The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-04-23
OVER A ROUGH ROAD
TRIP TO MADISON LAKE In PAT
TERSON TOURING CAR.
While Highway Not All That One
Could Wish For, Outing Was
Greatly Enjoyed By Party; Spring
Cleanup Is Under Way at Point
Pleasant; Chilly Treatment of
Farmers By Minneapolis Crowd.

tooh eeNeIdl SeiitlelueI 10 TOlill IledS-
ant in his touring car returning in the
evening. The party comprised County
Surveyor Brooks, c. L. Wise Van Ess
Smith of Mexico. who is visiting his
cousin. Mrs. II. +. Brown, and Il repre-
sentative of The Free Press. The
road was found to be not as good as
supposed, yet the trip to the Point
was made in fifty minutes, through
the skilled which Mr.. Patterson dis
played in operating his machine. deploy-
ing around bad places and threading
ruts Only once on the way out was it
necessary for the passengers to debark
and that was where a snowbank had
been and had left the road of the
consistency of mush. If the trees and
brush along the road at this point
were cut back there would be no such
trouble.
Not Much Crawling
Not much crawling was done OH the
road this side of Eagle Lake the
past winter The best part of the
entire road was the first three miles,
and there the car spun along. What
gravel was put OH the road last win
ter was put on the snow, and the
ground is rutty. Apparently road drags
have not been made use of at any
point on the road this spring beyond
three miles out, although the drags
would have made the roads smooth
and in condition to turn the rain.
Now, rain will soak into the ruts
and keep the roads bad for a long
time.
Beyond Eagle Lake considerable
crawling has been done, but in has
not yet mixed with the soil suffi-
GENTLY to form good roadbed. In
a couple of months. if the road drags
are used. there ought to be fine roads
where the gravel was placed. The
slough beyond Eagle Lake has been
graveled. and this proved to be the
most passable road, although in the
main not as good as the old road.
The Spring Cleanup.
The inhabitants of the Point were
found to be busiiy engaged in making
the spring cleanup and getting things
ready for the summer season. A huge
bonfire was disposing of a lot of brush
and leaves and otner refuse. Land
lord Barclay was OH hand in his work
ing clothes, directing operations. The
Point gives evidence that it will be
prettier and more attractive than ever
the coming season.
The ice went out of Madison lake
Sunday. without doing much damage.
except to few piers and boat houses
on the village side. Mrs. Reedield be-
ing one of the sufferers. The water is
a couple of feet higher than it was
last fall, but none too high at that.
If it could be maintained uniformly at
this stage the lake would have much
nicer shore line.
Property Lines Disregarded
Mr.. Brooks did some surveying with
the assistance of members of the
party and George Allyn of Madison
Lake. and found that some of the
property owners in building have dis
regarded the lot lines. For instance.
the line between two of the lots
owned by different parties passes d.
rcctly through the middle of one of
the cottages. and in Others cases cot
tages are on one lot and outhouses
on another. However. the cottages are
easily movable aud can be pulled to
their proper locations.
1t was after six o'clock when the
party started for home, and the clouds
had gathered omiDously. Farmers who
had spent the day seeding and drag
ging were moving homeward from their
well titled fields. generally wishing
that the rain would hold off until they
could finish their work. Seeding was
quite general. and the soil seemed in
good condition.
1t was after quick ride over a
couple of miles of rolling country
that the one mishap of the trip oc-
CURED. In going down the hill on the
old road Just north of the slough. one
side of the machine sunk into a quag-
mire of heavy clay, where springs have
ruined the road. Then for more than
an hour the party worked with shovels
and planks, rails and fence posts dig
ging and prying. Farmers came to
their assistance with help and advice
and offer of teams to aid in getting
the handsome car out of the mire, but
it finally got out under its own power,
after being raised and plank road
prepared.
Troubles of a Touring Car
Earlier in the afternoon huge tour
ing car from Minneapolis was entrap-
ped in the same mire and delayed
until it could be dug around and
pulled out with team. These tour
lists lacked the courtesy to hardly
thank those who had aided them, let
alone to offer to remunerate them.
Nevertheless, this did not deter the
generous minded farmers from lending
assistance with hearty good will to
the Mankato party, who were more
appreciative. The farmers told how
six horses were required to haul loads
over this mire. and wished that the
county would help them fix the place.
1t needs thing and crawling.
The rain drops began to descend and
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