The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-02-11


 working and maintaining the dirt roads, these forces being supplemented from time to time by hired teams. etc., as ne- cessity required. Some initial grading was also done by the free labor sections. The principal results accomplished by this force during the year 1915 may be briefly summarized as follows: 1. Number of miles of new road gfraded, 39.2.
 2. Number of miles of old road re- worked, 1320.0.
 B. Number of miles of road macada- mixed, 144.
 4. Number of miles of road remacad- amized, 145.
 5. Number of miles of road scarified and rolled, 180.
 G. Number of miles of road dragging Con 300 miles,, 1402.
 Total number of miles of general road work, 297O.1
 Reinforced concrete bridges, arch con- struction: 70-foot span, f; 00-foot span, 8; total, 12
 STRUCTURES AND WATERWAYS Reinforced concrete bridges, slab con- struction, completed: 20-foot span, 16; 1S-foot span, 1; 16-foot span. ?; 15-foot span, F; 12-foot span, 8; 10-foot span, r; S-foot span. 1; 6-foot span, 1; 5-foot span, | f. Total, 47.
 1 Reinforced concrete slabs under con I struction and practically completed; To- | foot span, 4; 15-foot span, 2. Total, 6. | Total number of reinforced concrete slab bridges, 5S; reinforced concrete abut- ments, 2 reinforced concrete piers, i. 1 Total number of reinforced concrete 1 structures, 6S.
 Coporato pnt raipfor ouIvartc Cut stone abutments for temporary wooden floors to be replaced by slabs, IS. Cut stone, Mud creek bridge. two abut- lments, one pier. S. Total number of ma
 sorry Structures. 97 Wooden bridges constructed, 15. Lneal feet of culvert pipe
 laid, 16,o0o Cast iron road signs com peted and set 200.
 1 Preliminary to the setting and proper
 marking of these signs, which are being l set at all road intersections, measure l ments were made of all these roads by a l registering United States government | odometer in order to show distances to all cross roads points, which distances are painted on the sign blades. SPECIAL CONSTRUCTION 1 County farm at Ketona: l. Erection of a reinforced concrete hos pital and dornnitory. provided with con- crete reservoir and complete pumping system adequate for all future needs of l the hospital and pesthouse as to water ] supply which is under fire pressure; also a complete sanitary system, including I septic tank, etc.
 ?. New and equipped repair shop for the economic upkeep of tools and equipment. ] g. New and equipped steam laundry. l In explanation of the last named item
 it should be stated for the information of | the public that the county now has about l 40 convict negro women and a few con vict white women, finally and most sat.s- | factorily disposed of on the farm at Ke- 1 tonia, where they have been housed in the new dormitory and have been worked dur | ing the past year in the fields and in 1 washing, repairing and making convict clothing, etc., with commendable and most economic results and great physical bene- l fit to themselves. as the report of Dr. W. A. Burns county physician, will show. Heretofore these women have been from | necessity distributed about among the | road camps where very little benefit was derived from. their services. and where
 their presence was in many ways objec- l tionable.
 | The washing for I1illman hospital being
 a very heavy item of expense to the coun- l ty, it is proposed with the new steam laundry at Ketona to do this work, also
 with the help of these women, thereby af-
 fecting a very material saving and neces- ! sary employment.
 l CONVICT WORK l Convict work on the roads of Jefferson
 county is now in it's third year. Com
 mencing April l. 1913, with force of 20
 convicts and a small equipment of eight
 mules and four wagons, it has regularly | increased suntil as above stated the pres. 1 ent force averages about 33O men. Two
 of the present camps are employed ex- clusively upon bridge work, the remain der upon road grading. these camps be- ing housed in 20 portable cages, and in | tents and in wooden houses 1 The camps are regularly inspected. are ! sanitary and comfortable. the food sup ply nourishing and abundant and the treatment of the prisoners humane | In the matter of health it is matter
 of record by the physician in charge, Dr.
 Burns, that work in the open air good 1 food regular habits and reasonable work
 ing hours, have all contributed to rad.
 lcal improvement in the general health not only of the reasonably normal mer and women, but also in that very large I percentage of the criminal class which l enter the camps afflicted with a variety of ailments most of which are materially benefited, and some of them cured. IT handling 1060 cases. the record shows tha,
 only five deaths have occurred, none iron
 acute diseases or accidental, by reason oj the work itself.
 In properly gauging the economic re. suits obtained by the use of convicts. il should be borne in mind that a very larg, percentage of the Jefferson county con victs are of the incorrigible criminal class many of them resentenced, and there 1 fore difficult to control without excessive night and day guard cost, and reuuirins to be massed on the work under guard linstead of being distributed over it as i, necessary for proper efficiency. Over Il per cent of them are deadheads. that i. to say, of little or no use by reason o1 physical disability.
 Notwithstanding these facts. whereas a first all these men were worked in shacks at the present time only about 10 mer !out of entire force wear them, these 1t
 men being escapes or dangerous criminal:
 who cannot otherwise be controlled
 Over 20 per cent of tho present fore, are trusties, which are worked anywher, lat will, two camps being made up alto gether of such men who are not confined
 at night or worked under gun. The per