The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-11-30
CHATHAM COUNTY ROADS.
The Folly OF Repairing Them as is Nov
Done.

Association to father the agitation for the
perfect drainage of the county and for
improved roads, but having been prevent
ed by sickness from attending the two sub
sequent meetings, at which action was
taken l feel constrained to address you
upon the subject. 1 am especially led to
90 so, because remarks were made at the
meeting OF the county commissioners
oct. 81 rejecting upon the board of
road commissioners. as if it were in some
way responsible for the deplorable con-
dluon of the public roads. Several of
the gentlemen seemed to doubt whether
the road commissioners had eXacted full
days work of each labOrer, or had in the
aggregate compelled faithful service of
all those liable to perform road duty.
Generally daily work is from sunrise to
sunset. with one hours recess for dinner
at midday. No person is liable for more
than five days at one time, or for more
than ten days in one year unless in an
emergency. The common wear and tear
OF a road into deep ruts, to which it is
liable Immediately after having been
worked" does not constitute an emer-
gency. The laborer may commute his
services by the payment Of 81 for each
day OF duty and the delinquent may be
nned " for each days absence, or may be
imprisoned in the county Jail two days
for each dollar of the fine. These fines are
rarely paid. In neither case of punish
ment by fine or Imprisonment is the road
| directly benefited. The salary of the
secretary of the board of road commits
sloners, of $50 per annum is partly paid
by the county commissioners, but the
other half has to be derived from fines
collected from members for absence from
meetings of the board. A fine of IS having
been RENTED after it's payment, the
| amount was never in the treas
ury, and the member died before it could
be refunded. The road commissioners are,
thus without any funds wherewith i'm
provements in the condition of the public
roads might have been gradually under
taken.
The grand jury of March, 1892 did APP
propriate 5000 for road Improvement
The coupy commissioners were request
ed to provide themselves with perfect
road outfit, consisting of mules, carts, i'm
plements" etc. The balance was to be ex-
pended upon the Ogeechee, Augusta and
Louisville roads, and also upon the pro-
jected road from Isle of Hope. In refer
ing to the three former the grand jurors
said: I'VE consider these roads of great
| importance to the commercial interests of
the city" l do not presume to criticise
the county commissioners for apparently
ignoring the recommendations of the
grand jury, for I believe the money would
have been wasted in so far as any perma-
nent improvement could have been ex-
pected from the expenditure. The entire
system of working the roads is a relic of
feudal times and should be abolished in
this era of progress. The labor being
often unwillingly performed the commits
sioners and overseers are frequently sub
ject to insolence, for which there seems
neither remedy nor redress, and their Off
ces become onerous and thankless.
None Of them are expert road builders,
but if each and every commissioner and
overseer were an experienced road engi-
neer, not the least permanent improve
ment in the condition of any of the public
roads would be possible under existing
circumstances, because the indispensable
means and material are beyond their con
troll. / happen TO be the member longer
on the board than any other, having
served. with an interval of two years,
since 1857, and ] can certify that during the
long period of 81 years not a single stroke
of labor on any of the public roads has
been of any permanent benefit. The work
has been simply that of repair and not of
improvement. 1t consists of replacing
such material as has been washed
and blown from the road bed. of
leveling it, and of deepening the bitches
along its borders in the low grounds. As
it has been beyond the power of the road
commissioners to follow the water to its
outlet its "drainage2' operations have
therefore, in some instances, merely con-
sisted in constructing receptacles for stag
nant water. With the passage of time the
vegetable matter and loan of the roadbed
have gradually disappeared, the material
has become less cohesive, or more re
fractory, hence the sandy roads were
more heavy. Thus a few years after the
roads were opened by Oglethorpe they
offered greater facilities for transporta-
ton than at any time subsequently, while
the requirements have increased. On the
fCv- tVaN fpaH fa h1a
perhaps Increased ten-fold in the last ten
years. Before the advent of truck farming
which has certainly promoted the pros
perity of this entire community more than
any other industry, and, therefore, is en-
titled to encouragement, its entire indus
trial carriage, beyond the brickyards, was
nearly confined to the two-wheeled" crack
er carts.
At the meeting of the board of county
commissioners above alluded to, letters
were read from Judge Ives of Augusta and
Mr.. George Parsons of Kennebunk, Me-
mentioning the fact that they had been
used successfully at these two places to
improve sandy roads, and the chairman
advocated it's use here as all that would
be requisite While IT is not denied that
if it were possible to mix clay and sand
in such proportions with the sand of our
roads to a sufficient depth as to secure
the exactly necessary permeabilty to
being promised, certain degree Of i'm
provement might be attainable, yet it
could not be done without considerable ex-
penditure through an issue of bonds. In so
far as the attainment of the four main
requirements of a good road, durability
smoothness hardness and inelasticty, are
concerned, the money would be worse than
wasted MIR. Parsons wrote me under date
Of 23d inst. referring TO above letter: "It
was an experiment, not developed into
any rule. On a sandy road / would put
six inches Of clay and on top of that one
or two inches of sand. After that add a
little clay or sand as seemed best" To
make an application Of an impermeable
clay on our sandy roads. in our generally
more humid climate, and subject to much
greater precipitation, as shown below,
would be equivalent to impede carriage
in wet weather in direct proportion to the
quantity applied.
PrecipitaUOn-Savann Greatest an
nual, 1894 inches, in 1885; greatest month
", 1879 inches June. 1876; greatest in
twenty-four hours, 8.57 inches, Aug. s, 1872
observation-disclosures Greatest an
nuaI. 1924 inches In 1885, greatest month
ly, 822 inches. September 1888: greatest
in twenty-four hours. 1888 inches, oct T.