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About Big Hole Breezes (Jackson, Mont.) 1898-1915 | View This Issue
Big Hole Breezes (Jackson, Mont.), 21 Nov. 1913, located at <http://montananewspapers.org/lccn/sn83025326/1913-11-21/ed-1/seq-6/>, image provided by MONTANA NEWSPAPERS, Montana Historical Society, Helena, Montana.
r ■— - A ' » • Convicts as Road Builders ONCE FAMOUS STATUE. Bernardo’* \Appenmnc’’ Attracted Vaat Amount of Attention. Itt tbe? Deuitdoff gurdetz at Pratoliuo. Gossip of the Sport World\!: Fine Stretches of Highway In Colorado Constructed by State Prison Inmates Working Un der “Honor System.” Governors Favor the Idea. P RISON road gangs of various states have constructed many miles of tine rouds during the last ,few years The Idea of aiaktng road builders out of convicts leems to be growing In popularity Striking Instances of wbat convicts ?an do In this work are found In Colo rado. The state owes to the inmates !>f the state penitentiary the Colorado Springs ( ’anon City state highway, one of the notable examples of roads built tty convict labor It connects Colorado Springs and the scenic wonders of the Pikes peak region with the Canon City district and the road to the top of the Royal gorge. It Is fifty miles long md known not only for Us picturesque Deauty, but as a splendid example of roadmaking and engineering gehlus. The celebrated “sky line drive,” which •uns along a “ hog back\ 800 feet above the Arkansas valley also was built by sonvicts. The inauguration of this departure in prison reform necessitated a test of the \honor system,\ and the result has aeen generally satisfactory. At Ihe pod of the first term of Governor John f\ Pbafroth of Colorado lhe warden reported that only two men had es- raped from the road gangs. INDORSED BY G0V. ODDIE The honor system has been carried to remarkable lengths In other states than Colorado. It has been tried out :n Oregon. Arizona, Nevada and else where A year ago (lovernor Tasker 1.. Oddle of Nevada In recommending the employment of com fits on the roads and highways said that convicts then had been employed for almost a year In building and repairing roads md that during that time the honor lystem, wherein the convicts worked ander overseers and not armed guards, aad proved most successful from l*>!h the standpoint of Improving the roads md the conduct of the prisoners. Ne- rada at that time was working other convicts on the prison farm, where the same honor system applies and w here the results have t>een excellent. It was in 1910 that Colorado enacted B law providing that convicts might work on the public roads. The argu ment was that the prisoner ought to be given a chance to grow strong and healthy so that he can find work when released. It takes tlielr minds from crime, too. and it keeps them well. Colorado bad been doing a little road ro®strwtion by convicts for several years, but without taking them away from the penitentfarr. They worked 1.— Pathway through th* rocks. 2.— Convict laborers at work. 3 and 6.— Au- tolsts enjoying th* convict built road in Colorado after itl completion, 4.— An uphill etretch. some eight or te.u miles from Florence, there still crouches the monster lit stone and stucco culled the \Appeu- uiuo,\ ouee the glory of the famous MedSel garden. iSoiue sixty or seveut.v years ago the statue was more talked of, but nowadays it appears that few folk know or care for such things. It Is a good specimen of its style, and a reminder of Its existence is just ns well, its height. If erect, .would be about inti feet, or say one-fourth the height of St. Caul's cathedral. At the back one can enter Into rustic grottoes built Into Its interior, and from under neath the hair of the head a cascade tuny be unute to flow forth at will over the shoulders and laxly of the colossus, says the London Sphere. I'.uontaleiili, the protege of Coslmo dl Mcdiii, who schemed this gigantic thing in 1509, employed the best tal ent available for Ihe selling of it up. Hculptors. masons, etc., and we are told that Us abnormal sire led to some of the artists losing all sense of propor tion and being rendered unfit for ordi nary work, one of them losing Ids rea son as u consequence of helping to build the monster The audacity of the conception Is worthy of the great genius, who. train ed under the eye of Michelangelo, hesitated at notniug knowing that the Medici money was at his back and be hud only to ask when a during Idea of his needed funds. This famous boy Hernardo (Huontii lentil seems in Ids day to have out shone the Admirable Crichton, being painter, sculptor, nrclbtcet, engineer and mechanician and much besides Bg “ SCORE KEEFER” August Belmont has refused $200,000 for Tracery, This is the greatest amount ever offered for an American bred and raised thoroughbred, it was made by cable by \V. Allison of Eng land. Allison is a breeder and a mission agent. He probably was acting T h * U*tter M. Tile Hebrew mime of M wus Mem. water, and II Is curious to note that the original form of this character In the most ancient manuscript Is a mu lng line, which to the not too particular ancients represented water Hi some philologists the Idler M ns used by the Phoenicians Is supposed to lime conic from a picture representing the human face, the two down strokes represent lng tile contour of the countenance, the V stroke signifying the nose the two dots, long since disused, and a stroke beneath the V representing the eyes and the mouth The old Phoenician form of the letter does indeed heur a comical sort of resemblance to the hu rtiun face in behalf of one of the wealthy pntrous of the English turf. Allison asked to have the offer remain open until the end of the year. The only condition of the tender was this-that Tracery re main unbeaten until the end ..of the racing season. Tracery is by Hock Sand—Topiary. He Is a four-year-old bay colt. He was fouled lit Mr. Belmont's Nursery stud farm In Kentucky. In his first start last year he finished third tp Tagullo for the Derby. Later he defeated Sweeper II., winner of the 2,0(10 (>util eus, for the St. James' Palace stakes and Tagutle for the Doncaster St. Leger. Since his first start he has never been beaten except 111 the Ascot Bold cup. when be was pulled down b.v a militant suffragist. At Hie time Tra cery was in front by three lengths In the home stretch. Behind him at the time wus 1‘rluee Palatine. Aiuerieau style of riding, alluded to as the \monkey crouch.\ It is said that Tod Sloane took tije style to London sixteen years ago, and almost all the Jdekeys have taken It up since. The chief criticism seems to be that, although shortening the leathers, which brings the jockey out of the ordinary sent, enables him to climb up on the’ horse s neck, lightens the horse's bur den and Increases his speed, the jockey is not able to control his mount, as ir the past, To Continue the English Stroke. The so called English stroke will be continued by the Yale crews during the next year, and W Averill Harrl- imui. bead coach lust season, again will continue in Unit capacity, assisted by J O Rodgers, n former bead couch. Soccer Football. Soccer football Is rapidly making headway among American colleges. Columbia lias officially made soccer footbulI a part of tlie regular training In gymnasium work, which Is required of all members of the freshman uud sophomore classes Manager Dooin Planning For 1914. Charles Dooin. manager of the PbUa- delphln National league team, who has been retained lu thut position for the coming season, will bolster up Ills pitching stuff and says he will give all that the state placed on the highways some men In gangs, sometimes close to the peulleiitlurv and ill oilier times forty, fifty and even 200 miles away These men were not guarded In the daytime at all Two unarmed super Intendeuts had control of a gang of. say. sixty men It required superintendents of train ed minds to designate the place for the work and to explain how It was to lie done A single man. a \trusty guarded the camp at night. The camp was eonqiosed of tents; no wire fence around It, no Inclosure whatever. It was located right where the work be gun on the road The men generally worked from half a mile to a mile and n half In each direction before they moved the camp. NO V E L H O L ID A Y The form that the warden used seemed to Impress the convict more than even the crime he committed which placed him In the penitentiary The warden required him to hold up his right bund and swear that under no circumstances would be ever at tempt to escape and that he would prevent If possible any associate con victs from escaping. When the Royal gorge road was dedi cated by fioveriior shnfruth in Ihe summer of Hill, a most unusual sight was afforded. The prison band in flashing scarlet uniforms, with braid of gold, played merrily. Four \lifers\ were In the band, and the convict musicians chatted freely with men and women from the outside world. There were no shackles nor armed guards, and no more rules to burden the men who liad built the road than would have been Imposed on a lowly of free workmen under similar circumstances. The magnificent road which was Iheir handiwork enabled the tourist to easily ascend to a point that formerly was attained only by long and ex hausting ( limbing on foot. The road is eight miles long and winds upward in a spiral through vistas of surpass ing beauty and grandeur. The Royal gorge, a titanic cleft In the Rocky mountains, has been called one of the worlds wonders. It is a narrow vol canic- fissure, through which the Ar kansas river breaks from the moun tains to tiie plains of the middle west. Its length is the same as that of the road by which man practically 1ms brought the crest of the canyon down to the level of the valley, but this eight mile stretch of gorge pt-ofier f< within six or seven miles of the prison,, only a small part of the Grand Canyon retffroiR#*tWbt and often atferofited through which the Arkansas rashes escape and sot infrequently succeeded. and roars from Kalkla to ( ’anon City, a The law panned fa I9U6 granted the distance of nearly fifty miles. Martlets a romnmtstVm or dhsfcnflon ptow STATE SAVED MONEY of aentente of one-third o f (be time to Governor ?nta froth they worked—that K the frfscwr'* filter date I»ec. l. w tt. the peuftenfi- tera was shortened ten days for every aTj- eammirsioners said. „ \The road IHrty day* W worked c * the « * * « . : JmSkSiag done by The cwBTfcts in varf- Boulder. Jefferson, 101 Faso and Pueblo counties They have built lfiT miles of good roadway, mid u great deal of this lias been blasted out of solid rock, that In Mesa county being the most difficult and heavy work attempted by our men The average labor cost to the various counties for the work of these men hus been 32 cents a day per man. and as tills cost Includes Sundays and holidays the cost of the labor of these men to the counties for two years, or T31 days, would be $311.725 44. We worked twenty-one state teams and the feed for these teams eost the counties $20 per mouth per team which would ainouDt to $10,080, mok lng n total cost to the counties for labor of $46,805.44. \It Is bard to estimate the Immense value of these roads, for the reason that the work In Mesa county alone would have' cost with free lubor not less than $25,000 per mile, as the rock la places hail to be blasted for seventy- five feet in order to get a proper road bed In this work It was necessary to drill boles twenty five feet deep and to drill three depths before the roadbed was reached. The work in Ute pass, El Paso county, was done through solid rock for six miles, all blasting. The work In Salt canyon and I’ arkdale bill, Fremont county, and Plngree bill, Cherokee bill am’ Thompson canyon, Larimer county, contained n great deal of blasting. This necessarily would have btjen very expensive work bad It been done with free labor, and the counties would have been forced to pay big salaries for drillers, blasters, pow der men, masons and cement workers. \Not counting wbat the contractors' profits might be and not Including any skilled labor except blacksmiths, ce ment workers and masons, and esti mating the eost of free labor at $2 a day, by eliminating Sundays and holi days, we may count 132 men working (110 days at $2 a day, which would give ns a labor value of $161,040. We have worked an average of twenty masons and cement workers, which would have eost tlieVoTmties $5 fier day and would have amounted to $61,- 000. We have averaged five black smiths a day. whose lalior is estimat ed at $4 a day, and this would have amounted to $ 12 , 220 . Estimating the value ot^venty-one teams at $2.50 a day per t\ m for 610 days It would amount to $»2.025. At a low figure the value of the ialmr of these men and teams would lie worth to the counties $266,285. Add to this a depreciation of state eqwffunent. $2,000. and the inter est on state equipment. $2,000. and yon can see that this lalior has I wen worth to the different ecJunties $270,235. The difference between what the free labor alone would bate cost the pubHc— namely, $270,285. and wliat the labor o f owr men actually cost the counties Our Cornfield!. The combined area of the cornfields of the Pulled States Is nearly equal to the area of Prance or Germany First 8ubm *rin* Cable. The cable between Dover, England, and Palais, Prance, opened in 1850, was the first submarine cable A Good Example. President lllbbeii of Princeton uni versity frequently goes mi the field to watch (lie football players practice and confers with the couclies as to the work of the men Rarely lias a college president shown so practical an Interest In football It Is certain that Hie game would lie greatly benefited If other college rulers condescended to forget tlielr sacred dignity for a feu minutes a day and made personal visits to the gridiron \Monkey Crouch.\ Ill connection 'With the Wootton Sle ver case there lias been discussion all over England of wbat Is termed flip l'hotu by Arnerlcun Press Association. Charles Doom, Who Whl Again Man age Philadelphia Nationals. comers a bard tussle for Hie pennant. Puotn. w ho Is known ns one of the ablest of munugei's, won Ills first fume In baseball behind the bat Fastest Motorboat In the World. The British motorboat. Maple l,ent IV , owned by E MaeUny Edgar and representing the Royal Motor Yacht club. Is the fastest motor craft in the world Tills boat won the British |n tenintlonul motorboat trophy, popular ly known as the llannsworth cup. In a scries of races concluded over a course In Osborne buy. Isle of Wight The Height of the Ridiculous Traced to Noah. \They say that chess Is the oldest game,\ remarked the old fogy. “ Poker Is older than-chess,\ said the wise guy “ How do you know?\ asked the old fogy. \Didn't Noah draw to pairs on the ark and get n full house?\ replied the wise guy -Cincinnati Enquirer. H a lf of It. Malden Aunt - Venice ut last! One half of the dream of my youth Is now fulfilled. Niece—Why only half, aunt ie? Aunt (sighing)—I contemplated go ing to Venice on my wedding tour.— Boston Transcript. Clastic Love. He—Why do you force me to wait for an answer? She (who is up lit po litical economy)—Because 1 don't want to give you a monopoly until I find out whether there’s any competition.—Ex change A Man’* Way. \A man may adore every hair on his wife’s head \Well?\ \Rut he regards those on her dresser •with mixed emotions.” — Pittsburgh Post. Awful Oversight. \There Is one discordant note in your garden, my dear madam,\ remarked the aesthetic landscape architect “ What Is that?\ asked the lady, much alarmed. \I notice.\ he replied, with a shud der. \that you have a dogwood planted near some pussy willows.\—Philadel phia Ledger. I Unnecessary Interference. A woman mounted the step of a cat carrying an umbrella like a reversed saber 'i'be conductor touched her lightly, saying, \Excuse me. madam, but you are likely to put out the eye of the , man behind you.\ i \lie's my husband,\ she snapped, with the tone of full proprietorship.— Chicago Post. Home Advantage*. They Often Do. \When reverses come you find out who your friends are \ \So.\ \Yes. They Immediately proclaim that they knew you were an accident.\ -Louisville Courier-Journal. 1 In Self Defense. First Pugilist—They gay Kid Mur phy's wife Is a terror. Second Pugilist—Yes, when the Kid wants to start training, lie just “start ed something'' at home. — Chicago News. Uncontrollable Circumstance*. Bob Foot life (acton—Failure? should think It was! The whole play was ruined. She—Gracious! How was that? B. F.-W liy. at the end of the last act a steam pipe burst and hissed me off the stage. Good Advice, He—I shall speak to your father to. night. How had I better begin? She lly calling bis attention to the statutes governing assault, manslaughter and murder. Papa is so Impulsive, yon know. ac etate Acquaintance*. They were discussing certain qnaintances when Flint Inquired.: \Saundersand Harris are close friends, aren’t they?” “Yes; neitlier can liorrow a cent from the other,” came the reply.—Buffalo Times. All Amused. Wrong Again. ”1 wish I bad never learned to play card*,’’ exclaimed a man who had been mrfortnnate at the game. \Y’ori meifc yon wish yon had learn ed. don't von?” was his wife’s rejoin der.— London Tft-Bits. What Ho Deserved. Mr. Got rocks (reading letter?—Hang it Jack's in financial difficulties again. Mrs. Gotrocks—W e l l ft's yoor own fault for setting Mm op In tasfness.
