The Newtown bee., 1890-08-22

ANes
Stratford Is becoming as famous for
It's town meetings as for its mosquitoes
and the mosquitoes have been unusually
thick and venomous of late. The most
interesting cause of the town meetings is
the road question. At II town meeting,
held January 4, a committee of five was
appointed to report on the project of
stone ballasting the upper and lower
roads to Bridgeport. This committee
brought in majority report, at meet
ing held February |, opposing stone bal
last and minority report in favor of it.
The meeting, after warm discussion,
adopted resolution offered by William
Blamey, ll3 to -, instructing the Sc
leetmen tn advertise for bids on the work,
the cost not to be over $500 II mile. The
selectmen did advertise and, ut another
meeting, April o, reported that no bid
was within the sum appropriated and
were instructed to buy stone crusher,
power and roller, which they have done
at cost of about $500. The crusher
stood idle until after haying, but was re-
Gently set at work ut the ferry gravel
bank and the stone and gravel run
through It put upon a section of the low
or road near J. J. McGahay's blacksmith
shop. This started opposition from
those who claim that, while the select
men were instructed to buy tools, they
were given no power to go on and fix the
roads as they were doing. They claimed
that the original vote to stone ballast the
two roads had never been rescnded, the
work that the selectmen were doing was
graveling the roads and not the stone
ballast voted, and il would not stand the
wear of heavy travel. The selectmer
and their friends, on the other hand
claimed that they were building roac
that would equal stone ballast and thai
their work should be given fair trial be
fore passing Judgment upon 1t.
This was the situation of affairs wher
the town meeting was called for last Fri
day at p IN to consider the question o
stone ballast for the upper and lowel
Bridgeport roads and the further ques
ton OF cutting the brush upon and re
pairing the Bear swamp and Beaver Dan
roads In the northern part of town. The
meeting was called upon the petition OF
John w. Beach, Nathan +. Wilcoxson
q. ii. Munson, John Tonkins, Il. Nj. Cur.
tbs, Lewis +. JudsOn, Seymour Wells, ID
w. Judson, Morton Beardslee, $. w
Beardslee, F. Rowell, +. Hopkins, G. f
Dufour, N. G. Amber, David W. Booth
Emory +. Judson, j. W. Dufour, ID. l..
Bunnell, T.. l.. Wells, John +. Holmes
John G. Bond, James Plumb, G.. Clark,
o. u. Curtis, j. w. Thompson, Henry
Booth, Eugene Morehouse, John Hard,
Daniel Lahy, Robert +. Beardsley, Will
liam S. DeForest, +. NJ. Edwards.
Stiles Judson, Jr, the cool and collect
ed attorney, was again chosen presiding
officer and, in the absence of Town Clerk
Stagg at Boston, Samuel Beardsley was
chosen clerk of the meeting. The Bear
Swamp and Beaver Dam road was first
taken up, Thomas Fairchild offering II
resolution that the road be left for the
selectmen to examine and repair. Sey-
mour Wells, however, was bent on some
thing more definite and offered another
resolution, which was finally carried, IN
structing the selectmen to cut the brush
to the width of G feet and repair the road
at an expense of not over 5000, Capt
Alonzo Gray to be in charge of the work,
Elliott Peck granted that the brush need,
ed cutting, but said that the road was In
fair condition and should be left in the
selectmen's hands. Selectman ID. c.
Wood and Seymour Wells had spat as
TO little work already done on the road
Charles Wells, who did it, saying that he
was not going up there to work for moth
Ing. Capt Gray tried to decline superin
tending the work and Selectman Levi.
explained that the selectmen had talked
about the road, but more important mat
tiers had caused it to be neglected. Sey
mour Wells said that It had not beer
worked since Watson II. Smith was roaC
commissioner.
The fun began In earnest with stont
ballast for the upper and lower roads
though II looked at first as If the meeting
was 10 be cut short when q resolution Il
spend $500 mile In stone ballast OF
these roads under the direction of II com
mittee Of three, one selectman, the us'
OF the town crusher and roller being Civ
en-, was laid on the table on motion o.
Thomas Fairchild. William Blamey ask
ed II the selectmen had not already beer
given power to stone ballast these roadl
and the dolngs of the meetings of Janu
airy 4, February and April 0 of thi
year, already outlined, were read. Sc
lectman Robert w. Curtis said that 54I
feet of road had already been fixed, with
out rolling, at cost OF Sl35, or $3.50 {
mile. Elliott Peck, respected by all
took the floor and questioned whether tn,
selectmen, though instructed to buy tbs
crusher, power and roller, were also EN-
powered 10 go on 20 fix the road as the,
had done. John w. Beach, the prim
opponent, said that the road had bee
covered with a mixture Of stone an
gravel that would be crowded into tn
bitches In time. Thomas Fairchild sal
that elsewhere roads were closed Will
being macadamized, whereas travel wa
kept upon this and he advocated lettin
the selectmen try the experiment the
had begun. Mr. Beach returned TO tn
fray to say that the road would neve
pack down. Bridgeport had spent 5000
or S75, 900 experimenting with gravel an
gravel was thing of the past for roads
This work will never stand, but will
0ullled out In ak months He had bee
asked to put on his teams and stop Of
posing this work, but he wanted a goo
road Henry Benjamin spoke Of grav
roads as hard as floor, Seymour Wei
said that the question OF gravel or stor
ballast should come before the meetir
for action and asked IL the selectmen ha
not received an offer to stone ballast bot