Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1901-04-05

A most interesting communication
has been written to the Ironton Regis
ter by Mr.. George T. Walton, now of
Burden, Kansas, but formerly a resi-
dent of Lawrence County. He writes
on the subject of early roadbuilding in
Lawrence county, and as the subject o. !
good-roads is now one of the uppermost
topics of discussion in our County of
Washington it seems appropriate to re
produce Mr.. Waltons' article He
writes as follows:
From the number of letters that |
have received since writing of the
genesis" of Ironton, it occurs to me
that the Register family take an in
terest in the early history of Lawrence
county,
Since left Ironton in February, 1866
learn that the Good Roads idea has
permeated every township in the coun-
ty until now it is no uncommon feat for
man at Arabia to take his Dulcena in
buggy (perhaps barouche is better
word) and behind pair of 2:10 bays
HE away to Ironton, get married, and
fine dinner, and back home in time
to commence housekeeping in their
home cottage on the hill, all in one day
The Good Roads idea was about as
unpopular in Lawrence County as the
anti-slavery sentiment in the early
days. 1t would be amusing if not
flattering to the children and grand
children to hear the grave and wise
Tor otherwise) objections that were
raised by otherwise level-headed men
of sixty years ago. The greatest OBJ
lection was to having a road up tn
creek bottoms and using UP good bot
tom level land, when by going over a
hill or two of 80 or 40 degrees grade,
and too rocky to be ploTed, and only
a little longer route. good acre was
to be saved.
But a beginning must be, so in the
legislature elected in 1887, Clark Of
| Lawrence, Bundy CT Jackson, and Greg
ory of Scioto evolved the idea of
graded State road from the Guyan-
dotte ferry (Proctoryille) via Johns
| Creek, Bloom Furnace in Scioto, jack
son Furnace to Jackson G. H., with
John Bennett of Scioto Luther Blodg-
ett and John Stewart of Lawrence,
viewers, and Thomas Walton, survey
or. limited to an elevation of 6 degrees,
or foot raise in H.
In the fall of 1888 we commenced at
Quaker Bottom, viewers and surveyors
present. | was detailed to the level.
George B. Shattuck, James King and
Fred Stumbo. chain and axemen, and
Gilbert Bennett, fagman. 1t may be
interesting to my successor in the en-
| gineering department of Lawrence
county to know what an original engi-
neer's outfit we had. Father had an
old-fashioned inch compass of Jac
OBJ staff Of the ball and socket variety.
had an old Jacob staff head to put
my level on. The Transit so called,
was home made. We had to send to
! Cincinnati for bulb for the level,
made an inch board into an acute angle
of six degrees, inserted the bulb in a
hole in the angle and hole in the
bottom to set in the top of the Jacob
staff 1t was almost perfection, for on
| the ground nearly level, we did not
need it, as we did not note length Of
bridges and culverts: no cuts and fills
to note, just set our transit at the foot
of a hill and sight over the top of our
angle and if it cleared the ground all
right, and if it dipped into the hill
twist it till it would and drive stake
and not course and distance. We gem
orally had the whole male population
with us, generally jolly, but sometimes
bellicoade.
On starting up a valley near one
mans cabin he met me with his rife
and forbade my entrance on the prem
ises. Gil Bennett, nearly 70 years of
age, with his hatchet raised ordered
the man to throw up his gun. Old Gil
meant business and the man saw it. i
went on. | will not give the mans
name, because 25 years after. while
presiding at farmers club the man
called up the circumstance and apollo
gized for the act. He would allow a
good road run through his garden and
now move his "ingun' beds out of its
way That wise old head, Sam Burk,
was with us several days. He could
hardly believe his eyes to see how a
6-degree grade would climb even the
Blodgett hill. The men even of this
generation when spinning along your
fine roads do not realize how much they
owe to odd old Sam Burk and to tn Z
Jackson Graded Road Survey. The
road as a whole was never worked
Some effort was made near the grade
from the Ohio to Wakefield's and some
I Ia1., IL l.