The Semi-weekly leader. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1905-1941, 1910-02-23
Good Road III COpiah.

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Gazette were appointed commit
tee to accompany members of the
Board of Supervisors to Hazlehurst
for the purpose Of inspecting the
seven mile stretch Of gravel road
built last summer BY the county Of
Copiah and town of Hazlehurst,
aided by volunteer work of citizens
living along the improved route.
Accordingly last Tuesday morn
ing. the committees and Supervis-
ors GatIin. Fortinberry and Nc
Guffie went to Hazlehurst and spent
the greater part of the day in that
hospitable community.
Arriving at the Copiah county
capital. those public-spirited citi-
zens. Messrs. John Wise and Hugh
Barr Miller, placed their fine auto
mobiles at our disposal, thus en-
abling our tour of inspection to be
easily and pleasantly accomplished.
Mayor E. M. Cook, Of Halle
hurst; Supervisor D. D. McLehaney.
City Marshal H E. Ramsey, and
Mr.. W. r. Bridges, the superin-
tendent of the roads construction,
also accompanied us on the trip and
furnished much valuable informa-
tion concerning the work.
The Georgetown road runs out Of
Hazlehurst in northeasterly direc-
tion. Always it had been yerita-
BILE nightmare to the travelling
public, particularly the first six or
seven miles. The soil Of the road
bed is thick, pasty clay which
retains moisture for long time
and during the winter season often
became well nigh impossible.
One citizen whom we met on the
route said it was a common occur
renee for light buggy to sink SO
deep in the mire that its further
progress was out of the question,
While hauling heavy loads over it
while it was wet was a thing not to
be dreamed Of.
Fortunately, however, there lived
one man along this route who re-
fused to content himself with in
tolerable conditions. This man
was w. R. Bridges. and last sum-
mer he proceeded to grade the road
in front of his place and to surface
it with gravel from nelghboring
hill. Immediately after he had
completed the job, the wonderful
Improvement was realized, and
property owners living along the
road got together to do something.
The result was that the county
furnished the convicts, the people
furnished the teams and material,
M. Bridges contributed his brains
an time, and now stretching cut
from Hazlehurst over that once i'm
bog, there runs magnifi-
cent boulevard over which two
horses can easily pull as much as
six before. Not to be outdone by
the manifestation of progress, the
city Of Hazlehurst took up the
work in the same manner and
gravelled its streets leading from
the county court house to this road.
The road-bed was first thoroughly
prepared for its coating of gravel.
It was widened fully thirty feet,
and special attention paid to drain
age. Galvanized iron culverts
were used wherever it was neces-
sary to drain across the road. every
advantage taken of the lay of the
land in this regard. After the
d-bed had been put in first class
condition as to surface and drain
age, about eight inches of gravel
mixed with sand was spread upon
it. and in a little while the traffic
of the highway had packed it down.
and the road was completed.
The road has given splendid
service all of the winter. The
gravel surface has packed as hard
as concrete, and sheds water like a
ducks back. The drainage system
carries the water off as fast as it
falls, and no matter how hard the
rain. or how long the period Of
wet weather, that section of road
stays in good condition.
10 say that the people are de-
lighted is expressing it mildly,
and the Board Of Supervisors is be-
ing pressed to continue the work.
II is no. unlikely that the demand
for gravel-surfaced roads through
out the county will become SO in
sistent and persistent that the work
will be undertaken on a large scale.
What did it COST
Comparatively little. Nothing.
indeed. if what it has saved the
people who travel it is taken into
consideration. But in actual dol
lars and cents, estimating the value
of all work done, whether by con-
victs or citizens, and Of all ma
terial furnished, whether donated
or purchased, the Copiah supervis-
ors figure it at 500 per mile. The
city Of Hazlehurst paid cash for
everything labor and material
and the outlay did not exceed that
figure, while its street thus worked
is considerably wider than the road.
Members of our board of super-
|visors were delighted with the
Copiah county road, and they are
inclined to believe that the plan
there used is the solution Of the
bad road problem.
Pike county has an abundance of
gravel and there are but few roads
| IN the county where there is not a