The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-03-20
PIERCE TAXES HIS FIRST TRIP OVER
 ROADS OF COUNTY Government Expert Finds Some Good and Some Very Bad
 Stretches Near City
TEMPORARY WORK HAS
 BEEN DONE RECENTLY
Expert Will Probably Be Sent Here To Assist In Building Model High way From East Lake
 To EnsIey.

The county is going to reap many bene- fits from the visit of Chief Government Road Engineer V. M. Peirce, according to the Birmingham people who have met him. He exhibits that quick judgment which is characteristic of the expert and there appears to be little he does not know about roads.
 Under the direction of the board of revenue he is making himself acquainted with every detail of the road work in Jefferson. Yesterday morning he was shown the approximate figures of the re- sources for road construction this year. While he was in the office of the board a party of citizens composed of T. G. Bush, Rufus N. Rhodes, F. M. Jackson, George B. Ward John Mcqueen, pr. J. H. Mccoy and R. S. Munger appeared and petitioned that the county join the municipalities in the expense of building a fortyfoot highway from East Lake to Ensley.
 It Is probable that MT. Peirce will rec ommend that an engineer be sent here, and a stretch of government experiment road be constructed between Birmingham and Ensley. making a part of and an ex- ample for the further construction of the big boulevard. Birmingham has already begun work on her part of the boulevard, end before many weeks it will be real ity.
 Taken Out Over Roads.
 Yesterday afternoon the engineer was given an opportunity to see some of the roads of the county. R. s. Munger placed his automobiles at the service of the board and party consisting of MT. Nun ger, Hugh McGeever, Job Going, John T. Reed, Senator John w. Overton and En- gineer Peirce made tour of some thirty miles.
 Taking the Tenth avenue pike the ma chimes dashed over a very pretty road for a number of miles. Most of the road out northeast had been surfaced with a thick coat of limestone screenings, which was smooth and even. Several times on the way out MT. Peirce called attention to improvements that would be made. He called building curves on the top of hills bad road building, and pointed out a number of them.
  screenings effect he said Ut Is laid on too thick. It is good for nothing but a. top dressing. You will find that, though it may make a very pretty stretch Of road, it will not last long, It is not near so good as chert.''
 When asked about the drains, he said they are not kept as neat and clean as they might be, bur would serve their pur- poses.
 MT. Peirce insisted that a sprinkler and roller used to pack new material is much better than leaving it to the clements. He said that otherwise a smooth un- broken surface is much harder to get. Will Try Ramsay Plan. An interesting fact which developed on the trip was a statement from a majority of the board members that they intend trying the Ramsay plan as soon as pos sible. They have purchased four large wagons with which they are scattering ohert and material along the various mac adam roads and before next fall they hope to have every good macadam road let out to section men, so many miles to each.
 After passing the newly patched road, the party came to an old stretch of mac adam road which was in very rough con- dition. It was full of gulleys and showed a great deal of bad treatment. Turning back the auto passed through town again and sought Eighth avenue. Then developed in the opinion of several of the party along the line of the pro- nosed boulevard a series of the worst