Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1916-08-02
DoDGINa MANN HILL.
Building New Road Around Hill No
Small Job.

Building New Road Around Hill No
Small Job.
Few realize what . big road building
project il being carried on around Mann
hill on the Ellsworth road just beyond
Green lake, says q Bangor Commercial
correspondent who has been looking over
the JOB. Here the Maine State highway
commission Is building q new road one
and quarter miles in length around this
hill through the forest, so a. to avoid OK
90 around this steep hill rather than over
1t, work that has necessitated the clear
ing OF the woods, removal of ancient, but
firmly rooted pine stumps, and cutting
and piling OF hundreds OF cords Of wood.
And hundreds OF boulders that impeded
the proposed highway have been removed,
some large ones as big as q small barn
blasted away, including several huge
lodges.
The project presented difficulties that
are not often met with in Maine. The
detour was mapped out through forest
growth that had not been cut over for
many years, and the trees, therefore, we're
Of large size and numerous. The old pine
tree stumps, relics OF the numbering oper-
atoms OF several generations ago, were in
such condition that it was almost impos
sible to remove them without using q
large amount OF dynamite and specially
constructed pulling contrivance.
Hundreds of rocks encountered the
right OF way, and while some OF them
ha fo~
road, foundation that may be compared
to the solid construction of the old
Roman roads, which, after 1900 years,
are still in condition fit for use,
great many OF them had TO be hauled
away into the woods. Gullies have had
to be filled up, high places cut down, big
lodges blasted, slopes built up to grade,
and there is yet stone bridge to be built
over brook that runs across the northern
section OF the road.
billiard c. Schoppe, OF Cherryfeld, has
been in charge Of this construction work,
assisted by his brother, Frank Schoppe,
and it is to their credit that so much has
been accomplished in the time spent on
the road.
The new detour road will make it un-
necessary to traverse one OF the worst hills
in the State, Mann hill, the road OF which
is narrow, very steep and in places danger
Gus. Automobiles bound for Bar Harbor,
pass over this road by the score each hour
during the summer, and all except the
more powerful cars and those with drivers
who are familiar with the location, 60
over this hill with some anxiety.
When the detour is completed, automo-
bilists will have the privilege OF travelling
over road with a crown twenty feet wide
and about thirty-two feet wide to the
edge OF the brush on both sides OF the
road, while the clearing from one edge Of
the woods to the opposite edge is four
rods, or sixty feet. The road will
be heavily bsllssted with layers Of rocks
varying in depths from six inches to three
feet, according to the location, on top OF
which will be coating OF loan and gravel.
Wide, smooth, and well drained, it will
be road equal in every way to the other
fine stretches that have been built between
Bangor and Bar Harbor.
On the completion OF the road between
McGown hill, Ellsworth, and the Dedham
town line, q few days ago, Mr.. Schopre
was enabled to put his entire crew at
work on the Mann hill job, SO that it will
now go forward rapidly toward compile
.ioE. The latter is now two-thirds done
and Mr.. Schoppe expects to finish the
grading ready for graveilirg in about five
weeks. 1t is not feasible to do the gravel
ling now, as the gravel is some distance
from the road, and can be got out
cheaply and easily only in the winter.
The gravel, therefore, will be obtained
this winter and spread in the spring, so
the detour will be ready for automobile
travel early in the season OF 1s16-1917.