610 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



LEGISLATIVE SENTIMENT. 



There was a feeling from the first in the 33d general assembly that our 

 equipment for performing the road work of the state was not what it 

 ought to be. This feeling was somewhat vague at first but later took def- 

 inite form and towards the end of the session became quite pronounced. 

 It was brought to the attention of the committee in a number of ways 

 that a good order of engineering ability was demanded. For instance the 

 average county twenty-four miles square, which contains 1,152 miles of 

 highway, presents in the course of a year, about every sort of engineering 

 problem, and that unless these problems were solved as they came up, the 

 road work of the county could not be economically performed. 



A BRIDGE INCIDENT. 



An incident to illustrate the foregoing, which occurred a few years since 

 in our own county, I shall now go out of my way to relate. It seems from 

 the records, that the ice and timber which were floating at flood time, 

 in one of the larger streams in the western part of this county, had formed 

 a gorge which moved irresistably down the stream bed until it made an 

 impact against a large county bridge, carrying such bridge at one end 

 down stream, nearly off its base, where it hung suspended on one cor- 

 ner badly twisted out of plane. Immediately after the accident described 

 the county officials met together and let the contract to replace the bridge 

 in position for a sum of money well in excess of. $1,000. The "bridge 

 gang" consisting of five men with gin poles and tackle blocks, repaired to 

 the scene of the disaster and on the second day finished replacing the 

 bridge properly on its abuttments, at an expense all told not exceeding 

 twenty-five dollars. 



LOCATING HIGHWAYS. 



Likewise instances in plenty were brought to the attention of the com- 

 mittee touching costly mistakes in the matter of locating roads. This also 

 was as well illustrated by an incident in our own county. In the township 

 of Monmouth in the southwest corner of this county was an ancient road 

 following a ridge which had gained residence by proscription. This road 

 was practically level, having no gradient exceeding two per cent, that is, 

 had no hill rising over two feet to the hundred. Yet this road was thrown 

 by the board of supervisors over onto the sectional lines where a number 

 of hills were encountered, each having a ten per cent grade. Incidentally 

 the change permanently discommoded a wide tract of country and perma- 

 nentally injured a certain market town. The change described would never 

 have made headway against accurate engineering measurements, and 

 this county, in the meantime, would have been saved thousands of dollars 

 in unnecessary and unproductive work. It can never be a good road where 

 at present located. 



CONCRETE BRIDGES. 



At the present time we are entering in the industrial world upon an era 

 of "Portland Cement." I may be pardoned for stopping at this point to 



