The record-union., 1897-09-17
PROPERTY OF The COUNTY.
DISTRICT ATTORNEY ON THE
ORANGEVALE ROAD.
The New Law Provides for the APP
pointment of a County Health
Officer.

AT the meeting of the Board Of Super
V1sors yesterday morning all were pres
ent
A deed of Mary Keller to the county
of land on the J-street road taken for
the new county road near East Park
was accepted.
A communication from the State
Board of Equalization was read, stating
that the State tax rate had been fixed
at u cents
The Clerk read the report of c. l..
Ecklon. Philip Van Maren and Sur
veyor Boyd, viewers on the lower Or
angevale road, which the county is
asked to take charge of and declare a
county road. Surveyor Boyd in the re-
port asked the opinion of the District
Attorney, stating that the roads of the
Orangevale Colony were regularly laid
out and mapped and had been used for
several years as a public road, but that
latterly the managers of the colony
have placed an obstruction on Orange
vale avenue, in front OF block 6. in order,
as they state, to preserve their rights
He asked the opinion Of the District At
torney in the matter. The latter gave
his opinion that as the roads had been
llld PAJEAA Jul anu NtN4tdACN ~ PhCAAN hNaC
by the managers, they had become pub
lie roads and the action could not be re-
voked. The putting up Of obstructiOns
did not revoke their action or affect the
fact that they We're public roads.
Supervisor Morrison said the report
involves a question of grave Importance
to this county. If it is a county road
the county viii be liable for damages in
case of accident, as the three bridges on
ii are unsafe and should be condemned
and travel over them prohibited.
Supervisor Curtis said the bridges had
been repaired last spring. He moved
the report be received. So orderd.
Supervisor Morrison moved that the
matter be referred to the District At
torney, with a request that he give a
written opinion to the board as to whe-
ther the road is a county road or not.
and if it is, what steps must be taken
to assume possession of it. SO ordered.
Surveyor Boyd suggested that it
might be we'll to cite some of the Or
angevale people to give evidence from
which the District Attorney could make
up his opinion.
Supervisor jenkins did not think it
would be necessary. The District At
torney would have no difficulty in col
lecting all the evidence he needs.
Supervisor Morrison expressed his
opinion that the roads were originally
opened with the idea of making them
public roads and that the placing of
gates across Orangevale avenue was
Simply to force the county to buy the
bridges.
Several members of the board said
they did not consider the bridges worth
buying.
Supervisor Morrison said it would be
necessary for the board to consider the
matter of a Health Officer. There have
been several appointed in the county,
but the law passed by the last Legisla-
ture makes it the duty of the board to
appoint a County Health officer who
shall be an educated physician. He was
Of the opinion that this law supersedes
the present Health Officers.
Supervisors jenkins and Dreman
thought the opinion of the District At
torney should be asked for on the point.
A. Mendlar complained that he had
been obliged to sit up with a sick man
at the County Hospital. being an inmate
himself Teh matter was referred to the
Committee on Hospitals.
ROAD OR LEVEE?
Supervisor Curtis said that the Road
Committee had been down below Free
port TO see the work that 7. NJ. Cook
claimed to have done on the levee road,
but they failed to find any work done
there that was of any benefit to the
road. as it seemed to have been done
mainly to keep the water of the river
out, being done both inside and outside
of the fences on the levee.
Mr.. Cook said the first agreement was
to raise the road two feet high, and
eighteen feet wide, but the Supervisors
thought they could not spare the mon
ey to pay for half the work Then the
agreement was made that it should be
raised so as to keep the water from
going over the levee and damaging his
neighbors. The water raised before
he got through and he finished the work
this spring. He thought he had done
more work on the road than he ought,
under the agreement. He could not
take cut the old stumps that had been
for some years where he took the earth
from.
Chairman Jenkins said that he had
done considerable work down there, and
always managed to get the stumps
out.
Mr.. Cook said he paid 81 30 a cord
for cutting off the wood, and sold it at
a loss He sold 81 worth of brush TO
Darby Laydon & Co, and put the re-
mainder on the road, which would
otherwise have been in bad condition.
He also put straw on the road for
which he did not charge the county.
Chairman Jenkins said the report of
the committee and Surveyor was that
no work had been done that benefits
the road. and Mr.. Cook said that what
he had asked from the board was to
help raise the levee so as to keep the
river from running over it. The prop
osition was not to build a road. He
put on sixty-four sacks, and prevented
the water from running over the levee.
Chairman jenkins said the object of
the eounty's assistance was. first. to
raise the road so that people could
travel on it, and, second, to keep the
water from running over upon the
farms.
Supervisor Morrison said he did not
want 10 find fault with Mr.. Cook, but
he did find fault with his method of
building it, by hauling dirt on wagon
a. quarter of a mile. when there was