The Newtown bee., 1890-02-07
EwrowN, CONN, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 2
STAMFORD.

meeting voting, ll3 to 32, to stone ballast both main roads to Bridgeport. The question of lighting the streets was laid on the table, GG to 52 and the special town meeting, called for 30 D m to con slider the petition of David E. Booth and others for lowering the grade on Mill hill in Putney, amounted to nothing, as the warning for the meeting was not posted long enough in advance into one day. Mir Booth handed the notice to Se- lectman Lewis, January P, about sun- down and it was not handed to Town Clerk Stagg till s o'clock in the evening, so that he did not have time to write out January 2S, one day too late to be of le- gal effect. Mir Booth informed the meet ing that Mill and SkidmOre hills must be fixed at cost of about 5000 or the town would be compelled to build new road up the river bank at cost of several thousand dollars. On motion of Select man D. C. Wood, this special meeting was adjourned sine die.
 After waiting for the arrival of the go D m train from Bridgeport, Lawyer Stiles Judson, Jr, called the adjourned meeting to order and, on motion of $. R. Bunce, the matter of ballasting the roads was first considered. The report of the committee was called for, A. WilcoxsOn, F. J. Beardsley and A. II. Blakeman sub mitting majority report and John w. Beach and C. B. Curtis d minority re- port. The majority advised against 'the stone hardening of any roads in the town ut the present time, taking into consider ation the estimates of cost as far as we can learn" The minority recommended the ballasting of the lower road at n cost not to exceed S2500 mile. But this lat ter report was not thorough enough for the enthusiastic voters present, who in- definitely postponed 1t, 0l to 33, prefer ring the more sweeping resolution of William Blamey to stone ballast both roads from Main street to the Bridgeport line at Il cost not to exceed S250O mile. The debate upon the question was spicy and animated, Lewis Coe several times bringing down the house, while the more solid arguments were made by William Blamey, Seymour Wells, John W. Beach, Selectman Robert W. Curtis, Stiles Jud- son and others. Mir Judson thought that 1t would be impossible to build the road at S250O mile, estimated that it would cost $l0, ,0O0 to ballast both roads and thought that the better way would be to build experimental sections on both roads to test It's merits. Mir Blamey thought Stratford's roads disgrace to the town. He had helped build the High school, though not u patron and now asked that the town build these roads. Mir Beach gave facts and figures to prove the feasibility and necessity of the stone ballast, but none seemed to have greater weight with the meeting than Seymour Wells, who had inspected the towns four-inch stone ballast roads and Mir Bronson's gravel roads in Fairfield. The success of the first stone ballast to Toomey' store had induced the town to extend the ballasting to the Southport line and hs witnessed to the durability of thelr four-inch road, dry even in the wet time, resisting frost and being easy to haul heavy loads over. Some of the hits made by Mir Wells showed him a master at home thrusts. Selectman Curtis testi- fled against the mud roads the town had been building and then repairing with mud and spoke for graveled roads, of which he instanced several examples of natural and artificial construction. Af- ter lt had been voted to stone ballast both roads, the upper being 7330 feet and the lower G0G3 feet, Jeweler G. W. Fair child moved that the selcctmen be in- structed Go hire crusher and employ Stratford men on the work as far as pos slble, but this was given up, as Select man Lewis said that it would tie up the hands of the selcctmen and be the most expensive way of building the roads. The BEE gives the finding of the com mittee, as far as 1t was unanimous, but 1t should be explained that B. D. Pierce made his estimate that the lower road would cost 5000 more to ballast than the upper before looking it over and on the information that there was no stone accessible along the road. It has since been found that there is suitable stone at hand, so that 1t will cost no more to bal last than the upper road:
 The committee arc of an unanimous opinion that the cost Of grading and draining the roads loading to Bridgeport would be not less than $500 per mile to put them in suitable condit- ion for stone hardening. So far as your com. mittee have learned, both from practical road makers and civil engineers, in making the so called stone hardened roads, there should be perfect drainage. The crown of the roadway should De IS inches higher than any water standing in the ditches and the ditches should bc kept free from grass and weeds.
 Your committee received letter from D. B Pierce of Bridgeport, he having looked at Inc roads, who gives it as his opinion that it would cost at least $500 per mile for grading and draining; thinks that the upper road can be stone hardened, n feet wide four inches thick at cost of 5000 per mile. The lower road would cost si000 per mile more, with the understanding that the stone should cost noth- ing. some of the committee, having visited New Haven, find that the cost of stone harden ing the roads in that city is about 45c per square yard, six inches In thickness. The street commissioners would not recommend any less depth. A road bed 15 feet wide and six Inches thick would cost 75c per lineal foot or about Sl000 per mile, the city owning the quarry erusher, roller and all the tools.
 The cost Of the Fairfield road 20 feet wide tour inches thick was s5c. per foot or about $i500 per mile, which included grading.
 The Bridgeport roads cost about &34O0 per mile. the city doing the work, owning the tools, etc.
 The committee on street lighting made no recommendations, but estimated that st x.,fuid ran,fr, IQn IopNna fo I;obt tha