The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-10-25
WEST VIRGINIA HIGHWAYS,
AND How THEY ARE MADE
Educational Methods In Good Road
Making Claimed TO be Peculiar

Robert HoSg, the Official reporter of
the State Road Bursau, of West Nir-
eina in an interesting articles i'm the
manufacturers Record, clHims that "the
road work In West Virginia during the
past year has doubtless made greater
per cent of progress than In any other
state OF the Union. considering the
limited amount of work done I'm the
State during prior years
lie gives n list of,,countics that have
Issued and sold bonds for highway i'm
provonent showing total Of about two
anu half million dollars. and then
Ito tells Of West virginia's peculiar
educational plans as follows.
The state Road Bureau. consisting of
A. Dennis Williams, chief road engineer
and chairman: II. Dwight iSaudcrson,
dean OF tho College of Agricultural of
Morgantown; George T.. Chorpcning. of
Ciarksburs; j. w. Lynch. Of Union. has
been organized anti is doing great work
promoting the highway movement in
West Virginia. Mr.. Williams. assisted
by Mr.. X. +. Davis, professor of struc-
tural engineering in the>Wcst Virginia
University. has prepared for pubiica-
ton, eight cen different bulletins: No. /,
list of the State road officials: No. B.
instructions in how to the road
drag; No. 4. prison labor. how TO handle
the camps: No. 5. earth and sand-clay
roads; No. 4, II study OF West Virginia
sands: No. s, general specifications for
steel highway bridges: No. 9. general
specifications for concrete bridges; No
10, general specifications for substitute
lures of bridges: No. II, report OF the
State Laboratory and Of tests OF ma
teriais: No. -, general form Of con-
tract and specifications for highway
construction: No. 49, contract and spcci-
fcations for watcr-bound and bituinin-
Gus nacad1rn road: No. ~. contract and
specifications for concrete road: No IL.
contract and specifications for brick
road: No Is. specifications and plans for
culverts and drains: No. Il. srules fo!
surveys and the government OF prison
camp: No. is. papers of the discussions
OF the first road school and the first
annual report Of the bureau. This re
rort contains seventy-eight tables OF
statistics and $50 pages OF tynewiitten
matter. The department has inaugur-
3ated'a standard OF mapping and Il uni
eorrn system OF accountaHcy and re-
porting. and Is now preparing "A stand
ard set Of cuivcrt and bridge plans.
The department OF highway en-
sino ering, established under the Acts
OF Legislature, 1911. in the university.
is proving of great value. All of the
comfy engineers arc compelled 10
spend at least ten days at the head
quarters RI the state bureau, which
is located In the university.
The second annual session Of this
special road SCHOOL will be given De
cember 10 II OF this year. Among
the lectures for this course are to be
found some OF the best road engineers
the country can afford. Each depart
inert Of road construction aud main
tenancc is covered by an exper; IN that
particular line.
West Virginia, with her novel and
progressive educational movement In
highway construction. her utilization OF
the prison labor. the active manner in
which the State Road Department is
prosecuting campaign for, better
roads. and the great strides that are
being made considering the length CT
time the campaign mas been III prog
ress. bids fair TO become one OF the
leading States in highway Improvement.
Its diversified soils, hills and slopes
present many problems i'm highway con
structton and maintenance. but the
beauties or her scenery is storchousc
OF wealth that will repay the effort.
bcsides the DEVELOPMENT of .he States
;.ich agricultural resources
II viii be we'll for otncr States TO
watch the results in the "Littlc Noun
tain State" The slogan Of its officers
is Help Lift West NirS mia out Of
the AIud" In response 10 this, on
Good Roads Day, proclaimed by Cover
nor Hatfield. $4,000 men and 10000
teams worked on the roads free.