The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1890-04-16
Country Roads.


The legislatures have taken NJ the suh-
ject aud are proposing the enactment Of
laws for the Improvement Of public high
ways Il viii be remembered that Gov
ernor Hill. of New YORK. called the at
tention Of the Legislature 10 this subject
n bis last annual message
Our highways in the rural districts"
the Governor said, "are, As 4 general rule,
in an unsatisfactory condision, many Of
them being almost impossible without
great discomfort during large partious of
the year, while few are kept in = proper
state Of repair. fhey are far inferior to
those throughout England and several
other countries in Europe. while the
public reads in New England are con-
spieuoasly better than othars."
4 correspondent Of the Buf4lo fo,risr
presents vivid and truthful picture Of
the manner in which the annual business
Of road repairing IS conducted under our
present laws. We quote from his letter
About the first Of June the man who
has a road tax assessed against him win
be warned out to work his road tax. Az
5 O'Clock on the the morning in question
he loads his plow snd scraPer into the
wagon and reports to the pathmaster. He
bitches his team to the ploW and plovs
4 few furroxs in the ditch, and then all
hands cit down on a fence corner to give
the poor horses rest. Afler discussing
the crops and telling what wonderful
cow that air heifer's goin' 70 be and how
much the old woman and gals think II
/ that oil horse, which occupies about an
I hour. the team IS hitched to the scraper
/ and some Of the loose earth IS scraped in
( heaps into the middle Of the road then
comes another rest for the horses and
another series Of yarns, and then dinner.
After dinner a sag Is discovered that
needs a load Of dirt. 20 il Is thrown into
the wagon, and all 90 to see that it IS
safely deposited.
When ) O'Clock comes the owner Of
the team, wagon, scraper and plow Is
credited with a days work for himself, a
days work for bis team, days work
for his plow, a days work for his scraper
and days work for bis wagon, in al
five DAYS work. and probably ive or six
other men are credited with one Or more
DAYS work, when one energetic man and
a pair of horses could have done more
work in half day than the whole Of
them, and the road is left in sseh con
dition As 10 make him who rides over it
seasiek. lift has been smoOthed down,
the top Of the roadbed is perfectly fat,
and when the first heavy rain comes the
wheels cut down and throw the dirt up
until the edges are higher than the cen
ter. and the road is thereafter regular
mudhole.r
IMPROVEMENT n NEW rERSET.
At last years session Of the New Jersey
Legislature an act was passed which Is
giving great satisfaction in that State 1t
Is called the County Road law, the object
and purpose Of which is the requirement,
improving, and maintenance Of public
roads. Concerning its operations, a
prominent resident Of the State recently
said:
The County Road act provides that
any public road in any county Of The
STATE may be declared a county road by
the County Board Of Chosen Freeholders
in that county, and becomes such by the
sling OF a map with the clerk OF the
county defining the road and that mon
ey may Se raised by such board f0r the
construction and care Of all such roads
in any county. Union County is entitled
to the credit Of this new system The
act was prepared and presented by its
citizens. who have for several years
deemed some such road law a necessity
for the permanent improvement Of the
public roads in central New jersey.
Dion county has ayailed itself Of
this new law to greater extent than
any other county in the state The
Board Of Freeholders. unanimous in ia
vor Of the law, proceeded at once to de-
clare as county roads the principal roads
leading from Elizabeth TO Railway. from
Railway 10 Westfeld. from Elizabeth
through Westfeid 70 Plsidfeld, from
Plainfeld through Westfeld to Spring
field, from Springfield 70 Summit, from
Elizabeth to Springfield.
cone hundred and fly thousand dol
lars have already been raised for mae
adamizing these roads and Tor keeping
them in repair for one year. They have
all been surveyed, the maps have been
fIed with the County Clerk, and hun
dreds Of labOrers. mostly Italians, are
now engaged in their construction Stone
erushers, Of which there are half a dozen
or more in the county OF Union, are run
ming To their full capacity, cracking stone
for top dressing while scores Of teams
are hauling stone in blocks for the solid
foundations. No stone is used in The
construction Of these county roads ex-
cept track rock. which is all quarried
from the mountains in Westield This
rock abounds in these mountains, and
the supply If inexhaustible.
The whole appearance Of the locsii-
ties where these roads are being con
structed is changed for the better. Be-
fore any stone is used, the bed Of the
road 10 be macadamized is brought TO
grade. the high points being cus down
and the low places iiled with the earth
taken from the high points.
The new county roads are very p0pU-
lar. Those few Who feared the expense
at first are nov more than satisfied with
the Improvements as they progress, ard
it Is safe to say that there il not tax
payer in the county that would have the
new law repealed. OF the old condition
Of things restored, to save the small ex-
pense incurred. County roads under
the new law viii soon become general in
most Of the counties in the state, espec-
tally if built With the economy, care, and
thoroughuess which characterize the
present Board Of Chosen Freeholders in
Union County. We want more county
roads next year, and the present beard
to construct them, or board equally as
good
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