The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-09-24

Judge h. w. Cross, county selectman,
filed the following report with the county
clerk yesterday:
To the County Court of Weber county:
GENTLEMEN-Your committee whom you ap-
pointed TO examine and report upon the manner
or the construction. and the progress of the
work upon the Middle Fork road TO the new
mining camp submits the following report; On
the 18th inst / proceeded by way of Ogden
canon and near Eden to the mouth o. Middle
Fork canon. Soon after entering this canon
came 10 where Selectman Eoy, who is in charge,
had begun his work. The first three miles re-
CURED but little labor as compared with the
eastern end; removing loose rocks and others
partly buried, cutting away the brush and an
occasional log and doing some grading consti-
tuted the most of the labor here required.
AS he wa not at drst supplied with drills and
powder he was not prepared to remove some
lar e boulders, partly in and beside the road,
and after digging around them and finding them
too large and heavy TO remove with bars, he
abandoned them until he procured the proper
facilities for handing them, and upon his re-
turn, after getting the road through to its east
ern terminus, he will have them blasted out
and removed. Mr.. Foy, understanding
ii was the desire of the court
10 get the road opened through to the camp
with as little delay possible, did not take the
time, as he advanced. to cut away the over
hanging brush, or to make tura-outs on the
roadside TO enable meeting teams to pass.
1t will be absolutely necessary in my opinion,
that these be made before the road is thrown
open 10 the public, as there are now long dis
tanceS in which teams cannot turn out on the
roadside, and in the event of much travel the
road would soon become blockaded with teams
unable to pass each other found Mr. Foy
With his crew OF men at work some seven miles
up the canon, blasting ledge of rock about
three hundred feet in length with an average OF
twelve feet. This is the heaviest piece of work
on the road and requires great amount of labor
and time 10 make passage over il. a wall
several feet high and many feet in length will
have to be built out In the stream from the
rocks blasted from the ledge. A short distance
This side of this ledge wall some six feet high
Dten constructed, and the road here is in good
condition. The dense brush requiring TO be
dug away or cut out has proven a great OBJ
Struction to rapid progress. Large trees also
ha TO be removed root and branch,
as the canon is narrow it is impos
sIble to avoid them. On account of the blasting
in progress, ard the obstruction by the rocks
it wa impossible 10 get a horse past that point
hence, l was unable to reach the upper part of
the canon, which l was informed was about
three aud one half miles to the summit the
where they were now engaged, being chiefly
brush and timber to remore.
From the summit to the new townsite isl
was told about one and one-half miles, through
level grassy canon, requiring but little labor
70 make good road.
Mr.. Foy stated he thought be would get the
road opened TO the ne TOWNSHIP about the 18th
inst. think however, he is too sanguine, and
If completed by the 10th of next month, it will
meet my expectations.
When opened through 10 the eastern end.
much Will remain to be done to make good
passable road for loaded wagons. The road
should be widened in many places by cutting
away the brush and removing the rocks and
bouldeTs, numer us turnout places should be
provided. the over-hang1ng brush cut away
many protruding boulders shou d be blasted
out and removed. sharp but short pinches on
little hills cut down, and the road protected
along the high stream from high waters, which
Will surely appear IN the spring and wash
1t away unless properly protedted. /
find the general grade of the entire
road very light, and it will be a very practi-
cable route when finished W hile it is not at
present road which any of US would seek to
travel for pleasure, yet deem it. as far as con-
stlucted, very good road to a mining camp
and one when completed can be imm ediateiy
used for drawing heavy loads over in either
direction, especially from the camp. and one
which will constantly improve with use. The
men work fully ten hours per day in addition to
the time required In going from their work to
their camp which is about a half mile away.
Respectfully submitted r. w. CROSS
Committee