The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-05-02
MORGAN COUNTY BUILDS
 FINE SYSTEM OF ROADS
By WILL w. NELSON.

Decatur, May 1.-(Special. )-Morgan county is building a system of pike roads which will be when completed second to none in the state of Alabama These bikes will reach almost every section of the county. Ten miles have already been completed and there are at the present timc 4715 miles more under contract and work on this Is being pushed as rapidly as possible. Within a short time other con tracts will be let.
 The roads are being built of native limestone, which is of a flinty nature. Experts say it will make the best roads of anything in the world. The roadbeds are first well graded and then layer of rather large rock Is placed on them and then layer of smaller rock and finally on top is placed a layer of rock dust. All of these layers are rolled with steam roller the layer of rock dust first being sprinkled. This causes the rock to cement together, forming almost a solid rock, as it were, and making road which will stand the wear of many years before needing repairs.
 Had Opposition.
 Until recently the question of good roads was not a popular one in Morgan county. The people objected to the issu- ance of bonds, because they were of the opinion that it would cost them too much.
 
 Skeggs, the present probate judge of Morgan county, was the pioneer advocate of good roads in this county. He was one of the first advocates of good roads in Alabama. It has been largely due to the work and the influence of Judge Skeggs that Morgan county Is building this most excellent system, and to Judge Skeggs more than to any other man js due the credit of getting the Morgan county farmers out of the mud and placing them dryshod, as 1t were on good roads. This has been a hobby with Judge Skeggs for a number of years, and he advocated the matter when it was not a popular issue in this county, or, for 1 that ma tier, in this portion of the state. He has worked long and faithfully on 1 the matter. The result is that some time ago an election on Ae question of good roads was held in the county and good roads carried by vote of nearly five to one. When 1t is taken into consideration that only a few years ago the good roads question was such an unpopular one in | Morgan county and that only a little | more than a year ago good roads carried in the county by such large majority, 1 it speaks volumes in favor of the faith ful work which Judge Skeggs has accom- | plished. The bikes which are now being | built in this county will stand as a mon- ument to the energy of Judge Skeggs for | all time.
 Farmers Are Pleased. | For many years muddy country roads | have been a great drawback to this coun- | ty, like they have to many another coun- | ty of the state, but in few months more l 1t can be said that she has one of the | best systems of roads to be found n any 1 section of the country.
 Something like S2000 900 will be spent in all in the building of these bikes. Today | it is almost next to impossible to find | citizen of the county who is opposed to | good roads. In fact, the average Morgan | county citizen today points to the bikes l already built with much pride. for they l have tried them and have now come to the conclusion that no county at this ad- ! vanced stage of civilization can afford | to do without good roads. The Morgan | county farmer has learned at last that | good roads do not cost him so much I after all and that they are necessity rather than luxury Good roads, they l say, are a saving not only in time but 1 saving on the wear and tear of their | farm vehicles and saving to their horses | and mules as we'll
 The building of these roads. too, is do-
 ing much for the betterment of the pub l lie schools of the rural districts. Now many of the children of the county can l go to school on the bikes who were una- | ble to go oa the mud roads. AS a result
 many new country schools are springing | up and the country people are taking more interest in educational matters than
 ever before. Morgan county lands are also advancing in price.