LOCATING DEPARTMENT PIONEERS ALL ROAD WORK

It is the duty of the Department of Location and the various engineers that form it to determine the best routes for new roads between principol points or towns as determined by the Highway Commission and the State Engineer; to survey these routes and to present to the departments of bridges, plans and estimates sufficient data and tentative plans, generally in the shape of maps, profiles and notes, that these departments may prepare detailed plans and estimtes of costs for the construction of the road to be built. Also similar surveys of existing roads to be improved.

The procedure should be and in general is as follows: The Chief Locating Engineer is informed by the Deputy State Engineer that it is proposed either to build a new road or improve an old one between certain points, and is ordered to make a reconnaissance between these points. The chief locater goes over the ground, observes the characteristics of the country and in a general way determines what he considers the best route.

He then makes a report to the deputy state engineer covering his reconnaissance, including a description of the best general route or of alternate routes, with a comparison of their advantages, disadvantages and lengths; his opinion in regard to standards of road obtainable with resonable expense and an estimate of the probable cost. If the project is or is liable to become a part of the seven per cent system or is partially a forest road, the reconnaissance is generally made in company with an engineer of the U. S. Bureau of Public Roads. If not at first, then it may be necessary later to make an inspection of the proposed project with an engineer of the U. S. Bureau of Public Roads in order that they have the data for their approval or disapproval of the project.

If it is decided to carry the proposed project further a survey party under the direction of a locating engineer is put into the field to locate definately and survey the route. The chief locating engineer and the location engineer study the route together and decide its location in greater detail than was done during the reconnaissance.

Road is Staked Out

The locating engineer, with the aid and use of exact data procured by his survey party, then makes and stakes on the ground the exact location of the road, prepares maps showing its alignment and location with reference to land lines, procures data for the location and size of darinage structures and data from which the earthwork quantities may be calculated. He furnishes the Phoenix office a nearly exact plan of the construction of the road.

Shortly before the location survey is completed, or, in the case of a long or difficult piece of work, from time to time as it progresses, the chief locating engineer inspects the location and plans on the ground and approves them or orders changes or alternate locations made.

The plans and data of the locating engineer, after having been tentatively approved by the deputy state engineer, are turned over to the office departments of bridges, plans and estimates to be further detailed and set forth in standard shape.

On Federal Aid Projects a final inspection of the project, with finished plans in hand, is made by engineers of the Bureau of Public Roads, accompanied by the chief locating engineer, the Bridge Engineer and the District Engineer.

Locations Made During Year

On July 1st, 1930, there were eight locating or surveying parties in the field, as follows: R. C. Bond, locating engineer and party about half finished a location from the top of Oak Creek Hill to Flagstaff road. The work was finished August 23rd.

This road as located will make the distance from the top of the hill to Flagstaff 12.5 miles over first class alignment and grade in place of 14.8 miles of country road.

R. E. Allison and H. D. Alexander, locating engineers and parties, were relocating the highway between Williams and Flagstaff. Alexander finished his portion from Williams to 49 camp in August and then made a relocation from the top of Ash Fork Hill to Williams, finishing that job in October. At that time he went on construction as resident engineer. Alliso finished from 49 Camp to Flagstaff about October 16th and then relocated the road from the Yavapai County line east of Ash Fork to join Alexander's location at the top of Ash Fork Hill.

These relocations will make the distance from Ash Fork to Flagstaff 50.2 miles in place of 52.8 miles by the existing road. The alignment is materially improved.

F. C. Brannen and Julius Irion, each with a party, were locating on the new Globe-Showlow Highway. Brannen finished his 30 miles from Globe to Cal Springs during November of 1930 and moved beyond Irion to take up the survey at Ragged Top Summit, 15 miles north of the Salt River. From here he continued the survey for another 15 miles to beyond Carrizo. About the middle of May Brannen transferred to the construction of the first part of his location. The location has been carried to Forestdale by J. M. Shepherd and will probably be finished on the summit at

JULY, 1931 ARIZONA HIGHWAYS Page Fifteen

The Indian Reservation line July 31st, 1931.

Julius Irion carried his part of this location from Carl Springs into and out of the Salt River Canyon to a governing point about six miles northeast of the river. Here during February, 1931, he left the highway department to do railroad work in Persia. At that time R. E. Lawrence, locating engineer, took charge of the party and carried the location to completion at Ragged Top Summit about the middle of April, 1931.

Lawrence then moved to Showlow and commenced locating to Springerville from the Indian Reservation on the Rim through Showlow. At the present time the location is near Bannon, about half-way to Springerville. Shepherd, when he has finished to the reservation line, will probably locate from Lawrence's line near Ortega Lake to Concho.

On July 1st, 1930, R. E. Lawrence was making surveys for the improvement of the Chandler-Coolidge road between San Tan and the Casa Grande rivers. Upon finishing this in July he made a short relocation for the improvement of Smelte Hill near Clifton.

Between August 5th and October 10th, 1930, Lawrence completed a survey for improving the Florence-Tucson road between Picacho and the Pinal-Pima County line near Red Rock.

Upon the completion of this work Law-rence made a relocation for the road from Vail Junction over the existing Cienega Creek Bridge to the Pima-Cochise County line on the Tucson-Benson road. This road as planned on the new location will be a great improvement over the existing road. The distance between Tucson and Benson will be short-ened two and one-half miles and a num-ber of sharp curves will be replaced by 14 light curves, only three of which will be sharp enough to be noticed by the driver as curves. Upon the completion of this work the members of the survey party were transferred to various con-struction jobs and Lawrence took charge of the party on the Globe-Showlow loca-tion. On July 1st, 1930, W. R. Stevens, locat-ing engineer, was making surveys for the Right-of-way Department near Hackberry. Upon his completion of that work he made a relocation for that portion of the Ash Fork-Kingman highway from the Hualapai Indian Reservation line to within two miles of Hackberry-13.2 miles of new location in all completed from July 16th to October 31.

Stevens then located several short line changes on the Prescott-Ashfork High-way

Every Good Surveyor Knows---

That a hub referenced in can be found again.

That it is better to carry the transit on his lap than to wonder if it is still in adjustment.

That a wet transit or level should not be brought into a warm room because it fogs the lenses.

That a good cook keeps a contented crew and one pretty girl causes a lot of slack chaining.

Hopi Snake Dance Is Spectacular Ceremony

(Continued from Page Seven)them down the several trails leading to the plain, where the snakes are liberated in the four directions and from whence they carry the message of the ceremony to the gods who control the rain clouds. All the snakes used during this ceremony are venemous. Nothing is done to remove their venom or reduce their activity. It is possible they become accustomed to being handled while in the kiva, but it is more likely that accidents are prevented by the care and confidence with which they are handled by the priests. Then too, a rattlesnake is not prone to strike while uncoiled.

Of course, the visitor to this weird spectacle must take heed lest he be marooned on the mesa of Walpi by the deluge which the rain gods send immediately after the ninth day ceremony.

way and afterwards relieved Allison on Ash Fork Hill, while Allison made a reconnaissance to the Hoover Dam for Mohave County. Upon Allison's return Stevens transferred to the Bridge Department and has been engaged in drilling for and investigating the foundations of proposed new bridges.

The location for a road to be upon more modern standards than the existing one between Nogales and Patagonia was commenced June 16th, 1930, by W.

J. Tavenner and completed September 15th. Upon the completion of this location Tavenner took charge of the reconstruction of a portion of the BensonTombstone highway.

R. C. Bond, upon the completion of the Oak Creek-Flagstaff highway August 23rd, 1930, retraced and staked an old relocation made in 1924, from Holbrook east to the Navajo-Apache County line, and secured additonal drainage data for the use of bridges on that line instead of dips, as had been planned in 1924. From there on November 1st he moved to Quartzite and finished a location between Quartzite and Salome, on the Phoenix-Blythe road. This location had been made, except in the matter of drainage data, the preceding year. After this Bond retraced and secured additonal data on an old location made several years ago from Wickenburg to Aguila. Bond also commenced a location for a new road on the south side of the railroad from Aguila to Wendon. He left this to take a residency on construction near Williams and this survey is now being finished by Albert Freitag.

Old Locations Checked

Freitag had previously been occupied in making some changes in the lines as located by Allison and Alexander between Ash Fork and Williams and in making alternate locations requested by the U. S. Bureau of Public Roads east of Holbrook. Also in retracing and revising an old survey for improvement from Manilla to Holbrook, a part of the Winslow-Holbrook Highway.

An old location from Wickenburg to Congress Junction was retraced and revised during March by C. C. Overstreet, locating engineer. Upon the completion of this, about March 10th, Overstreet made a location upon a new route for nine miles of road from Curtiss Hill south to Tombstone. This was completed May 27th. This party will finish about July 1st the location for a change of the Superior-Miami Highway, as it leaves Superior.Upon the completion of the work at Superior, Overstreet will probably proceed to Clifton to locate a road around the mountain between Solomonville and Clifton, to replace that portion of the existing road that goes over the mountain.

The work of relocating that portion of the highway between Tombstone and Bisbee that is over Bisbee Hill was commenced by R. C. Allison February 10th; a portion of this location has been finished, but at present Allison is still occupied with that problem.