The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1923-04-20
COMMISSIONERS
FAST In MUD
New Jersey Highway Board Re-
ceives First-Hand Informal
ton at Middle Valley.
CITIZENS THINK IT'S JOKE

Inc FUNNIEST road story that has
been heard in a decade comes down
from Morris county, and will interest
eVefy Hunterdon county autoist who
has tried to negotiate the four miles
from Crestmoor to Long Valley, over
what viii eventually be one of the
heavy travelled roads of the state.
It seems that the new State High
way Commission, about which so
much has been said the past few
weeks, in print and in the Legislative
halls of the state, had Cor thought
they had1an engagement in theMorris
County town of Long Valley, which
used to be German Valley before the
war, and which the commissioners
may think still deserves the German
part of the name.
In the innocence of their hearts a
glance at the neat red line leading
through the valley from High Bridge
to Long Valley meant that a good
stone road covered this route. They
journeyed blissfully along over many
miles of Hunterdon county roads,
some of which did not arouse any
particular enthusiasm, but as they
neared the Morris County line their
high powered car skinned the ex-
cellent highway from Califon bor-
n,,orb 40 4ba Po,.;ta, psx,e, 4kn,, ~ o,.o
We're several vicious jolts. the chauf-
feur changed gears, and changed
them again, kie :. lg me gas at the
same time. Ne more gears being
available, ard the car being without
caterpillar attachments, or fins on it's
wheels, it came to az inglorious halt.
One of the commissioners alighted
from the car aud * sail TO have sat
down in thu mu / with much force
and without manifesting any srecial
delight at the proceeding. None of his
compatriots, not even General Hugh
Scott, allowed himself smile-al-
though the countryside folks declare
it was worth the most uproarious
ihilarity,
The highway engineer accompany
ing the party is said to have placed
one daintily clad ''hoof" on the
ground at the exact spot that a
neighboring farmer had shortly be-
fore measured with the tops of his
his boots. An oxford shoe didn't even
reach quarter way to the surface of
the mud, and It's reported that the
air was vivid sulphuric blue for
some time.
The good citizens of the reighbor-
hood were enjoying themselves as
they had not done since 1886, when
"Bill" Naughright installed the first
telephone ever seen in that section
each strong hinged ne;ghhor being
accorded the privilege Of hollering
over the new contraption to Pete
,,Kice, the genial station agent who
maintained the northern terminal of
the telephone system. Those who
hadn't the pep to use the phone, had
to boiler direct TO "Pete."
But, to return TO the stranded dig
nitaries. 1t is said that the express
sions of the gentleman whose foot
was parked in the mud We're audible
all over the village of Middle Valley
and far into the suburbs.
So much free en-, ertainment had
not come to Middle Valley in two de
cades, but one of 1.-THE otherwise per-
fectly good citizens had to go to the
party's rescue, and spoil all the fur
for an enthusiastic populaee. His
alibi to the neighbors was that he
feared the morals of the school child
rem, eloseted with their teacher, .
half mile away would be contaminat-
ed by the statements of fact being
unoffcially issued at the scene Of
the conflict. Two stout farm teams
and lot of hard work extricated tht
IlRh pVMtitu tdi dihu ibo Occupants
enabling them to return to the STATE
capitol, sadder but wiser. They tolt
their rescuer to send his bill to tn,
state. They are also said to hav,
written back to the critics of thi:
highways condition that they coulc
do nothing because of lack Of "offic
ial' complaint.
The Morris County Board of Free
holders, after tearing up and grading
what was a passable road before i
was improved" have now consente,
to spread $4,000 worth of stone on
this four miles of the most Scent
route in the state. To lot of PEG
pie, fifteen thousand dollars looks lik
fortune, and to anybody who ha
viewed the few odd billion of carload
of the finty substance lying arouni
loose in this section Of the country
it would seem as though the origina
value of stone should be about one
half of one cent a carload. As
matter of fact, experienced men sa
that the $4,000 worth of stone wi
have to be dropped with a cor
planter if the entire four miles is t
covered.