, II will make