Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1902-07-12
A GOOD ROAD COUNTY
RICHMOND, GA, is PROUD OF ITS
HIGHWAYS.

Fine Roads In That County Com
structcd md Maintained by Com
Wet Lnbor-I'Inn Very SuccessfuI.
Road Work In south Carolina.
Richmond claims to be the banner
county of Georgia in the matter Of
good roads, and its claim is well found
ed. There are about 30 miles of grad
ed roads in the county, of which from
scvcnty-five to hundred are gravel
roads and the rest sandy roads Surfac-
ed with clay. The county annually
raises about $24 900 for the mainte-
nance of its chain gang and road i'm
provement The roads are entirely con
structed and maintained by convict Ia
Dor. Richmond county has a unique
system.
William +. Eve. who is now and las
been for nearly twenty years the com
missioner OF taxes and revenue, has
complete authority for making and rX-
pending road appropriations. He COM
bincs in his office the power usually
given to the board of county commits
sioncrs. This system of one man
board Of commissioners brings more
certain action, and where the office is
held by "A man who is such Il thorough
believer in road Improvement as is
Judge Eve there will be constant i'm
provement in the highways, says the
Louisville Couricr-IOurnal.
Richmond had only one or two I'M
proved highways previous to Judge
Ewes election to the office of road com
missioner. About the time he took the
office the county organized and placed
in charge of the road department Il
road engineer and organized the mis-
demcanOr convicts into road force.
A report made by Judge Eve some time
since on the roads of Richmond county
is as follows:
"Thc class of work done in the county
was, first, tine effort to reduce the
grades and give the roads proper drain
age. The gravel roads of Richmond
county are made from gravel obtained
from South Carolina at a point about
seventeen miles from Augusta. This
material consists of water worn quartz
pebbles, cemcnted together by iron OK
ide and sandy clnys. 1t possesses all the
essentials of Il first class road material.
and its chcapncss 60 cents per ton on
board the cars at AuguSta) insures it's
general usage on the highways of Rich
mOnd county"
Tue cost of constructing roads OF
this material has been estimated by
Judge Eve at $1,000 per mile. This
seems an unusually low estimate when
the excellent quality and durability OF
these roads are taken into cOnsidera
tiOn.
The chain gang of Richmond county
consists of about Sevcnty-tive cOnvicts,
each of whom is said to cost the co,ln
ty 80 cents per day. This estimate
includes board and clothing of tho
convicts and the salary of superin-
tcndcnt, night watchman and eight or
ten guards.
The testimony as to the convict work
is that it is eminently successful and
that no better disposition of the con-
victs could be made than to employ
them in this way. 1t is pleasure to
drive over the improved roads of Rich
mond county. They have raised the
values of the farm lands in the vicin
ity Of Augusta very much and have
undoubtedly contributed greatly to the
growth of the city, which is one of the
most beautiful and cnterprising of the
south. having large commercial and
manufacturing interests.
South Carolina has moved in the
matter of improved rOadways. Several
counties have inaugurated systematic
roadwork. and the state transfers to
the counties from which they were
convicted all convicts that We're sen
fenced to q term of less than five years,
and these, with the misdemeanor con-
victs. give to each county good road
working force. Most of the counties
have purchased more or less improved
road machinery. Several road bills are
pending in the legislature now in ses-
sion. One of them is to levy tax Of
| mill in each county for roadwOrk.
Another is to adopt state aid system
with an annual appropriation Of $780,
600.