The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-10-04

L oloWlnS d pollcy, lnauSuraLeu by
w. H. McAfee, A. A. Rodgers and
Boyd Pollom. county commissioners,
whereunder the county itself did the
work of paving with asphalt the West
Sixth street road between Washburn
avenue and Gage park entrance, indi-
cations are excellent that the amount
which taxpayers have, in the last two
years, sunk in the one-half mile
stretch without getting a permanent
highway has been swelled to more
than $4,000.
The board of county commissioners
preceding the present one sunk $4,000
in a tarvia surface for the road be-
tween Summit avenue and Gage park.
The Surfacing, few weeks after it
was put down, began to wear thru.
The present board decided last spring
that a little more than a. years wear
had totally ruined the surfacing and,
because of its uneyenness, it was
worse to travel over than a dirt road
in good weather. Rains would fill it
with muddy chuck holes.
The new board decided to build al
most an entirely new road out of as
/ phalt, using the penetration method.
They decided that the county could do
the work themselves and save money.
! Officials at the court house today
| said this was on recommendation of
]. E. Williams, county engineer. In
stead of letting the contract for the
| Dor.
A few weeks, not to say a few days
ago, the paving of the y miles of road
| between Washburn avenue and Gage
| park entrance was completed. Today
it is beginning to grow wavy, is dished
| and in some places the 3-inch rock
base which was placed on top of an
! old macadam base is showing signs of
| coming thru the asphalt surfacing
which specifications demanded to be
| two inches thick.
County officials who watched the
construction work closely declare that
! the employees who put down the as
| phalt first placed it too thin in some
spots and later, when the foreman
discovered the inefficiency, another
| coat was put on in patches.
! Had the work been done by contract
| the contractors could be required by
| law to do the work over again should
| it appear absolutely unsatisfactory, as
| indications now show it to be. The
county, however, did the work and 1t
is highly probable that in another year
| the commissioners will find it neces-
sary to use about $4,000 more of the
taxpayers money out of the general
| fund to fix up substitute paving. There
is no recourse against the employees.
They were hired by the day; were not
under contract
Troubles of the county commission
ers in building the road themselves
did not end in getting an apparent
poor piece of work done. few days
ago the Rock Island railroad present
ed the commissioners with demur-
rage bill of $125 on three cars of oil
The commissioners had ordered the
oil for the surface before obtaining
the rock for the base and were forced
to let the cars stand on the sidetrack
under demurrage until tEe rock base
was down.
H. w. McAfee, commissioner, today
declared the IL pile of paving a
fine piece of highway" However,
Mr.. williams. the county engineer,
said today that the remainder of the
paving would be done by contract
October 10 the city and county Jointly
will let the contract for asphalt paving
the road between Summit avenue and
the city limits. At the same time,
contract to place the same kind of
paving on the road from the city
limits to ,WaShburn avenue, the east
ern end of the newly completed high
way. This stretch-from Summit
avenue to Washburn avenue totals
about 1000 feet and will cost about
$4,000. Williams said this morning
that the specifications called for the
batch mixture method of laying the
asphalt The county, on the stretch
between Washburn avenue and Gage
park, used the penetration method.
The West Sixth street road was
originally a macadam one. Later it
was oiled after the macadam was
found to be unsatisfa ctorily put down.
! When the late lamented board put Oh
the tarvia, officials say, the old base
was not swept sufficiently and the
surfacing began to slip wherever dust
had been allowed to remain.
! 1t looks as tho the county should
try a few miles of the concrete road
/ way, so well constructed and in salts
! factory continued use at Sioux Citv.
| Iowa. and other points.
In the latest design of locomotive the
smokestack is insignificant as to be al
/ most uuobserVable =