Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 34, Number 36, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 January 1902 — A MILE MORE GRAVEL TO BE BUILT. [ARTICLE]

A MILE MORE GRAVEL TO BE BUILT.

And a Whole Lot More That Ought To Be. Trustee Blue will next Monday, if the weather permits, and if it don’t permit he will anyhow begin work on the new mile of gravel road, north of town, heretofore mentioned as being arranged for. It will start at the north gravel road, at Normans’ corner and run east one mile. At the corner it also connects with a mile and a half of gravel, running west to the Monon tracks. The new road will be called the Jackson gravel road. The gravel will be from the Stackhouse pit, the same as the 1£ road just mentioned was made of, and like that will be thoroughly well v made. When this proposed mile is completed, and then another mile on its east end, the Barkley township line will be crossed at Gropm’s bridge. Then it will be np to the Barkley people to go on with it, further east. And, come to think of it, why need they wait until Marion builds to the bridge, before making a start on their side of the river. Further than that it seems to us that wealthy, populous and enlightened Barkley, is in the right fix, -right now, to vote for the best system of improved roads of any township in the county. The township has 12 sohools, or is it 13? four or five churches, five postoffices, four railroad stations, lots of stores, and not a mile of good gravel or stone roads. Over in Union, which is not naturally nearly as good land, on the average, Barney Comer has built miles of gravel road and the farmers can hanl their grain and wood to market at any time, in big loads, or their women,, folks drive to town or go visiting, the yonths take their best gills to churoh every Sunday night, and the longer the route the sweeter the drive, land is worth $lO more on the sore, and life in short is “one long sweet song,” as the poet says. And all beoauee of the roads that Barney bnilt. And now Barkley’s Eli should get there Eli, and let no grass grow, nor more mad than he can help, accumulate under bis feet in doing it. But in all truth and soberness, it seems to ns that Barkley people are in just the right shape to vote for a complete township system of gravel roads, on the 10 year payment plan, the same as all the better townships of Newton oonnty have done within the last year, or two. There is much good gravel located in the township, and more oan be found when looked for; and plenty of hard-head rooks right along-side of the roads to boild several miles of good pike. Far-ther-more no doabt good material could be shipped in from the north or south, over Col. Gifford’s road, at sufficiently economical rates for roads not too far from the railroad.