Waterbury Democrat., 1902-08-15
BOARD or PUBLIC WORKS.
Had an Outing Yesterday and inspect
ed Roads in Outlying Districts.

ed Roads in Outlying Districts.
The board of public works held an
outing yesterday afternoon and made
a thorough inspection of the roads la
the outside districts in the western and
southerly section of. the city. The
principal object of the trip was to see
where the state road appropriation
should be expended, and while no ac-
ton was taken still 1t must have been
plain to the board that it would be well
to continue the macadam road on the
Watertown road and keep at it until
WATERFOWL and Waterbury meet with
the good roads Improvement. There is
also splendid place to use some of
the money on the Watertown road. and
some of the commissioners think III
would be well to make a commence
ment with this kind of treatment on
lower South Main street. The Middle
bury road has claims too. but it is q
question IL the travel in that district
is sufficient to warrant the outlay
while there IL need for improvements
on town roads that are used by con-
siderably larger numbers of vehicles
of every description. The board kept
up the tour until close onto O'clock,
when 1t was decided to adjourn. No
investigation was made through the
northern and eastern districts, the
board having had about all they want
ed OF that kind Of work for one day.
On the WATERFOWL road 1t was nor
ticed that several hundred feet Of the
trolley road is a couple Of feet higher
than the road bed and the question was
asked whose business was 1t to bring
the street to grade. At the time the
tracks were laid the selectmen We're
in control OF the town roads, and on
this account the board was not familiar
with the situation. Commissioner
Whiting said that it looked as If the
trolley people had dug out the road
bed to fill In under their rails and that
he thought it nothing more than right
to have them fix the street.
The party took look at the Oakviile
bridge and the great retaining wall
which the trolley i eople are building
along the west bank of the Naugatuck
river, and then headed up the steep
hill past Sunderland's blacksmith shop
into that charming Waterbury suburb
known as Bunker Hill. This is one Of
the handsomest residence spots i'm Wa
terbury, high, dry and healthy, and
commanding magnificent view of the
country for miles distant The houses
and yards are maryels of neatness and
show unfnistakable evidence oe great
care on the part Of those who occupy
them, everything In sight being scrupu-
lously clean, even the dogs sporting
beautiful collars and the cats decorated
with natty neck ribbons. Superinten-,
dent Kelley has done considerable work
there this season, so that the condition
of the street is In keeping with the rest
OF the place. They are looking for a
water main and the city government
should see that they get it at the first
opportunity. There Is a~vast amount
of valuable property there which
should have some sort Of fire prOtec-
ton, and besides. it ID only reasonable
to suppose that such thickly settled
section would want city water. From
heer the board passed out to the Mid
dlebury road and thence across the
country to Platts Mill and home along
South Main street. The country roads
over which the trip was made were
found in good repair.
1t was noticed at the different boun-
dairy lines that the stone set up to
mark the spot acan hardly be seen
above the brushwood, and in the opiny'
ion of the board it would be move In
the right direction to set slightly boun7
Diary stones to replace the old. ones,
some of which don't stand foot over
the ground, and in order to see them
one has to feel around In the grass.
While passing over the Middiebury
road Commissioner Mahaney pointed
out Breakneck hill, where Washington
and his little band of partiots are said
to have had such hard pull hauling
there the board passed out to the Mid
he showed the party the house where
Washington camped and slept over
night. The place is now owned by the
Lithuanian church and is very vaiu-
able piece OF property. BIN
No action was taken with reference
to the state roads appropriation, but
when the question comes up the mem
bers will be able to vote on it intelli-
gently, for some of them know more
about the roads of Waterbury now
than they thought there was to be
learned
The party was composed of Commits
sioners Whiting, Mahaney, Scullyy City
Clerk Ryan. superintendent Kelley Of
the street department. Superintendent
O'Brien OF the bureau Of water, Sheriff
Mcdonald and representatives Of the
daily papers. Mr. Kelley acted as
guide.