The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1900-11-15
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G660d Roads R0tas
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IIH tXptrlment III TOdunlakInB
by county prisoners UNDER

itB experiment III foaumaklnB
by county prisoners under
taken two years ago by the
Board Of Supervisors of
Oneida County has gone far enough to
enable some judgment TO be formed Of
its practical value. The second section
Of road built under the system has just
been completed and statistics of cost
are available for comparison with the
cost of good macadam roads built under
contract. The Oneida County Super
visors in the fall of 1899, after nearly
a year of planning, purchased road
outfit, including a twelve-ton steam
roller, stone crusher and self-dump-
ing wagons, at cost of $4,000, and
offered to contract with the towns and
villages for the construction of roads
by the labor of the prisoners in the
Utica Jail. The county charges 25 cents
a head for each days work of eight
hours actually performed, and S25G a
day for the services Ot the engineer
employed iii the steam roller In ad-
dition IL requires the road district or
village to furnish coal and road mate
rial and supervise the construction ac-
cording to specifications agreed upon.
The first road building was under
taken last fall of section seven
eighths of mile long and sixteen feet
wide in the village of Vernon. This
was not entirely satisfactory, owing to
the experimental nature OF the work.
A large amount of preliminary labor
had to be performed in developing a
quarry, and the cost OF the road and
the time occupied in construction were
Unexpectedly great. After years
wear, however it is in perfect condi-
ton without any repairs. In May a
contract was made with Road District
No. l of the town of Whitestown for
the construction of road one and
three-tenths miles in length through
the village of New York Mills. The
New York State specifications were
adopted and strictly enforced, careful
accounts were kept and valuable data
are preserved for the use of other
towns and counties.
For $50 feet the road was 10 feet
wide; for AGO feet, 1G feet wide, and
for 900 feet, 20 feet wide. The ma
cadam was six inches thick with
crown Of half an inch to the foot.
Thirty-four prisoners on an average
were employed; 2,109 cubic yards Of
21a-inch crushed limestone and 7O3
cubic yards of half-inch crushed lime
stone were used. The time occupied in
construction of the road and on access
sorry drainage was fourteen weeks. The
total cost of the 6,010 feet of road, in
Guiding wages of prisoners and all ma
terials, was S5,S73.36, or S4,517.96 a
mile. A piece of State road adjoining,
of equal length, built by contract, cost
50 500. The Utica Press gives the
following interesting figures of other
roads built under the Higble-Arm-
strong law:
Troy and Schenectady road, Schenec-
tady County, two miles, $l6,51751
Deerfield near Utica, Oneida County,
two and q quarter miles, S16,33S.39.
Hamburg, south of Buffalo, Erie
County, six and half miles, about
10000.
Lebanon road to Massachusetts line,
Columbia County, one and n quarter
miles, 50, 9,992.S7.
The Oneida County League for Good
Roads is enthusiastic over the success
of the work, and hopes for the wider
adoption of the plan. Mr.. f. G. Wal
colt, superintendent of some of the
factories of the New York Mills Com
pany, the largest taxpayer in the road
district, assisted in supervising the
road building, and in a report to the
State Engineer points out some ob1ec-
tionable features of the present system.
The law making an allowance to the
Sheriff for prisoners food and permit
ting him to save what he can from 1t
he thinks should be changed. Prison
ers' at hard labor outdoors need more
| food than when in Jail, and the Sheriff
| is under strong temptation either to
| feed the men inadequately or to oppose
| the outdoor work which cuts down his
| profits. The county furnishes one
guard for each eight prisoners. They
are entirely under control or the
| Sheriff. Mr.. Walcott finds that for
| lack of authority over them the High
way Commissioners is sometimes un-
able TO secure perfect ulSclpliHe vi GA
| act fair amount of work from them,
| These defects could easily be remedied,
| In spite of them road building by
county prisoners is a great success, 1t
is good for the prisoners, and it makes
possible good roads in places where the
| expense of other labor renders I'M
provement hopeless. BY the expendi-
ture of the present wasted road taxes
! for prison labor on the construction OF
| permanent macadam roads the towns
Of New York in few years could OBJ
tain fine system of highways to sup
plement the main thoroughfares to be
built by the State. The Board OF Su-
pervisors in every county would DO
we'll to follow the example OF Oneida
and turn the occupants Of their jails
to good use.--New York Tribune.
Progress in Cuba.
In Cuba the long neglected work OF
public road construction has proceed
ed with unexampled rapidity under the