River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1905-10-12
WORK Or THE DRAG.
What One Years. Work Did on q Bad
Missouri Gunbc Road
The King Drag.


81 notice your inquiry III the Farm
ers' Voice in regard to roads through
a certain kind of level country, and
D. Ward Kings answer. or attempt to
answer it." says #. G. Fulton, of Gal
latin, Mo. well, Mr.. King went
around the bush and under the bush,
and finally got up in the bush, and
left us not knowing where we were
at have made one mile of road
through almost just such fiat coun-
try as you described in your inquiry
through what some people call gum
DO. had no drainage, and the water,
after each rain, not only would get
within two feet of the crown of the
road, but it would get over it in
dozen or more places. In fact, / had
no grade to speak of-not over IL
inches above the bottom of the bitches.
Allow me to disagree just a little to
show the actual condition of this road
when it was first dragged. In the
springs of 1869, inclusive, you could
not get through one-fourth of mile
of this piece of road with an empty
wagon. In the spring of 1897 saw
five wagons stuck in this quarter-mile
of road. The same spring we hauled
40 large loads of rock and put into
the mudholes, but in the spring of
1899 it was as impossible as ever.
I'm July, 1899, began dragging ono
mile of road, including this bad quar-
ter-mile-with Kings drag? Not at
all. We at that time had not heard
of Mr.. King. l used a common rail-
road rail, "a feet long. In 1901 cut
that rail at the center and used 1t
double, placing one piece two feet be-
hind the other, and / continued to use
it up to 1904, when l made a split
log drag (six months after this
heard of Mr.. Kings work., and am
using that drag yet.
"Allow me to say that during the
years of 1899 to 1902 there were saw
logs, lumber and cordwood hauled
ever the worst part of this road at the
rate of from 20 to so loads every
day, and to-day l have the finest mile
of road in this (Daviess )county. In
deed, it is called the model road OF The
county. So | will say you can make
good road through that corn-belt
land you speak of within one years
time, and not put in more than so
hours time doing it.
II appreciate what you are doing for
good roads, and like your paper fine.
Let the good work so on"
Replying to letter from the Voice
editor in which Mr.. Fulton was asked:
What becomes of the water that falls
upon that mile of road?" Mr.. Fulton
writes: GAS to what becomes Of the
water that falls upon that dragged
road, l would say that up to the fall
of 1904 it stood in bitches at the road
side until it evaporated. 1t is now
drained, but it was as hard last year
as it is now" Mr.. Fulton also says
that in the wet year, from June, 1908,
to June, 1904, the drag raised the
crown of the road five inches, but
would not do so much in an ordinary
season. However, it shows how the
curvature of the road is improved by
the use of the drag. Mr.. Fulton, by
the way. has standing offer open to
anybody in his county, of five dollars
cash. to the man who will use the
drag for one year and then say he has
not been we'll repaid for his trouble.
In a word of further comment, the
Voice says: We are sure that Mr..
King will take great satisfaction in
reading that Endorsement of his con-
tention that the drag will make good
road under very discouraging condi-
tons. Indeed, Mr.. Fulton's actual ex-
perience as here described gives
ground for stronger claims for the
drag than any we have heard Mr.. King
make. One word in justice to Mr..
King. He does not call the drag "the
King drag" and he is not responsible
for this title. It so happens that
it was due to Mr.. Kings persistence
in the use Of the split-log drag in
front of his own premises near Matt
land, Mo-, that the attention Of the
public in general, and that of Secre-
tary Ellis, of the Missouri state board
Of agriculture, in particular, was at
tracteG to the extraordinary results
accomplished by the inexpensive drag
in Transforming impossible roads into
splendid highways. 1t was inevitable
that the public should give to the
drag the name of the man most close
ly identified with it in the peoples
mind, hence it is commonly called The
King drag.