The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-12-27
REBUILDING COUNTY ROADS.
TWENTY-EIGHT MILES PUT IN GOOD
CONDITION SINCE AUG. o.

where the Work Has Been DOne-No
Trouble Vow in Getting the Hands
10 Respond when the summons
Are Served-AII the Roads Are Re-
ing Raised and Properly Ditched
and Drafned-StOne the Best Mate
Paving.
Few people are aware OF the improve
ments now being made on the county
roads under the operations OF the new
law. Mr. r. ]. Wade. as superintendent
of roads. is in charge OF the work, and has
made it a point to see that it is done
in a substantial and lasting manner.
The county is not simply repairing
those roads on which work
is being done. il is rebuilding them out
right. When the work was begun most
Of the roads were found in a hollowed-out
condition, with a very imperfect system
OF drainage. and the drains We're Of lit
tie or no value at best on account OF the
hollows in the center OF the roads, which
retained the water.
Now about twenty-eight miles of the
county's roads have practically been re-
built, and are as good as new roads. This
work was begun on Aug. 6; with a paid
road gang of about twenty or twenty-five
men, and it was only about two months
ago that there was any success in get
ting the citizens living on the roads to
respond to the summons to come out and
work them. The following roads within
that time have practically been rebuilt:
Eight miles of the Ogeechee road, eight
miles of the Augusta road, five and half
- -,
of the Buckhalter road, three miles of
the Montgomery cross road, this being
the entire road, and one mile of the Mon
teith road Besides this the public road
from the eight mile post on the White
Bluff road out to White Bluff has been
repaired and put in good condition.
Eighty hands responded promptly to
the summons to work the Augusta road,
and they have about completed IL from
the siX-mile post out to Cherokee Hill,
and Supt. Wade says he will have l06
hands on the road next week from that
point out to the county line. Thirty-nine
hands responded to the summons on the
Monteith road, and some very good work
The citizens required to do road duty
are turning out very well now, and there
are few protests against the requirement
to do the work. The chief trouble is in
getting white overseers TO manage and
conduct the work. AS a rule, the white
men who respond to the summons do not
understand the work, and the others take
very little interest in it, prefering to send
out substitute, instead of turning out
themselves.
The places on the county roads. about
which there was most complaint, have
nearly all been repaired, and none of the
roads are now in an impossible condi-
ton at any season of the year. The Au-
gusta road is said to be one of the best
in South Georgia, and the Ogeechee is in
the best condition. Some more work will
also be done on the Louisville road next
week. The paved portion of the Ogee-
chez road has given good deal of salts
faction. A small paid gang is still kept
at work on it, and Supt. Wade is watt
ing now for Instructions as to whether
out The stone, he says, makes far better
paving than the ebert, as the latter chalks
in dry weather and slushes when II is Wet
Supt. Wade says also that he can &C
complsh a great deal more with the paid
labor than he can with those who do the
work in response to summons, though so
far he Is not dissatisfied with the results
ferent objects in view, one to earn a liv-
ing and the other to get through.
The roads are all being ditched and
raised from fourteen to fifteen inches
so that all water will run off into the
drains on the side. There are other roads
in the county in the same condition in
Guiding both the shell roads, which need
raising and a proper system of drain
age. OF course, the county would not
til IL comes into possession of them. At
ter all the roads have practically been
rebuilt, as is now being done, Ii will be
a far easier matter to keep them in re-
pair with the free labor than it has ever
been before.