The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1922-02-10
WORKING ROADS
SANS CONVICTS
How Pasquotank Highway
Commission Expects To Get I
Along Without Chain
Gang

ished in Pasquotank County and
the county's convicts leased to
Hertford County, many people
are wondering how the roads in
this county will be Kept up with
out the old familiar chain gang.
This newspaper has asked A. B.
Houtz,. Chairman of the Pasquo-
tank Highway Commission, to
answer this question and this
Mr. Houtz has done. There are
four distinct operations neces-
sary to the upkeep of dirt roads.
These are dragging, grading,
ditching and bridge repairing.
Mr.. Houtz reveals the plans for
these several operations as fol-
lows:
Cid9YiHH'
From the fall of the year until early
spring dragging is practically all that
can be done to the roads. This needs
to be done over the whole county at
the same time and intermittently ac-
cording to weather conditions. Some
weeks several draggings are required,
in other weeks it is unnecessary.
To do this work with county equip
ment would require large amount Of
teams or trucks which would be idle a
large part of the time.
The Commission has thought it more
economical therefore to enlist the SER
vices of some Of the most public spir-
tied farmers in the county, and have
assigned to them certain section OF
road that is most heavily Travelled,
which are dragged under the supervi-
sion of the County Supervisor Mr.. Pro-
70. and paid on the mileage basis of
S1.OO per mile. The drag must pass
over the section of road two times in
each direction.
To date the Commission has built
twenty drags to be assigned to farmers
under this plan. 10 of which are al
ready in use as follows:
Newland Township-Job Williams, Z
miles. from Jackson's Corner to Meth
odist Church.
Providence-W. H.. Harris, 3 miles,
from Main st. Road from Frank
pritchard's to Berea Church. Elisha
Copper, 21s miles, Greek Road from
Main st. to Whitehurst Corner, on
Brick Road.
Mt Hermon-O. L.. Bundy, 21a miles
from Okisko to Pasquotank Station. D.
w. Foreman. 8 miles. from Pasquotanb
Station to Black Head Sign Post. z. A
8undy, 215 miles, from Okisko to
Woodville. Frank Albertson, 22 miles
n Body Road from Simpson Ditch I'D
o Halls Creek. Milton Sample 2la
niles. on Body Road, from Elizabeth
rity to Simpson Ditch Road.
Nixonton-Robt. Raper, By miles
rom Weeksville to Simonds Greek. A
". Stanton. 4 miles. from SlmondS
'reek to Halls Greek, via Nixonton
;,onnie Sherlock 4 miles, on Pooltowr
,oad from Epworth Church to Gum
Bridge. Miles Sanders, miles, on
,ear Tree Road, from Elizabeth City to
rour Forks. Dan Pritchard, 3 miles
Bay Side Road. Harry l.. Bailey
miles. on Perkins Road, Riverside
soad and County Home Road.
Salcm-J. NJ. Wilson, 21a miles, on
)ry Ridge Road, from Raper's Corner
o Wilson's Corner. S. c. Scott,
niles. from Weeksville to Salem
'hurch. W. C. Morse, 2 miles, from
salem Church to Kehukee Church. Hol-
V James, 31a miles, from Sound Neck
school House to Jennings School
House. Thos. Fletcher, PA miles, on
Eastlip Road from Brick Road to Jen-
uings School House.
The County equipment is dragging
West Main st. to Frank Pritchard s,
West Church st. to J. r. Brite's, Rail
road st. and side roads where neces-
sary.
1t will be noted that the above
stretches of road cover the hardest
travelled roads in the county, and while
there will come times when these farm
prs will have to draw the line between
heir own work on the farm and the
road work. still it is believed that they
will be able to drag frequently enough
TO keep the roads in good shape. That
the road work may not interfere toe
much with the farm work the sections
have been made fairly short.
These public spirited men have taker
hold of the work in fine spirit and il
Il little appreciation is shown them fol
their services it is believed fine worl
will result.
Ditching.
Road builders tell us the ditchin,
should be done in the spring of the yea
inst ahead of the grading, so that tn
soft. dirt from the bitches may hav
ample time to dry out and pack befor
the fall and winter rains. 1t is planne'
to have the ditching done on a yardag
basis and as there are in the county
number of colored men who are natura
born ditchers the Commission antici
pates no difficulty in securing suficien
of these men to do the necessary ditch
ling. 1t is planned to start ditching tn
latter part of February.
GRADING.