Gunnison news-champion., 1922-06-16

out all bad curves and widen the road
way.
Nearing Sapinero We discover the
engineers grade stakes, since the
corps Of surveyors, headed by II 7.
Reno, l. moving east They are still
IN charge, leaving ". c. johnson as
resident surveyor Of the 81 miles Of
construction work, which the GirarCsst
company Of H0ichlCiss is finishing Up.
By another week, the grading IT Elk
creek will be completed and then the
gravel must BE- APPLIED. This makes !
vilhanously soft road for a time, but
soon hardens and smoothes, and is
then quite permanent
{ Al Sapinero We face the riyer road
and rock grade AZ the crossing OF the
Lake Fork. This is the real tiekiish
part Of the trip west, and IL i hoped
now that surveys are completed there
viii be little delay in putting in the
high bridge over the Lake Fork and
cutting out most Of the rock work and
heavy climb up on Blue Mesa. The
federal government has already ap-
propriated $685. for this important
project. Probably contracts will be
lei III Angus; for the work
f. 7. Bowers Is in charge of the
east part of Blue mesa He has quite
a stretch of road TO look after and
has It in good shape for this end OF
the season Another improvement
here is al Windy Point, where il is
proposed 70 rise TO the saddle of the
point, without going around il, making
a switehbaek To get below the snow
banks and still make the grade neces-
sary.
Rufus Berry, road foreman in
charge Of the Blue mesa road, at the
Halfway House, has recently built a
new section of road leading out Of the
Hue west, and greatly improved its
driving ease and safety. Mr.. Berry
and his wife and daughter live at the
Halfway Houe during the summer
and are cordial to the numerous tour
lists. Mrs. Berry has been keeping q
record Of cars passing the stopping
place and last Sunday gave The News
Champion editor 497 as the number
stopping for May and 1898 during the
ii day of June. Evidently the June
record is going well about a thousand
autos, as the route is getting more
popular every day.
A very desirable federal improve
ment would be construction of the
Blue canon, cutting out the curves
and bumps and then putting the grade
TO the top of the Blue divide higher
up the hill to avoid the snow banks
and make an easier climb.
The convicts on Cerro Hill are now
well toward the top from the west
side, but are making exceedingly slow
progress, having only done two miles
Of soft side hill construction in eight
months. Last season the convicts
made and gravelled seven or eight
miles of fine road from Montrose to
the foot of Cerro Hill, but evidently
have fallen down on the job this win
ter and spring. At the present rate.
they will hardly get to Cimarron by
autumn, and it is question whether
Montrose county, after furnishing ex-
penses for the camp, will not find it
more expensive construction than free
labor. II is true, however, that they
are making an excellent road, wide,
well graded and graveed so that
once completed, Cerro Hill will never
again have terrors for the motorist.
The Montrose community seems
very prosperous this year, many new
houses are in process Of erection, a
fine new court house is to be built
to replace the present antiquated
structure, the streets are nearly all
paved or surfaced, and everything be-
tokens live people.
We asked a stranger if Montrose
had a public camp ground. "Yes,
we have, or rather we are getting one
made. A lot of buiness men have
been out working on it," was the re-
ply, and the stranger very kindly d.
rected US to the two blocks set apart
for the purpose. Part Of an old or
chard and some shade trees were on
the ground. 1t had been graded and
parked, part Of it seeded to grass.
and city water and toilets placed. At
central spot large space had been
gravelled to turn cars in and here the
hydrant Is ready under large tree.
whose shade was indeed grateful to