The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-01-14
TO LOOK AFTER PUBLIC ROADS.
PROPERTY OWNERS ENCROACHING
ON MANY OF THEM.

-. INT SOunty Likely 10 FlEuFe IN
Litiga tion Before Their Lines Can
BE Established-The waters Road
boundaries IN acknowledgements
tendent of Public Works Browns
Report TO the County Commission
ers.
some recent investigations the county
commissioners have made with regard to
the Waters road and it's boundaries on
either side have disclosed a somewhat lam
entable state of affairs with regard to
some Of the county roads. 1t appears
their boundaries have not been kept up
with by the county through a period of
many years, and the result is the commis-
sioners do not know just where the boun-
daries of the several roads are.
This state Of affairs base been found
to be particularly true of the Waters
road, upon which many encroachments
have been made by property owners along
its lines. The commissioners have had
some investigation made with regard to
the boundaries Of the Waters road, be-
cause of the fact that they desire to pave
portion of the road leading toward the
city from Estill avenue. Superintendent
of Public Works w. f. Brown made the
subject a special feature of his report
yesterday. With regard to it, he said:
In obedience to an order passed by
your honorable board, ] have endeavored
TO find data to make survey from, of
the lands lying on the east side of the
Waters road. between Anderson street.
extended (Loyer's lane. and the Thun-
derbolt road. l have examined the rec
ords of deeds and find it almost impossi-
! bic to find anything that will conclusive
ly establish the eastern boundary Of the
Waters road. None of the records or
deeds that 1 have examined have map
or plat showing the positions of corner
stones, except that of the Peoples Land
and Investment Company now known as
THE Meadows" and the surveyor says
distinctly that he commenced al a stone
at the edge of Waters road and ran to
the back of these lots, establishing the
corner stones on the back or east side by
measuring from those ON the west side
at Waters road.
In the city engineers office there is an
old map dated July %, III, showing the
road about $50 feet WIDE but does not
give any definite data / will, however.
continue to search the records for add
| tional information. 1 have located a line
| for the center of the Waters road, from
Estill avenue to the Thunderbolt shell
road, the stones and fences as they now
exist along this road show 1t to be a 40
! foot road, so | have run a straight line
from the points above mentioned"
The commissioners Intercepted Mr..
Brown extensively on the question of en-
croachments on the road. Mr.. Brown
said there We're many property owners
who had encroached upon it by putting
their fences out beyond the proper line.
1t is probable that the commissioners will
have to institute suits to determine the
line of the Waters road and to compel
these property owners to remove the OBJ
structions. Mr.. J. r. Saussy, the county
attorney, said this was the only way in
which the property owners could be COM
PEELED to remove the distractions The
commissioners decided they would take
steps to establish the lines of the road
with width of at least forty feet and if
necessary to do so, they will institute
suits to determine the lines and compel
the removal of all entertainments and OBJ
structions
This discussion brought out the fact
that several of the county roads are in
the same condition, suffering in many
being somewhat indefinite A similar
| trouble was had some time ago with the
| Augusta road, it's boundaries not being
definitely known. The commissioners,
! however are going to see to it that the
| boundaries of the public roads are prop
| erly established and looked after.
Commissioner T. j. Charlton, chairman
of the committee on county map, made a
report upon the bill of Mr.. Gugie Bourquin
| for $500 for damages to trees on his lands
| by the county typographical surveying
| corps, saying the committee had decided
| 1t was excessive, and advised that it be
| not paid The commissioners adopted the
report, and win not pay him the amount
| asked for
This ends the matter so far as the COM
| missioners are concerned until Mr.. Bour-
quln brings it UP again. Mr. Bourquin
| claims that this surveying corps cut down
| a large number of his trees, entirely de-
stroying them, and he claimed the dam
| age to the land was $500. There are two
! courses open to Mr.. Bourquin, either to
sue the county for the amount he claims,
or put in a bill which the commissioners
will consider reasonable for the damage
sustained.
Mr.. George Parsons wants to rent the
county dredge for the purpose of dredging
out a creek leading up to his property on
Warsaw Island. He said he would like
to rent it for forty or Sixty days and
agreed 10 return ~ IN as good condition
as IL is at present. The commissioners
have been endeavoring to sell the dredge
for $500. A letter from Mr.. Edward j.
Thomas, announcing Mr.. Parsons desire
to lease it for a short while, was referred
to the committee on drainage, with power
to act.
1t was announced that the new Casey
canal proper would be completed proba-
bly, within thirty days or six weeks. On
this account the commissioners instruct
ed the county engineer to make a report
on other drainage work. with view to
putting the conVicts on some other work
as soon as the Casey canal is completed.
The Casey canal is about six miles long,
and drains about fifty square miles of
territory. There are now 2S2 convicts on
the gang, nearly all of them being en-
ployed on this drainage.
Mrs. L. V. Shuman sent in a communi-
cation asking If the county would pur-