Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1910-05-06
The Bridge Question.

~ PNA NhN PuOAANobAOh III lllO O1AA-
cial county paper, the county con
miSSiOners of this county are sub
mittlng a proposition to the vOt-
erS OF the county to secure au-
thOrity for building three bridges
across the Arkansas river; one at
Dundee, one at Great Bend and
one at EllinwOOd. The PROPOSE
tiOnS, as they are submitted, read
as follows:
Subdivision l. Shall the Board
of County Commissioners of Bar
ton county, Kansas, appropriate
the sum of Thirty-five Thousand
Dollars for the erection of a con-
crete bridge Immediately south of
Great BendY
Subdivision 2. Shall the Board
of County Commissioners of Bar
ton county, Kansas, appropriate
the sum Of Fifteen Thousand
Dollars for the erection of an irO1
bridge near Dundee, in Barton
county, Kansasi
Subdivision 3. Shall the Board
Of County Commissioners of Bar
ton county, Kansas, within three
years, appropriate the sum of
Thirty-five Thousand Dollars for
the erection of a concrete bridge
Immediately south of EllinwoOd,
Barton county, Kansas?
This is a matter that must be
voted on by people of the cOun-
ty, and all should be posted on
the question that they may vote
intelligently. We are of the Opin'
ion that it will be little trouble
to carry through the propositions
One thing is sure, bridges are
needed at all three points. At
Dundee there never was a bridge,
but for the benefit of the people
there and in justice to them, as
there is not a county bridge in
that township, bridge should be
built, and that at the expense of
the county.
At Great Bend there is an old
bridge. built originally by the
township, and is much behind the
needs of the community. 1t was
built about twenty-five years ago
when forty buShel loads of wheat
hauled by two horses was the lin
lit, and not seventy and eighty
buShel loads hauled by four horse!
as at this time. The traffic over
this structure is such that a new
bridge is badly needed, and al
that, one on which two four horse
teams can pass. We have seer
people waiting for more than an
hOur at a time TO get over this
bridge.
At Ellinwood they have two
bridges, neither of them what they
ought to have, nor what they are
entitled to. The first one usually
referred to as the old bridge, was
erected when Lakin township wa
the entire east end of the county
1t was built and paid for by thu
township, and as other township.
were cut out of Lakin, the deb
) gradually fell all on what is nov
the township of Lakin except ont
5 fifth, which was paid by Co
manche. The new bridge wa
5 built by private subscription, t,
which was. added $4,000 by tn
e county. The old bridge is, p
e has been for several years, Kep
( up by private parties, the cOmmi
e siOnerS refusing, because of thei
assistance to the new bridge, t
appropriate one cent for its up
keep. Neither of the bridges ar
:. built as bridges go today, and d
b not fill the bill for the traffic Co
r ing to Ellinwood from the Sout
e side, hence they are asking for
S new concrete bridge to be bull
e there.
d 1t will be noticed that the Gre
: Bend and EllinwOOd bridges ash
d ed for are to be concrete. This
= a very sensible and business lik
n proposition which will be vOuche
for by anyone who has taken th
trouble to investigate. 1t is cos
i ing the county now on an averal
le $500 per year for repairs to IL
g Great Bend bridge. The buildin
u of a concrete bridge will stop tn
l. expense. True, the bridge will c.
4 between 100000 and $4,000, bl
i a little more than twenty years
nc the repair bill on the old stru
lg ture will pay the bill, and "
er have a firSt-claSs bridge left. II
II old method, you have nothing lt
a but an endless chain of expnese
n