Weekly journal-miner., 1918-01-09
WORK OF IMPROVING ROADS OF VERDE VALLEY
 WILL COMMENCE SOON

JEROME, Jan. 1.-The road from
 Jerome to Clarkdale is to be surfaced
 with from two to three inches of gravel, and there is to be a direct
 road from Clarkdale to Cottonwood
 which will eliminate the railroad
 crossings. The Verde bridge IS to
 be begun within a short time, the
 State engineer being nearly ready 10
 let the contract for the work.
 These things were announced here
 today by Supervisor (. C. Stukcy,
 who. with Supervisor Jack Jaeger,
 visited this city.
 Work on the new road south of the chalk hill between Jerome and Clark dale IS to he commenced next week Two road crews, one at Ask Fork and one at Crown King, are on their way here now. As many men as can be utilized will be employed. The man who will be in charge of the work has not been selected, but will prob ably be someone from this side of the mountain.
 The rew road is not to cross Wal nut gulch. It will run between the hill and the gulch and into Clarkdalc from the south, by way of the street between the high school and the main business block of Clarkdale.
 The new road to Cottonwood win lead out along this street, eliminat- ing two railroad crossings, several hills and numerous curves. It is ex. pected that the U. V. Extension win build I direct auto road northward from Verde, running west of Cotton wood, and connecting with the new road. This, however, has not been definitely decided
 A $6,OOO White truck, built espec- ially for road work, has been put. chased by the county. Its principal feature is a gravel-spreading ar at the rear. This truck is already in Prescott and the super visors hope to have it in Clarkdale before the storms start. If the pres ent plan is carried out, it will be kept in the Verde district
 Supervisor Stukey's idea is that the gravel should be hauled up from the river and piled along the road before snow flies and spread as soor as the road gets wet. It is unlikely that there will be time for this, how ever. %
 The necessary gravel may be pur- chased from the United Verde Cop per Company, which has large quah tity at its chute in the river below the smelter. Stulley and Jaeger aro | this afternoon conferring with U. V. and getting figures on gray l el in the chute. If the figures are not satisfactory, the county will put up a chute of its own in the bed of the Verde.
 This work would have been start cd months ago had we not been ex- pecting to make the Jerome-Clark- dale road part of the State highway systcm,' Supervisor Stukey explained this morning. Governor Campbell and State Engineer Tom Maddoch were agreeable to the plan for a State road from Prescott to the Coco nino county line, by way of Jerome, Cottonwood, the new Yer ie bridge and Oak creek. In all work would be under way now between Jerome and Prescott but for the change of administration at Phoenix. Campbell is out of the office and Hunt is in; NIaddock is out of the engineers of lice and Lamor Cobb is in. We do not know the attitude of the new of- ,icials toward our plan, but next week l delegation of prominent Prescott .itizens, representing the Chamber of r~ ~.,,,,,,o,... 1,-iiI UO tO phoeuiN tOI