The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-07-17
SHOULD WORK OTHER ROADS.
COMMISSIONER CHAPLIN SAYS THE
ENGINEER Is RESPONSIBLE
FOR LOSS OF TINE.

He Refers 10 an order He Introduced
DIRECTING. the County Engineer 10
Have work Done on the Waters
Road, when Ii Is ImpracticabIe 10
Do Drainage WOrk-Maj. Bland
ford's Statement ns 20 Why no
Road work Has been Done.
Commissioner ". F. Chaplin takes ex-
ception TO the statements made by the
county engineer with regard 10 the reasons
why no work is done on the Meridian
road.
The statement made on Information
from Mai. r. a. Blandford. the county en-
gineer, was TO the effect that no work had
been done on the Meridian road under the
order passed by the commissioners on ac-
count Of the delay in securing the rights
Of way. which matter is in the hands Of
the committee on roads and bridges. and
also that the changing in rainy weather
loses time by reason Of the fact that it is
not able to work as effectively on the
canals.
Commissioner Chaplin is chairman of the
committee on roads and bridges and the
statements Of course point 10 him as the
prominent factor in the delay. In speak
ing Of the matter, he said:
Neither myself nor Mr.. Dale is respon-
sible for the fact that the convicts are
at times idle on account Of rain which
makes it impossible for them to work on
the canal. as is insinuated by your infor-
mant The responsibility should be placed
entirely on the county engineer. who is
supreme chief"
ION Feb 10 last" Mr.. Chaplin said.
81 introduced an order which was passed
by the board as the minutes will show
by which the county engineer was d.
rected to work the convicts on the Wa
tiers road whenever It is impracticable 10
work them on the new Casey canal, and
until a. ghts Of way could be secured for
the AZ. an road. The duty of utilizing
the convict forces rest on the county engi-
neer and If the services Of the cOnViCts
have at any time been wasted, there was
no need for it after the passage of that
order. Not a stroke Of work has ever
been done on the Waters road since its
passage
The statement is made that the rights
of way for the Meridian road to the Wa
tiers road are all secured with the eXcep-
ti0n Of that through nine lots in Jones'
willie, five of which have been promised.
Now, does any one think that parties are
going TO give the rights of way through
their lots, when the passage of this road
through them would make them unfit for
use, while as they now stand they front
on streets which run into the road
IF the chain-gang is idle 1t is because
II is not put TO work on the roads where
the commissioners ordered it put, and
the waste time is due TO the inability OF
the engineer 10 keep them properly en-
plOyed. by which thousands of dollars Of
the peoples money is wasted. Just after
the county engineer had worked the men
in the severe cold. which resulted in a
number of them being frost-bitten and
manned for life, Commissioner Kehoe in
troduced an order, which was passed, Ie-
quiring that the convicts be worked on
the public roads adjacent to the camp,
when the weather was unfit for them 10
be put TO work on the canals The IN
formation with regard to the real status
OF this work might have come from a
more reliable source, rather than from
one who either knows nothing of what
he says, or maliciously states what is
false"
The view that Commissioner Chaplin
takes of the matter is that the county
engineer has failed 10 obey other orders
of the board, and was waiting for the
order with regard to the Meridian road
10 become operative before doing any
road work with the convicts.
Maj. Blandford said. when asked why
no work had been done under these or
ders, passed in February, that 1t was only
recently that there has been any oppor-
tunity TO work men on the road.
Just after those orders We're passed"
he said, camps Nos. / and 3 were put at
work cleaning out the drains and bitches
around the city. This they were kept at
for some time, until gang No was de-
tached from No. l and sent to Tybee. 1t
did not return until June IT, when it was
put back with No. on the drainage work
Gang No. was moved from the vicinity
OF the Waters road about March l. and a
little later was put TO work on the rifle
range. where it is yet. 1t is only recently
that the weather has been such that the
convicts could be worked better on the
roads than In the canal but they have
been working for some time, during bad
weather, on the banks of the canals.
There was an order passed some months
ago for work to begin in the Meridian
road in bad weather. just as soon as the
rights Of way to the Waters road had been
secured. That order was reiterated at a
recent meeting. Several months ago
furnished to the chairman of the commit
tee on roads and bridges description of
all the rights OF way needed before the
work could begin under that order 1t
would seem that there has been ample time
in which to secure them If the proper
efforts had been made
with regard to the Waters road the bad
part of il is this side Of the point where
the Meridian road would enter II, and the
convicts could hardly be walked in three
miles every day, with the chances of miss
ing days work on the drainage. There
has been no gang near the Waters road
since March l, The object is to complete
the Meridian road so that it can be used
by people living out in that section of the
county, and when this is done there will
be very little use for the Waters road be-
yond Sackville -