The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-11-09
FIX UP THE ROADS
County Commissioners Will
Save the Highways.
Macadam Will Receive Much
Needed Repairs.
MAY USE THE CRUSHER
One Is Owned by County But
Lying Idle.
Prisoners Will Also Weld the
Stone Hammer.
MAY USE THE CRUSHER

Some OF the roads in the county
which radiate from Topeka, and
which are generally in good condition
are needing repair in several places
where holes have formed and the
county commissioners decided Friday
to take steps to repair these places at
once before considerable portions of
the roads are badly damaged. All
that is needed in the way of repairing
them is the packing in of crushed
rock.
Just at the present time there is
none OF this crushed rock available
but there will be before long as the
prisoners in the Jail who have had
hard labor added to their other sem
fences will be put to work at once
breaking rock. There are only three
Of these prisoners available now. An
other one, who is sick at present, Will
be available to go to work some time
next week. OF course there are many
more prisoners in the Jail who are
physically able to break rock but their
sentences are such that they cannot
be compelled to do so.
The county commissioners now
have on hand about eight or ten cord
of good seasoned stone that will make
the best sort of crushed rock for road
purposes. A good deal Of 1t is now IN
the stone yard annexed to the county
Jail. None of the prisoners has been
working at the rock breaking business
recently for the chief reason that
none of them have been available for
this work because of their sentences.
But the three. who can be put on
the job, will be given their hammers
and set to work Monday. Three or
four men cannot break much rock, TO
be sure but they can break some and
some Is batter than none IN the pres
ent emergency.
The county owns stone crusher ana
engine to run it. This apparatus is now
st 6pe and t eonid not be made Service
able except at consideranle expense Sc, ~
that it might be cheaper in the end for
the county to put this rock crusher and
its engine in working order and TO hlre a
in the Jail could be used for the manual
labor in handling the, stone for the crush,
er and a weeks work of this sort would
furnish all the crushed rock that is need
ed to repair the roads
1t is possible that the commissioners
will decide to fix up the engine and crush
er and have it placed in the stone yard at
the Jail If room can be FOUND Tor ~ mere,
or they may fix 1t up and have the stone
dragged out to the fair grounds and
The county has in its employ superin-
tendent of the county stone yard Mr.
Sam Haynes, a deputy sheriff, is the pres
r g. mi is made by the sheriff, but the sal I
airy is paid by the county. The superin- |
tendent of the stone yard also works as
listed between sheriffs and county commits |
sioners for number of years. !
Mr.. Haynes told the county cOnlInlSSIOH- |
ers today that If enough prisoners were |
available. for the work he would be able
to keep them busy breaking rock and that |
they would be able to break all that |
would be needed for repairing the roads In
the county.
There was some talk among the county |
around the first of the |
year of abolishing the stone yard as an
adjunct to the county jail, and likewise !
the office of superintendent of the stone |
yard
Sheriff Wilkerson was opposed to such |
action on the ground that the presence of
the stone yard at the Jail where violators |
of the law could be put to work had a |
effect the commission of /
petty crimes. The commissioners thought |
this argument was a good one and decided |
to let things stay in the same shape in |
this particular as they had existed in the /
past.
Some of the roads which have holes in /
them that need fixing at once and which |
will be fixed at once, are the Burlingame |
and Rochester roads and those running |
out from West Sixth avenue and West |
Tenth avenue. It will take about twenty
five or thirty wagon loads of crushed /
rock to repair them. .s9