The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1921-10-03
col. ROGERS DISCUSSES
STATE ROAD NO. 2

Editor Star: In the last few weeks
very much, yes, too much, has been
said and written about state road No.
2, which has been designated to run
from the Georgia line south of Val
dosta, through Hamilton, Columbia,
Alachua and Marion counties and on
south to intersect the good roads of
Lake, Orange and other counties to
Fort Myers.
I understood from some of the
caustic speeches made in the Ocala
meeting on the evening of Sept. 10th,
that nothing was being done by the
state road department on state road
No. 2. / was prompted by this to in
form myself from official authority as
10 true conditions | find that at
Jennings in Hamilton county, there is
a camp of 72 convicts that are now
ard have been at work on state road
No. 2 and that many very valuable
bridges have been built and the road
graded nearly through the county to
White Springs, where the road crosses
the Suwannee river
In Columbia county | find that
there is camp of 50 state convicts
at Suwannee Valley, eight miles north
of Lake City, that are now and have
been at work on state road No. and
have built bridges and culverts and
have the road graded about all the
way from White Springs to Lake City.
In the southern part of Columbia
county / find convict camp nearing
completion where a large crew of
state convicts will begin grading
from the Santa Fee river at Dungaris
bridge and go north to meet the grad
ing already done about eight miles
south of Lake City.
In Alachua county there is a camp
Of 80 convicts at Hague station, who
have been and are now at work on
road No. 2. In Marion county the
cleared north of Ocala and had not
the county failed in the bond issue of
1919, road No. 2 would have been
much further advanced, / believe, than
Il now is; however, the state road de-
partment has from the beginning
promised to meet US with state and
federal aid and firmly believe they
will make good their pledges. /
would therefore kindly advise that
our county commissioners in regular
session next Tuesday ask the state
road department to send their convict
camp builder with. his crew of men
to build camp at Weirsdale, or some
point south of Ocala, on road No. 2,
and you can depend upon this asser-
ton, camp of state convicts will
occupy that building, to cut and clear
up right of way on road No. 2 by the
time the building is ready for their
| occupancy.
The laws of this state providing for
the care and maintenance of state
! convicts will not allow them to be
J kept in portable prison vans, but the
laws, rules and regulations describe
the kind of buildings the prisoners
shall be kept in. Therefore, should
the state road department send 100 or
even so state prisoners to Marion
county this week to work on road No.
2 we have no place to keep them. 1t
| is certainly not expected that state
prisoners are to hard surface, asphalt
and complete state roads. The grad
ing, surfacing and completing the
roads are expected to be let out by
contract under the supervision of COM
petent road engineers with practical
experience.
Cracking and growing and fault
finding with the governor and state
road department will not hasten the
building of any state road, as reason
able, consistent, respectful requests
would do. Many, many things are to
be considered in building a state road
that comes up to federal require
ments.
This letter is written in the spirit of
justice and fairness to all concerned.
R. F. Rogers.
/