The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1911-08-02


the habit of throwing bouquets I'M
less there is somebody to throw at.
Some criticism of the county COM
missioners, by those who do not know
the real conditions, for advocating the
building of road across the noun
tains for the use of automobiles when
better highways are needed for the
farmers, has been made, especially BY
those living in the lower part Of the
county. In doing this. the commits
sioners are endeavoring to get for
the county an improvement that will
be paid for out of state funds ex-
clusively, that will not cost the coun-
+ y a cent, except for its care, and
and this will be slight.
Costs County Nothing
While it will cost the county moth
ing. it will be Of incalculable benefit
to the county. In the first place it
VIII give Yakima and the whole of
eastern Washington a highway to the
Sound country that can be easily
travelled. While it may be Travelled
almost exclusively by automobiles, 1t
Will be open to all kinds of vehicles.
A highway from the Sound that will
accommodated automobiles means
that persons of wealth will pass over
the road and consequently many more
people and those of means, will visit
the greatest fruit growing section in
the world. In addition to leaving
some of their money here they will
go away with much better idea of
the Yakima valley than if they had
gone through on a roailroad train.
This benefit, the commissioners are
seeking for the whole county at no
expense to it either in money or in
dertaction from needed building of
permanent highways.
County's Road Machinery
1t may be of interest to the read
ers of the Herald to know that the
county owns in the way Of road
building machinery, about which
State Highway Commissioner Roberts
speaks in such commendatory terms.
This is the list: Three traction en-
gines, each having a string of five
immense broad-wheeled dump cars:
four road rollers, three steam and one
gasoline; one steam shovel; two dom
key engines for hoisting stone TO tho
crushers at Sunnyside and Mabton-
a third crusher at North Yakima noe
being operated; concrete mixer, for
mixing crushed rock with road oil; an
Erie elevating road grader and eight
OF ten smaller road graders; and rock
bunkers near Union Gap. Most of
this machinery, including two haul
ing outfits, is in use below the Gap,
in the districts of Commissioners La
may and Olson
Road Disbursements
During the month of July, 1911,
disbursements of road funds amount
ed to $14,5S0:37, divided up as fol-
lows among the various districts:
District 1, Naches and Cowiche, $3,-
02450; No. 2, Mckee and Pleasant
Valley, s2,172.40; No. 8, all below AL
falfa and Zillah, south, $2,S25.04: No.
a. Mob Hill and Ahtanum, $436.56;
No. 5, Parker Bottom and Reserva-
ton, west of Toppenish and Wa
patio, ss6S.52; No. 6. East and West
selah and Wenas, $23S.SS; No. 7, Rec
ervation, which has been consoli-
dated with No. 5, $1,29294; general
road and bridge fund, roads and
bridges in which all county is inter-
/ ested and main line trunk roads, So
727.73.
| This makes a total expenditure for
the month about evenly divided be-
tween the districts above and peiow
the Union Gap. The general funds
was largely spent in the district be-
low the Gap.
Open Bids on New Road
| At the regular meeting of the board
of county commissioners today bids
on number of pieces of work will
be opened, as follows: Two miles
of permanent highway, between Sum
nyside and Mabton- oil macadam:
1900 feet of warrenite in the Selah
gap, between the upper steel bridge
and the railroad crossing; 2.S00 feet
of bitulithic, from the city limits to
the Yakima avenue bridge; one-half
mile of oil macadam, from the end of
the Fruitvale carline to the Nelson
bridge, near the painted rocks.
County's Permanent Highways
With the completion of the work
now under contemplation in the coun-
ty there will be paved highways from
the limits of Yakima City through
Yakima City to the town of Selah:
from the Mckee bridge, at the east of
the city, over Yakima avenue to Miles.
north on Miles avenue to Fruitvale
Boulevard, west to the Naches road,
and north through the Naches Gap
to the Nelson bridge, near the paint
ed rocks This latter road will even
tually be the inlet to the city and the
remainder of the valley of the con-
cades to the Sound country. At the
Nelson bridge, this road connects
with highway through the Naches
valley that is joy to the automo-
blist.
! A portion of the road leading to
the bridge, on Fruitvale Boulevard, is
being built on contract let by the for
mer board of county commissioners,
who provided for a narrow roadbed
] of waterbound macadam. This style
of road the present commissioners
| find is inadequate. so they have ar
ranged with the contractors to take
! the work off their hands and finish
| il with oil macadam and making it
several feet wider.