The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1899-03-15
THE HoMoCHITTo WILL BE
BRIDGED.

After The LEADER went to press last
Wednesday afternoon, the Board oil
Supervisors reached a favorable con
clusion in regard to constructing our
able steel bridge across the Homochlt-
/ to river. IL will be remembered that
the proposition to bridge the Homo
chitto was first seriously taken up by
! the Board at the November meeting.
Plans and specifications were then
adopted and bids advertised for, to be
opened at the January meeting. NJ
! that meeting II bids were received
from leading bridge companys, all OF
which were rejected except the two
! lowest: the further consideration OF
these being postponed until the March
meeting. After maturely considering
the subject at this meeting and con
| ferring with many of the largest tax
payers of the county, the board de
cided to accept the lowest bid, that OF
the New Jersey Steel and Iron Co., Of
Trenton. n. j., for $3.50, with a guar
antee of years. $500 of this is to be
paid when the bridge is completed and
received and the balance in one and
two years from date of first payment,
or earlier at the option of the Board,
per cent. interest being added to de-
ferred payments. 1t is calculated that
on these favorable terms, the bridge
can be paid for without the slightest
increase in the present rate oftaxatlon,
and no taxpayer will discover the diff
| ference.
THE LEADER published the plans and
specifications in full in its issue of
Nov. 18th. The bridge is..to be of steel,
with two tall steel piers, the main
span being 225 feet long, shorter span
of 80 feet and 10-foot approach ct
each end, the roadway being 10 feet
wide. 1t will be built at or near the
| Nat. Watson ford on the Brookhaven
and Union Church road, the exact To-
cation to be determined by Messrs.
| Montgomery and Linton within 30
days.
THE LEADER considers this one of
the best measures adopted by the
present Board, and is sure the wisdom
and sound judgment exercised ~
Messrs. Parsons, Montgomery and
Linton. the three members who gave 1t
their active support. will be fully vim
dictated by the beneficial results that
will follow to the county. There were
many arguments advanced before the
| VI Tic VI IuSS anu NV
one against it, and no taxpayer APP
peared to protest against or oppose 1t.
Among other things it was shown that
the bridge is to be located on one of
the principal highways in the county;
that the Homochitto is the most diff
cult stream in the county to success
fully bridge and the most dangerous of
them all unbridged that a number OF
the citizens aud taxpayers of the coun-
ty live or own property west of the
stream and are frequently cut OFF from
the county site by high water and the
danger of quick sand. In fact, the
people on the west side could claim 1t
as their right to have a bridge built,
and as no ordinary wooden structure
would stand against the floods OF the
Homochitto. it was the part of wisdom
and economy to build substantial
and durable steel structure. This en-
tirely aside from reestablishing an i'm
portant mail route that has been dis
continued by the government because
THE Homochitto was unbridged, and
the drawing to this county of large
amount of trade from a sister county
which will increase our tax paying
capacity Indeed, we do not see, in
view of all the facts and sound argu-
ments in its favor, how the Board
could have refused to contract for the
bridge and at all justified itself.