The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-10-18
ERRORS OF THE GRAND JURY.
Continued from Eighth Page
efficient oficer and former commissioner,


| charges made. yet there are matters stat
ed which required reply.
In regard to the cement gravef purchase
ed to surface the public roads, the report
/ states that the committee know that the
county received the $50 cars of gravel that
/ 1t paid for yet in their attempt 10 cat-
| culate the quantity actually used, they
report a deficit of a cars, or 1,50 cubic
! yards of gravel. In the nature OF things
| this could not be; there was no other
use for the gravel than to surface the
roads; 1t was not sold or disposed of 10
| any one, and could not melt into thin
air" The error is in the calculations of
the committee who have failed to credit
| the testimony of Mr.. Shuman, who stated
! that while the pegs called for inches of
gravel before rolling, he, to secure a fair
| thickness, covered the pegs making the
| depth inches rather than 6, and who
also explained how soft places in the bed
| of the roads required a much greater
| depth of gravel before a uniform rolled
| surface could be secured. The measure
ments made after the gravel had been
| spread rolled and worn, on road bed
| not uniform In density can not be expect
| ed to correspond with measurements made
| of the same material in the cars in which
it was loaded for transportation.
The committee on roads and bridges, who
inspected the roads while the work was
| progressing, are satisfied that the deficien-
| cy does not exist, and the board respect
fully disagree with the report of the COM
! mittee.
Your committee reviewing the rules of
| the board in reference to the purchase of
supplies" for the county, find that $50
600 worth of gravel was ordered out by Su-
| perlntendent Chaplin, and 81, 1898 worth
| of lumber was purchased by Chairman
| Dale, without following the prescribed
rule, the committee erred by not under
| standing what was meant by the word
| supplies"
County supplies are furnished on bids
| submitted for the same for three months
at a time, and consist of provisions, wood,
| coal, shoes and such articles of constant
| use as are ordered only when needed from
| the successful bidders, and these orders
are issued by the clerk on acquisitions
| made on him in writing.
Material for road and bridge building
and machinery for the farm and drainage
have always been purchased under the d.
rections of the board, and not by requi-
| stions made on the clerk
Your committee also recommend
| change in the system of book keeping,
| which will require the employment of
| first class book keeper. The board believe
| the present system sufficient to secure an
/ accurate record of their disbursements, and
in this belief they are sustained by the
general presentment made March l, of this
/ present year, which is as follows:
I'm the offices of the County Commission
erS, receiver of tax returns, receiver OF
| taxes and county treasurer, we found a
| complete system of books and accounts,
1 as complete as it is possible to have.
| Everything starting in the Office of the
| County Commissioners and ending there.
| They have a perfect system of checking
the accounts of both tax receiver and
| treasurer"
| The report of your committee on roads,
| bridges and drainage which has been in
| tod In he &
| voluminous, without affording information
| commensurate with its length, and con-
| tains much that is incorrect and mis-
| leading, and the board respectfully directs
the attention of the grand jury to some
| of these errors. Among the roads report
ed on, two are not public roads, and two
are turnpike or toll roads under the su-
| perVision of commissioners of turnpikes;
| time and space are consumed in reporting
| such as are heavy and little used; con-
dition which has existed from time imme-
| mortal.
All the portions of the roads which have
| been surfaced are described as being in
| good condition except the Ogeechee road,
| which is reported in very bad condition,
| The committee certainly know, although
| they fail to report the fact, that this road
| was the first to be surfaced or macadam-
| lied, and that the work was experimental.
The city of Savannah, paved with oyster
| shell to its corporate limits, and the coun-
| ty used ebert. clay and rock, in sections
| to test the relative merits of the materials
| used. The ebert has not worn as well
| as the stone, and has been repeatedly re-
paired, as macadamized roads are usually
prepared. Your committee are of the opinion
| that this road should be resurfaced to save
the foundation from destruction. Their
| views on road building as exploited IN
| their report is so at variance with the
| teachings of experts and practical men
4 fI,ah Oa nd t1aar ffafn lie ~
ed with this work, cannot adopt theiI
| suggestions. Some Of this committee has
| been called on to point out the holes in
| this road that ARE increasing in size
every day." and 'being widened by every
| passing vehicle" but could not, while, as
has been stated the ebert has not worn
we'll, yet the county portion is in much
| better condition than the portion within
the city limits.
bitches have been opened along the sur
| faced roads wherever necessary, but your
committee think bitches should be dug
| the entire length of the road and the
| hardening material should extend to the
ditch. This mode Of improving roads is
| condemned by road builders, and BERN
or dirt road paralleling the surfaced road
| Is considered necessary to preserve the
hardened surface and TO drain the same
| without washing. majority of the COM
mittee now admit their error in this re-
| spect.
Your committee report culverts as crack
ed and unsafe, on their attention being
| called to the fact that the cracks werc
not in the culverts, but in the retaining
walls or abutments and did not impair the
strength of the culvert, a majority of them
admitted that not being mechanics, they
knew nothing about it.
They say on the Ogeechee road there IL
practically no drainage beyond the Minis
| canal where, in fact, there exists at least
| two cuIverts and four or five pipes, serv-
ing the purpose of their construction;
| there are places on this road where the
water was formerly from one to three feet
deep which are now dry In all conditions
| OF weather.
The insinuation contained In the report
| that the Dundee canal was cleared only
| as far as could be seen, but Just around
| the curve where 1t could not be seen the
work had been stopped" does injustice
to the engineer and superintendent. who
| both say that the clearing was suspended