Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1913-09-05
The Condition OF
The S. & P. Turnpike
I Andrew L. JCn IS. J

Early in the year the contractors
an The S.aunton and Parkersburg
Turnnike entered into written con
tracts with the hoardof supervisors
whereby the r"ntrar'"r* bound
, tneusri>c s ~ 1T ii repair anu
keep in r:2air according to specid:
Gallons set out in the contracts and
binding themselves to get the roads
in repai. y the 18th of May of
this YEAR and each succeeding year
during the existence of the contract
Not a single contractor complied
with his contract by the 18th of
May. They further bound them
selves to go over their roads every
fifteen DAYS and remove all loose
rock down to the size of hen egg
The c ntractor I'm the eastern end
Of the bike extending from West
Augusta to the Cow pasture river
did honest work on his road during
this season and has kept his road in
good repair, Has either OF the two
other contractors been over his
roads once or twice since working
them in the spring? If they have
the condition of the roads strongly
indicate that they went with their
eyes shut. The section Of the pike
extending from Standing Rock to
Cow Pasture river has never been
worked up to the specifications and
the larger part of it was not touched
with pick, pillow or shovel until in
July and the condition of the road
at this late date leading from Mon
terey West to the top of the noun
tain is shameful. Breaks and side
oitches are not open. There is a
portion of the East side of the
mountain that has never been work
ed at all. Where is the superlnten-
dent of the pike? Why does he
report to the board when pay day
comes that this road is worked &C
cording to specifications? The con-
tractor on this very section OF 70 d
gets forty dollars per mile under
| bis contract and has already been
paid this year for this secti~n of
road. He therefore gets forty dol
lars per mile for letting it alone.
With some exceptions the county
roads are in good condition and AS
whole they are far better worked
than the Staunton and Parkersburg
turnpike. 1t is not hard to see why
this state of affairs exists. The
commissioners of roads who have
charge of the county roads are by
statute liable to indictment for
failure to see that the contractors
keep their roads smoothej cleared
of distractions, worked up to the
specifications and otherwise keptin
good repair, while there is no stat
ute covering the case of the super
iniendent of the pike and he is
not amenable to indictment for
failure to perform the duties of his
Office. He may sit at home and
never know whether the contractor
goes over his roads at intervals OF
fifteen days and come to the meet
inas of the board and report the
roads worked up to specifications
and recomme' d that the contrac-
tor receive his pay in full no mat
ter what the condition of the road
Has the present superintendent done
this? Let any man who doubts
that ne has 60 to the records of the
board. There he will see that war
rants have been allowed for the full
amounts of these sections of road
horribly in need of repair. Then
let him go over tn pike from Mon
terey to Cow Pasture river and
from Monterey West up the first
mountain especially and on across
to Hightown and he will be forced
to either one of the two conclusions
namely, that the superintendent oil
the pike and the board of supervls,
ors incompetent officials or that
they are guilty of gross neglect OF
duty. A further search of the rec
ords of the board will reveal the
astounding fact that t ere
stands on the judgment lien docket
of the Clerks Office judgment
against one W. W. Botkin, a tuln.
pike contractor which has stood
there since April, 1912, and is for
money paid to said Botkin by the
present board to which he had no
right and which the Circuit Court
on appeal from the decision OF the
board allowing this amount to said
Botkin required Botkin to refund
to the county, if being misappro-
priation of the county's funds as
charged and p.oved in the appeal
case and that the board has paid to
said Cotkin many times the amount
OF the said Judgment since that date
against the protest of the Common
wealth's Attorney allowing tho
Judgment to stand unsatisfied as a
mark of their infdelity to the trusts
of their Offices.
Ito Be Continued.l