The Mena weekly star., 1909-03-04
One 0vSr Cossatot East of Jans- sen and One Over Rolling
 Fork West of GranniS.
Bridge Commissioners Make Big Saving Over Best Bids Made
 February 6.
MEANS MUCH TO MENA
The Cossatot Bridge and New Road Being Built Will Bring the Trade of a Fine Territory to the
 County Seat.

The Polk county commission Saturday let a contract to the Penn Bridge Company of Beaver Falls. Pa, for two new steel bridges, one over Rolling Fork at Gannis and one over the Cassatot river east of Jansen. The bridges are to be completed by August 1 next, and the con- ract price for the two was S11,700, with the additional cost of about S400 for the necessary lumber.
 When the commissioners last January advertised for the build ing of these bridges, the best bid for the Rolling Fork bridge was $7, ,985, and for the Cossatot bridge $ll.090. The specified tions called for roadways l6 feet ia width.
 The Peen Company agreed to build for Sl3, 900 according to the original specifications, furnish ing everything, but the commits sion decided 10 cut roadway to 12 feet in width, by so doing cutting the price to S1l,7 700 plus the S400 for lumber, making a net saving by the change of $90o. The contract, as let, makes a saving over the former prices asked of S6, 800 on the two bridges.
 How Mena Was Benefited. All that section of Polk county east and south of tho Cassatot river, as we'll as rich territory iu the northern part of Howard county, in order to reach Mena has to go east and north to Eber- son City, then northeast to Mena, adding on an average 12 miles distance in reaching Mena over a direct route, and during high water cannot reach Mena at all. The result is, much of this territory's trade goes to other points.
 With the new bridge built and the road that has been built from Bethesda Springs into the Two Mile valley under the directions of the Forest Service officials ex- tended down to Camp Wilder and down the Brushy to the new bridge in section 29, township south, range 30 west, the dis tance to Mena will be cut 12 miles. making the trip a one-day one instead of two days, as now, to say nothing of the times when high water stops such travels en- tirely.
 Arrangements have already been made to carry the new road from Two-Mlle to Camp Wilder, and Judge Prickett expects to have the balance ready tor trav- el by the time the bridge is built.
 This bridge will, therefore be great accommodation 10 large area of the country as we'll as as sisting Mena in business way.
 A Help to Fruit Industry.
 The bridge over Rolling Fork will mean much to the rapidly growing fruit industry west of Grannis. There are many acres in bearing fruit now and many more being developed. Rolling Fork is an obstreperous little stream and has babi. of getting on tear about fruit rlpenin2 time. which completely cuts off the fruit growers from the rail- road, greatly 10 their loss.
 The bridge commissioners who let the contracts, aud whJ acted unanimously both in rejecting the former bids and in the new deal, are:
 J.F. Lee, Bigger.
 F Fl Pop, Grannis.
 l. F. Smith, Hartley.
 B. c. Davis, county road com missioner.
 The report to the court is as follows:
 To the Honorable County Court,
 Polk County. Arkansas.
 We, E. H. Poe, B. c. Davis, J F. Smith and J. F. Lee having been heretofore appointed commissioners to locate and let contracts for the building of certain bridges in Polk