The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-23
PRoeREss OF COUNTY WORK.
Engineer Dayton Pushing the Drain
age and Roads.

"A long pull. steady pun. and a pull
together Is having its good effects in
public matters connected with the board
Of county commissioners.
The work on the Dundee canal, which
had been stopped for some time. has been
resumed The canal on the old portion be-
tween the Augusta road and the river
is being dredged out by the machine
West Of the road a force Of thirty-hve
eonvicts is pushing the excavation into
the swamp.
On the Casey canal about the same
number OF men IS at work Up 10 the re-
sumption Of work on the Ogeechee road,
there were twice that number in the
Casey canal gang This work Is progress
ing very rapidly. however, scventy-fve
uneal feet "a day being about the average.
The bgeechee road is revelation 10
those who see IL for the first time since
the work Of matchmaking began. hard
road has been built to the three-mile
post, and the work Is still going on. There
- ..ttle doubt that if the material con-
tlhues TO arrive promptly the road will
in a month.
The improvement of the road has
changed the appearance OF the adjacent
country and viii doubtless result in its
being opened up into with small farms
as soon as proper drainage is established
The land owners along the Ogeechee road
are giving the right Of way so as TO make
u sixty feet in width along that part that
is hardened.
The Augusta road viii be the next to
receive the attention of the county com
missiouers. The Louisville road, OVSr
which comes most Of the cart and wagon
trade 10 the city, and which is the most
important public road In the county,
should not be neglected. In this county
the central railroad parallels il through
out IT'S length. and II would be very easy
TO get the broken stone delivered Just
where IL viii have to be used The omen
ing of the Dundee canal will render the
Louisville and Augusta road sections
healthy and habitable for white people.
County Engineer DAYTON is in favor Of
completing the Meridian road as origi-
nally laid out, and hopes to do so at no
distant DAY. In speaking Of the work
now going on Mr. Dayton said yesterday
IhdL VI ne had them he could find work
Tor 90 more convicts and that they could
ne managed just easily as the 40
prisoners, comprising three gangs at
work on the Casey and Dundee canals and
Ihe Ogeechee road There is work he said
for every abe-bodied convict that he can
get hold Of and the policy should be to
take prisoners offered by other counties
ana push the work of draining the county
and building good roads. Laborers. Mr.
Dayton said, such most of the convicts
are, are worth at the lowest figure from
81 10 $L20 per day, while the total cost ~
the county for feeding. clothing and
guarding convicts is not over 80 cents
showing a saving in labor of from SO to
20 cents per hand.
Ihere never was, and, perhaps never
VIII be, another such opportunity as that
now existing to push all the projected
ETUUunty improvements to rapid completion
very reasonable condition imposed
should be complied with, in order TO eet
conVlcts from adjoining counties.
~ IS gratifying 10 note the vigor with
which the work Of completing the Two
drainage canals is being pushed ana siso
the good work that is going on on the
Ogeechee road.