Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 35, Number 125, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 20 October 1903 — Gravel Road Batters. [ARTICLE]

Gravel Road Batters.

What is Doing and to Be Done. A Promising Proposal For That Three Miles In Jordan The South Barkley gravel road is now completed aDd was inspected by the oounty commissioners this Saturday torenoon. The road is between 7 and 8 miles long is through one of the riohest as well as oldest parts of Jasp-r cjunty It also is on tbe main traveled line between Rensselaer and Franoesville and the way into Rensselaer of all the people of Gillam and east Walker township: In connection with the fonr mile piece of new gravel in Gillam, and a mile or two in I Salem tp , in Pulaeki oounty, wif If I the Marion tp, gravel roads at this j | end, it gives a complete grava road route from Rensselaer to , Francesville, except a three quarter mile stretoh, near the Parker school house, in Marion. From Normans’ oorner to the west end of the new Barkley road. 60 rods west of Groom’s bridge, is a distance of 2| miles, and two miles of this have already been graveled and Trustee Bine has bis eagle eyes on that last three quarters, and R will not long esoape him.

He always has something doing in that iiae, and now be is finishing np the last half mile on the Bunkum road, weet of town, carrying it ont to the Newton townehip line. Then there will be two gravel roads leading from Rensselaer to the line of Newton township. Surely then the gravel road proposition is “op to them” literally as well as figuratively. In the north part of tbe township anothe~ half mile is being graveledrm the road eaet from Barrey. When this is finished, as it will be Ibis fall, there will be only another half mile to gravel to complete connections dear to Reneaelaer.

In the eonth part of Marion no graveling has been done tbia year, bnt Trustee Blue has had a high grade made a quarter of a mile long, on tbe range line road, and jast beyond tbe south end of the College gravel road. This grade is on the line between Marion and Jordan, bnt Marion did it all, as a matter of coarse.

And this again briogs up that still unsolved problem of that three miles of mud, muok, and sand road, on the range line, and in Jordan township. Tbia pieoe of road is now, as it haa been for these ten years past, the only break in gravel roads between Rensselaer aod Remington. And tbe only break also, from Rensselaer to Fowler, Lafayette. Montioello, and no one knows how mnoh more.

Snrely this condition of affairs is too intolerable to be endured any longer. The three miles are all in Jordan township, and through a portion of that township where the great bulk of the people have praotioally no interest in a road. Thns naturally, the people of Jordan do not and evidently will not bnild a gravel road there, so long as there are so many other nngraveled roads in the township whiob they travel so mnoh more. - This condition of affairs has oansed talk to be revived of a plan that was discussed some a number of years ago. In view of the fact that the people of Rensselaer and Remington and of Marion and Carpenter townships are the ones who use this range line road most, j it is thought that they are the ones | who will have to gravel the road, if it is ever gravelled. The only way to make this lawful or jnst is for the oonnty commissioners to Jcut off all of Jordan township . from a half mile or a mile west of I the range line road, and divide . this cut-off portion between Marion and Carpenter, thus permanently enlarging these two townships, by

(that much. The amount out off from Jordan would be either 12 sections or 10J, depending on whether the line was run a mile or a half mile from tbe ‘range line. This out-off portion, divided equally by an east aod west line, would give Marion and Carpenter each miles of the road to gravel. After it was gravelled the oounty would have to keep it up. The region proposed to be outoff is remote front the main regions* of Jordan and the inhabitants would no doubt, rather come to Rensselaer and Remington to vote t ian to go to the township’s regular voting place. If the people of the three eastermost sections of Jordan pre'erred, however, they oould be trsnstered to Milroy township.