Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1920-04-30
NEW
ROUTE for HIGHLAND
DrHL

Building a turnpike over an en-
tirely new and virgin route as a solu--,
ton of the vexatious Highland Au-
gusta road problem is proposed by E.
c. Vincent, who surveyed the sug-
gested route in 1891, when a rail?
road was in prospect.
Highland county has long been
sufferer from lack of transportation
facilities, and citizens of both Au-
gusta and of that county have fire.
quently endeavored to get some &C
ton toward effective improvement of
the administration road, using
the appeal that a good road would
open up wonderful business possibil
tiles for this cityand county.
In a letter to the News-Leader
Mr.. Vincent proposes a solution of
the problem and, invites representa-
tive men of tie two counties to meet
him and go further into detail. He
discusses the position as follows:
81 have noticed several articles
in the Staunton NewsLeader in
which the good people of Highland
seem to be disappointed in the filling
out of good-road promises, widen
ing the presant highway and metal
lining he road bed from Staunton to
and beyond Monterey.
I'm the last year have made sew
eral trips from Staunton through
Monterey, Durbin, Beverly, Elkins
to Fairmont and Clarksburg, W. Va,
land l can readily understand the
need of a good highway through this
mountainous territory.
I'm the summer of 1891 made
railroad survey from Staunton Va
through this mountainous country to
Elkins, w Vo Of maximum grade
of IS feet per mile with but one
bridge over so feet in length and but
one cut of so feet. This road was
not constructed owing to the conflict
ing interests of the two adjacent coal
fields. %
"The information gained by this
railroad survey could be utilized by
the counties CT Augusta and Highland
and Randolph and a highway con-
structed for less money, better road
bed, last though not least q better
grade than to rebuild the present
old turnpike.
This road can be built from
Staunton to Elkins on a grade not
exceeding, in any one place 100 feet
mile, or what you would call a
two percent grade or one degree
with an average cost of grading,
assuming a road bed Is feet wide, a
through cut of feet from one end
of the road to the other would,
not exceed $1,000 per mile and any
farmer along the route knows that it
would not require continuous cut
of theree feet to get road bed 1S
feet wide through this territory.
1.-The entire cost Of this road
handled by your own individual road
forces would not exceed your pro-
rata amount augmented by the state
fund for the improvement of the
old Parkers5urg turnpike. You
would have full control Of and the
placing of your own men and every
dollar spent remain in your own ter
ritory.
There is not an acre of land with
in a mile on each side of this road
when completed but that you would
Willingly concede to enchance say
lS1,00 per acre in value, which would
go largely toward building the road.
1.-THE theoretical resistance Of
draft eqpipped on grade of 100 feet
per mile is As pounds per ton, on
grades of 500 feet per mile $50
pounds per ton. Therefore you have
six times more load on the heavy
grade than on the low grade road, or
in other words you put on one ton on
the heavy grade you have the same
pull when you have six tons on the
low grade road.
Can any one imagine the pos
sibilities of $50 miles of this contin
uous low grade highway when COM
pleted? There is not a tourist in the
United States that would not pass
over it. 1t would open up, advertise
and develop your county as no other
form of investment could do.
IF the county people care to in
'quire further into this matter I will
be glad to meet any number of re-
preventative men and go more fully
into detail. I have no interest in
this matter beyond the general wei.
fare of the communityA Staunton
News-Leader.