Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-11-26
Looker-On In Iorva

Grundv Center. Nov. 26.-The G., r.
!. & P. r. r. deserves much credit for
its enterprise in running motor car
between Cedar Rapids and Iowa Falls
The company is experimenting with
different kinds of power, having tried
cars run by electricity. crude oil. steam
and gasoline. On last Monday a new
car was put on. a gasoline motor. The
car is a model of beauty. having oval
windows. oval lights in the side and
the back end of the car finished with
half circle seats. Crowded it will seat
about sixty passengers. 1t has in front
a glass enclosed room for the motor
man. then a baggage room back of
which are side entrance steps. each
side. Then comes a toilet room, and
wide seats as in the ordinary steam
passenger car only these seats are
wide enough to accommodate three
passengers when crowded. Two men
run the car the motor man and the
conductor. the latter also acts as bag
gage man. And it has paid the COM
pany TO run it from the first day. Last
week it averaged $50 passengers for
the round trip. The Rock Island is also
operating a smaller motor car on the
Iowa City and Montezuma branch. and
reports are that this also is bringing
the company good returns. The citi-
zens living in these towns appreciate
this latest convenience in travelling, and
it does much to make a good feeling
between the road, and its patrons all
along the line.
Man is supposed to be very help
less creature, when it comes to raising
of children but here's a story of what
one man did. His wife died when the
baby was 8 weeks old. And this man,
lahoring man too boarded that baby
at different places wherever he found
some good woman, who would take
care of it. till it was old enough to
share his widowed home. Now the
baby is a bouncing boy years old
and this scribe saw the young chap
helping" drive the horses while the
father held the road scraper. Another
case is where a railroad agent living in
the depot lost his wife and he found
himself with seven children needing
mothers care. Did he give up? No
sir He kept The family together. The
elder children helped some, but he got
them three meals a day. sent all he
could 20 school, kept them nicely
dressed, attended to the depot. was
ticket agent. baggage man. telegraph
operator. express agent. general house
keeper and withal was good natured
and treated the travelling public much
better than some agents, who haven't
even a wife to take care of.
In an Iowa town not long ago an OBJ
serving business man offered
curious explanation of why the town
was going back not near as good
a town as ten years ago" Our first
mistake was to vote tax for a cross
railroad. That made two new towns,
of course took some trade away. Then
we commenced TO double up. One
grain dealer bought out his compet-
itor. one lumber firm bought the other
ward One drug store firm bought the
others stock. One general stock store
closed out. And we are hearing from
every direction there is no competition
in our town. There's just one price for
livestock, grain, coal. lumber, butter,
eggs, poultry and all kinds of country
produce. Other near by towns make
the most Of it, and the merchants there
tell all the farmers when you go to
Nexttown there is only one price for
what you have to sell. one price for all
you have to buy" Wonder il he wasn't
figuring things about right?