The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-10-17
THE ROAD TO TRAVEL
Ii Is Founded on Rock and Is
Cheap at the Price.
NEW THoRcuoHFARE SOUTH.
Wise Eeonomy of County Commissioners
I'm Building Permanent Instead
Of Plank Road

Work on the rock and gravel strip OF
county road in South Seattle. which has
been subjected TO numerous unavoidabie
delays. will be completed in about fifteen
days, and il will then be the most mag
niiieent piece of roadway In the county
The binding Of the road has been IN line
with the policy OF the county commits
sioners TO give the people Of the SUBURBAN
districts the best thoroughfares consistent
with the funds az hand. and with this pur-
pose have built il Of rock and gravel, rock
foundation with gravel on top.
In Iss7 the county commissioners
planked ). 80 feet of the county road in
South Seattle at a cost Of 81 10 per foot,
and later the road both togard the city
and beyond was pIanked for considerable
distance. Last spring The old p!anking
on the s. 235-foot strip became so much
worn that II became necessary 10 improve
ii AMI the present board Of county CON-
missioners took up the matter imme-
cia.eiy. Ii was ascertalned that. although
II cost 81. 10 per foot TO plank the road In
Iss7, IL could now be done for 20 cents per
foot. On the poor farm near by was
rock quarry and little farther up the hill
was gravel pit, ana the commissioners
concluded that instead of replanking the
road il would be mucn better to build
rock and gravel road from the
materials at hand. Bids were
duly called for and some OF
the bidders wanted as high as $3.50 per
foot, but the contract was let to T. +.
Flynn. whose bid was the lowest and
best, being Sc cents per foot. Although
the cost OF replanking would have been
sal Al = Haa uaN d.
visable and cheaper to rock and sragei the
road at the additional cost of Is cents, for
the new road will last ten times as long as
a plank road, the same amount OF care and
re pairing being observed.
Work began Immediately and a founda-
ton of crushed rock. packed hard. was
first put down and then layer OF gravel
spread over it. making road as hard and
durable almost as macadam. In short
time. however. the gravel Dit played out.
1t being discovered that it was only
pocket reaching into the sand. Further
work wac stopped for time until new
gravel pit could be located. 1t was
decided to try the gravel at Maple Valley,
and five car loads were brought down over
the Columbia & Puget Sound railroad tor
trial, il being agreed that If the gravel
was satisfactory Contractor Flynn would
receive $3.50 additional for the extra long
haul and extra expense. But the gravel
was found to be unsuitable as being too
coarse, and the Maple Valley project was
abandoned. The nearest available gravel
was located on Mekinley's hill. five miles
distant, and the contractor employed
twenty farmers of the vicinity to haul the
material that distance 10 the road. For
this additional haul the contractor has
been allowed sl.c0o extra, bringing the
total cost for rock aud grayeling the road
up TO s., 80. or sl.O6 per foot, or cents per
foot less than II cost to plank in 1857. The
rock used IS ballast is 4 sort of sandstone,
and is remarkably we'll adapted to the pur-
pose. being hard and durable.
Contractor Flynn will today receive a
warrant for $50, making in all s., SO
which he has been paid, or IS per cent.
not 80 per cent, has been stated, the
county retaining % per cent. until the
work is completed. Every one conversant
with road building. who has examined the
road has declared the price exceptionally
low and the WORK thoroughly performed.
Ii was the intention Of the commissioners
to rock and gravel the road south as far as
Braun's brewery, but unless they hear an
unmistakab.e demand that the work be
pushed, no further rock and gravel roads
will be built for the present al least.
The county road now being improved is
almost as much travelled as any street in
Seattle. IL is the natural thorourhfare
for vehicles between this city and South
Seattle. West Seattle. the White. Duwsm-
lisa and Black river farming districts and
the Sunuyda.e and Des Moiaes country.
IL can thus easily be seen that il is imper-
alive that a good road at this point at
least be maintained. That il was better
economy 10 build it of rock and gravel
than To plank it few figures will prove.
II would cost to- plank the 5.Z36 feet of
road just 81. 200. The contract to rock and
gravel IT was let AZ $3.50, and. because OF
an entirely unavoidable and unforeseen
incident. the cost has been raised 10 S.. 500.
But az s. 500 the road is cheap, for IL viii
last twenty years and always be free from
mud. afording hard. easy thoroughfare
for every manner OF venice.