The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1917-07-13

Quantities Of material within YOUR means Accordingly my
recommendations to you that you determine on the build
ing of the roads, the grades Of which would be well above
water level and be we'll drained to insure good perma
nent foundations that you all except the east and
west road to Of Is feet which would be practicable
and servceabe and would considerable grading the
standard being "A feet then recommended that the east
and west road be built of gravel of suitable and standard
design would be part of the Spanish Highways that
the metal facing all the roads be reduced in width to
feet and in tnckness to inches loose measurements.
pointed out that this would not make lasting road far
Suracng concerned but WdS all that you could pay
for probably and would give good service for period of
time and could be improved later by the application Of more
metal surfacing when funds available You gentlemen
approved my recommendations and detailed plans and pro
posas prepared accordingly and for several days OF
most strenuous effort succeeded in awarding contracts to
carry the contemplated road work. proposed by
Since the awarding of the contracts have had my resi-
dent and assistant engineers onte ground and have given
great portion of my time to the inspection and all the work
has been carried out in strict accordance with agreement
In specifying materials to be used in surfacing specified
Pit Run gravel without mentioning the quantity of rock and
an admXture of pit and washed gravel worked together
lin such proportions to provide 70 per cent rock mixture
The quantity Of rock in pit material dependent entirely
on the pit from which it is taken
Bids solicited and opened for the Pit Run material
and the only submitted from the Alexandria Gravel
Co., you well know who proposed to furnish their pit run
material with guarantee that it would contain 60 per cent
rock 8h inch mesh When this referred to me,
Il refused to approve until could make investigation, and
asked that Jurors postpone the matter for week. dur
ing which time went to Lake Arthur with Mr. Hathaway and
Iaemped to shells for the of at least the onda
ton work Of the road system in that locality. also in
Investigated the cays at several points ascertain whether we
might be able to purchase wash gravel to with roadside
material The result of this investigation was unfavoabe
to than that of the proposal of the Alexandria Gravel Co.
then requested gentlemen to make inspection Of the
4 lovoY, cto4;,, : u
would be unsuitable. Accordingly with Mr.. Raymond and
several members of the Police jury visited the Pit As
yOu will recall then requested the representative of the
Gravel Co. to furnish bond but informed he was unable
Ito Go account of financial trouble and the Jury
after considering the matter and in view of the fact that his
proposal 80 cents per yard cheaper than any other suit
liable available pit material they permitted him to pro
Iceed with and furnish gravel paying him material was de-
Vered No test made of the quantity of rock in
this material for the that had inspected every pit
from which would be possible for to obtain this material
and believing that pit material that were receiv
ing was OF good quality OF road material and knowing that
ut was the best the Alexandria Gravel Co. had considered
my services in this connection with inspection work fully car
RED out by the method Of inspection was pursuing
recent request having been made by you gentlemen to
make test of this material found on SIG inch mesh It
tested about so per cent This was in perfectly dry weather
land under damp and wet conditions it would have tested 6O
Iper cent.
o material allotted in different sections of the road to es
mates and result ascetained in number of places
ION the Jennings and Lake Arthur road that the material was
being put down thicker in places than specifications
caed for therefore instructed the contractor to tighten nm
their surfacng material in the center in order to catch back
1.-THE quantity allowed for each section This instruction has
been carried out without damage to the road and the check
ing OF the quantity OF material furnished by the Parish for
this work with the amount hauled out and placed by the con
tractor seems to agree almost exactly with the quantity of
material placed as was originally estimated to be placed and
what the Parish supposed to pay for Mr. Raymond was
compelled leave my services in order to enter the Military
ENGINEERING Corps and secured in his place Mr. Leonard
jof AUSTIN Texas lie is graduate of the Texas University
Ia sNlnl engineer of number of years experience in both
railroad and highway construction work. find him to be
the best equipped and best experienced construction man
have met
My personal work in this connection is CHIEFLY ATTENDING
TO the business end of the construction am engaged almost
daily in looking after service and seeing that deliveries
are made of the road materials
understand that there has been statement made to the
effect that am incompetent and otherwise unqualified to
form THIS work In answer to this would respectfully refer
ou 10 Certificate from President Thos D. Boyd of the
LOUISIANA State University o+toobod onl