Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1919-07-31
Will Build Class A Roads.

4 From the Farmers Advocate O
Saturday last we take the following &C
count of the conference of State roa
officials and the County Court OF JET
ferson County concerning the con
struction Of Class A roads:
ITO aid or not to aid" with Uncl
l. Sam as the benevolent friend in tn
aiding process was the subject OF
long discussion in the County Cour
on "Wednesday and Thursday. WheI
it became known that the County Cour
was desperately in earnest in its posi-
ton not to accept Federal and State
aid in road construction this year, the
State Road Engineers bestirred them
selves. The courts attitude towarc
outside aid appealed to them as mos
extraordinary.
The court was asked to call special
term in order to hear the engineers
explanation of the governments plan
of cooperation in road building. A
special term was accordingly an
nounced for II O'Clock Wednesday
morning, but at the time it convened
no State or Federal officials were pres
ent. An adjournment was taken till 2
o'clock in the afternoon, when Edward
St. Clair Smith, of Piedmont, W. Va
district engineer connected with the
State Road Commission, presented the
cause of State and Federal aid, the
road officials who had been expected
from Washington failing to arrive.
Engineer Smiths exposition Of the
government aid plan was clear pre-
sentation, having the effect Of remov-
ing many misapprehensions hitherto en-
| tertained by the commissioners on
the subject. He withstood a broad-side
| OF questioning by members OF the
| court, and assured them at its conclu-
| sion that the county would make a
serious mistake in failing to accept
outside aid in its road work.
The high cost of the machinery that
the county would have to pay for if
government aid was accepted, the i'm
mense sum the county would have to
raise for any government road work,
and the fate Of the county roads not
favored by Federal money, were
features Of the situation that perplexed
the court. Engineer Smith stated that
an effort was being made with pros
pect Of success to induce the War De-
partment at Washington to allow us
the use of number of auto trucks for
road work in this county. If trucks
could be gotten in this way, the cost
Of equipment could be greatly re-
duced.
Then to allay the courts fears that
the cost Of maintaining roads built
with Federal and State cooperation
might become burdensome to the coun-
ty, Mr.. Smith gave assurance that the
cost of maintenance would be less than
on roads constructed by the county
alone.
Major Fortney, representing the
State Roads Commission, appeared
in court Thursday morning, after hav-
ing been in Washington TO ascertain
what road machinery and equipment
could be gotten from the War Depart
ment for road work in West Virginia.
He stated that PIT trucks had been
assigned to this State by the Depart
ment, and that Jefferson county could
probably get four or FIVE Of them for
use here. Later on, Major Fortney
said he was reasonably sure that other
equipment, such as crushers and steam
rollers would be available from the
government. Very little, if any, road
machinery that had been taken to
France for war purposes had as yet
been returned to this country, and
when it was returned Major Fortney
stated that it would be given out to
the States for road improvement.
With supply of trucks thus prom
ised to relieve the county OF the ex.
pense Of buying them, the court voted
to reconsider its former order de-
clining to cooperate with the State in
road improvement, and then entered
an order pledging the cooperation OF
the county in the construction OF Class
A roads, At the August term OF court
a tax levy will be made to raise SUI
fcient funds to duplicate the S38,5OO
that will be furnished by the State and
Federal governments to aid in road
making. 1t will require the maximum
levy of Is cents on the hundred dollars.
The levy last year for turnpike roads
was 8 cents.
The Harper's Ferry and Berryville
turnpikes have been designated to re-
ceive the first improvement and work
will soon be started on them. The
cost of the work is estimated at SlO,-
600 a mile. Limited to this figure, the
funds available for work this year will
improve six miles of road. At this rate
it will require three years to complete
the fourteen or fifteen miles from Boil
var corporation limits to the State line
north of Gaylord.
The County Court will have the road
built by contract, and bidders are al
ready being interviewed to this end.
1t is hoped that the work may be start
ed within few weeks, though 1t may
take longer than this to arrange the
preliminaries. The work will be paid
for out of the special levy to be laid
in August, and it is stated that the
other public roads will not be neglect
ed.
County Engineer James X. Hen
bricks will have charge Of the roads
heretofore designated as Glass A
roads, and will keep them in firstrate
order. He will devote especial atten-
ton to the road between Shepherds
town and Charles Town by way OF
Dufields and the Shepherdstown and
Middleway turnpike. Both Of these
roads have been allowed to get into
miserable condition, so far as the
Shepherdstown sections are concerned.
The Duffields road is almost impass-
able in places, in striking contrast to
the section in Charles Town, under
the care of Supervisor VIM. M. Burns,
which is better now than il has ever
been before in our recollection.
The County Court Of Berkeley courl-
ty has definitely ordered that the Win
chester pike be made a Class A road,
and the $4,000 that will be available
from county, State and Federal FUMES
will be utilized for this improvement.
The cost is estimated at about SlO,OOO
a mile. 1t is hoped to have the work
| completed this year and bids will be
Il eoI;n;fad az Npre