The record-union., 1896-09-10
cleaned and
i ] AOA~ =
X Ofo1 oxODofOHc JAMES O.. DAVIS,
] =.


has never been built to the bridge and
there it stands and has stood for years
without an animal having crossed it.
Some ones blunder-I can't say whose.
The road under the bridge is good and
there is no use for such a structure
and never will be unless the road is
materially changed
IN OLD SONOMA.
"Sonoma County has improved very
materially since we were here last and
find one of the roads over which I
had driven and condemned it, trans
formed into a smooth, clean and we'll
watered turnpike They are now water
ing about eighteen miles this year, and
the people here, as elsewhere. are clam
oring for more. There are several
drives around Santa Rosa that would be
equal to any in the State if a little good
systematic work were done upon them.
Very little attention is paid to cuts and
fills, and the board could get some VAL
liable pointers from their neighboring
county on the east.
NAPA LEADS THE STATE.
''My road to Napa was via Glen Ellen
and Sonoma, which l found IN fairly
good condition though very poorly To-
Gated. Napa County leads the State in
the number Of stone bridges. We have
talked of the one over Napa River at
ST. Helena all over the State. That
bridge was built for S14, 500, as against
a bid of 500, 900 for a steel structure
It is about 21O feet over all, and con-
sists of three fifty-five foot arches. Not
being satisfied with the largest stone
bridge in the State they have one now
three seventy foot arches, and it
will cost $19,9O0 This bridge is being
built over Putah Creek at Monticello to
replace a wooden structure that has
cost, with maintenance. $4,000, and
yet no bridge to show for it, Mr.. Pit
trie, the contractor, also built the one
at St. Helena. Besides these there are
four or five varying from a single semi
circle arch of 20 to 40 feet and several
stone culverts. The board are TO be
congratulated upon their good judg-
ment in building these stone bridges,
for never a dollar need be expended
on them for repairs.
SOLANO IMPROVEMENTS.
THE next county reached was Solano,
and here a great Improvement was
noted. 1 was surprised to see large
d
dust from Cordelia to Suisun. Also
around Vacaville and vicinity. Solano
has not the abundance of gravel that
Yolo has, yet I find Mr.. Buckingham
doing some as good work as any Su-
pervisor. / was agreeably surprised to
find the concrete and stone culverts all
along the road, and he is replacing all
old wooden structures with either stone
In
feel when we see such results of our
teachings that the Bureau of Highways
has done some good at least in several
counties.
From Suisun I drove via Vacaville,
Winters and Woodland and home down
the river. Are the people much inter-
ested, did you say? Bless your soul,
the whole country have taken up this
subject and I have not heard one sin
gle objection to the State road PROPOSE
ton from anyone. The Santa Rosa
Democrat" had a suggestion and a
very good one, and that was for the
State to levy general tax and appor-
ton 1T to the counties and to be ex-
pended under State supervision. In
other words create general State road
fund the same as the counties now do
to assist impoverished districts. The
idea is a novel one, and if properly ap-
Piled would be the means of assisting
some of the poorer counties 1 did a
little drumming for our State rock
crusher, and am satisfied we will re-
ceive orders for rock from several of
our cities and towns near the plant
I think have given you pretty fair
account of my little 1,4S6 miles in a
blackboard, so excuse me. Am through
with the work? Not quite. leaYe for
a trip through Placer, Nevada, Sierra,
Plumas. Lassen, Butte, Sutter and
Yuba next week, and then the work on
the road will be complete. After that
comes our report.
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