Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1891-02-19
The Road Question.
lCOMMUNICATED.l


communications in your valuable paper Ia
regard to the public road Leading from the
F. & E. turnpike to Eylcrs Valley. via
Zen,z's mill. First the seriods accident Of
Mr.. G. w. Nipples fortunate occurrence
that his life was saved under the circut1stan.
ces which he passed througl-for which the
road supervisor and Commissioners are held
responsible for all such accidents.
Now the county authorities claim that this
bed of old road Is not worth repairing and
disregard 1t alb a public road bed. But IN
whose hands IS It II not IN the county a,i-
,horities until It IS condemned as nh itnpass.
able roadi
Now, let us see who wefk the founders Of
this public road. The venerable persevering
business man, All iron-will man, Mr. Abram
S. Zcntz had it located some sixtsen Of eevet.
teen years ago, by thre men Of unquestioned
Judgment for they lad experience of all kind
of roads through the mountains, both in
winter as Well as sumner time, and here are
the names of the locaters of said road Capt
Joseph WrIhide, George W. Foreman and
John Rouzer. ESQ. When this road was
opened, the people IN the red lands, as far rs
Mottcrs Station and even down to fancy
town. were much benefited by such public
road to get up to Eylers Valley and to their
timber land, as well as haul their cane and
sorgum up to Mr.. Bcntzell's molasses factory
over road that they could haul as much
load rs they could antwhcfs else as there
were no hills to climb. This road was open.
ed and made by Mr.. H. Winters after said
location was made, with very little expense
to the county. From what learn the mid.
die bridge. as 1t is called, was then only a
culver', NOT more than twelve feet span its
cost could not haye been more than forty or
fifty dollars and to keep it In repair did not
cost the county fifty dollars for fourteen
years, until the great flood of June 1889 when
1t swept everything in its way and then it
was talked by some cranks that the road
could not be made again. The worst of the
washout was from the F.. & e. turnpike past
Zentz's to the cross road of the NJ. & Il.
public road and which is at present in
much worse condition than any other part
Of the road and they don't think once about
lettering it where 1t needs it the worst.
Then the road supervisor Mr.. Zentz repaired
said washout on bed Of road and built the
middle bridge again making it about eight
feet wider and cost one hundred and ten
dollars, and the repairs Of all washouts cost
seventy or eighty dollars instead of twelve
or thirteen hundred dollars rs it is rumorcd !;
and then the Commissioners had given Mr..
Zcntz grant TO build two culvcrts-one at
the first fording and one at the upper or last
fOrding. The first one was twenty four feet
span and cost sixty dollars, and the upper
one twenty-scvcn feet span and cost ninety
Enthusiastically the price Of the lumber and
the work thrown inland they gave satlsfhc-
ton. The people of the county Can thus sec
what this road has cost since Its location, at
least fifteen years. Now comes the food Of
August 1890 and washed the culverts away
with the exception of two large abutments
and part OF third which are still standing
the third one being that over which Mr..
Nipple upset. Now there has not been a
stroke of work done towards fixing the old
road bed and building the bridges since the
food. by the county authorities. But an
effort has been made to locate new road
he'd along side a rocky mountain where a
road would benefit no one but the seekers of
/ Ian oI hat tn, II c,r a i,,b
out Of the county for making said road
Now, We have before us notice that the
petitioners will come before the County
Commissioners with u petition to relocate
the contemplated road down the creek to the
Mcchunlcstown and Emmitsburg county
rond, II distance of one mile and II half II
tins road Ms the petitioners ask to locate
should bc located and made on the south
side of the creek, it would deprive from fiji
teen to twenty land owners access to their
lands, while on the south side it would ben
eft but few and said new bed Of roa d
would be bed of snow and ice In the winter
seasons, and any person that travels through
y, the mountains can see the fruits Of having
roads where the sun doesn't shine on II in
the winter months, aud should the Com
missloners appoint viewers to relocate the
new road they Will have big job to relocate
and have it made. The County CommIs.
s,oners were respectfully asked by petition
signed by forty taxpayers to repair the old
road and build two bridges which WAS guar
anteed that SAID road and bridges could bc
puilt again for the small sum of two hundred
and fifty dollars, but refused to do anything
to make said road and would rather risk
accidents than do anything towards making
passablc q public road or guarding the dan
gcrous places.
After the Commissioners would not repair
the old rond for the public convenience and
after al this length of time, the road coult
not be travelled and no one could pass up Of
down unless the middle bridge be built and
1t became public necessity to have the roa(
made, winter was at h,td. then Mr.. Zent'
built the middle bridge again making 1t p
feet span this time and made said road a
good rs it was before the flood or any TIM
since it's location and ever since it has becl
used for travelling and hauling nearly ever,
day.
notice for heading to counter petition
against the new contemplated road. 9Th
, raport of an investigating committee appoint