Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1899-08-02
RURAL DELIVERY AND BAD
4, =.
Huntington Hawkeye.l

lfouTllnSlOl haWReye.J
Unquestionably. the fate of the rural
free delivery and collection of mail de-
ponds upon good roads. Without long
routes, ranging from twenty-five to
thirty miles in circuit the system will
not yield sufficient revenue to be self
sustaining, excepting in thickly settled
communities or under other exceptional
conditions. One years experience in
the vicinity of Burlington has clearly
demonstrated the fact that rural de-
livery routes are practicable all the
year round only on the main roads and
those which are kept in good condition.
1t has been found necessary to abandon
some roads, or parts thereof. upon
which the delivery was originally be-
gun, because the road authorities do not
put them in condition to make the
service feasible. Some changes of this
character will go into effect today on
route No. 6. north Of the city. The
cross road In section 80, Benton town
| ship, extending eastward from the Irish
| Ridge road Will be omitted from the.
service and the carrier will continue
northward mile, and thence eastward
and southeastward in section ga good
road. free from steep hills and passable
all the year.
Also the cross road in sections II and
l1s. Burlington township. very hilly,
marrow and some times impossible. will
be avoided by the carrier. who on and
after August / will leave the city via
z Sunnyside and the Irish Ridge road.
Changes on some of the other routes
will also be necessary. unless the coun-
ty and road supervisors put the thor
ipI "a in haff In
eminent cannot undertake to deliver
mail free to communities that do not
maintain good roads. The farmers now
enjoying free delivery should spur up
= their road authorities to give more at
: tention to the care of the highways
, INeighborhood meetings and personal
effort in arouslng public interest in the
: matter would be helpful and united ef-
!, fort in that direction can accomplish
S much. The people in the vicinity OF
: Burlington are enjoying exceptiona
mail facilities and it will be grea,
mistake to lose the advantage already
e gained through failure to sustain it b.
a good roads, upon which it SO largely de.
\ ponds.
u THE DECLINE OF RAFTING.
Davenport Democrat.]
d II think the days of rafting on thu
4 Mississippi are fast drawing to close,
o said the veteran river man, Capt
S George Carpenter, who has been on TIL
o Mississippi ever since 1865. II believ
e that three years from now there will b
e little rafting done. and most of tn
h mills along the river will be closed. A
= Winona the Youy1ans Bros. & Hodgin
It Company have closed their mill an
gone out of business. selling wha
h standing pipe they had to the Missis
e sippi River Logging Company. An
n this lis the case all along the river. A
1t Clinton and Lyons, during the past 81
e years seven sawmills have closed 70
d good. They employed $500 hands o
" shore, and seven steamers We're EN-
It ployed to sul1lly them with RATS. Thes
seven boats eacn averaged a crew c
n twenty-five men. The Youmans mi
d at Winona kept steamer busy all sea
IS son when 1t operated.
ID THE effect of the closing of the mil
IF because of the lack of pine for them
De serious thing when viewed by ma
m in the rafting business, and in conten
IN plation Of it decided 1t was time to 81
out Of steamboating work, and SO "
sold the Lafayette Lamb.
IN Ten years ago there were 100 boat
d. towing RATS on the river. Now, nj
IN counting the bowboats in use, there al
se but twenty-eight steamers actively Ell
es gagged in towing.
1T was but . few vars ago our Pilot