The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1910-07-21

From Good Roads Magazine. New York;
has never Jagged from then until now.
The effect on the road was instantane-
GUS The passage of the drag wrought
a wonderful change Whereas the
road had been very rough. with two
deep ruts in evidence. after the drag
had been used it was comparatively
smooth. and the ruts. which before
dragging stuck out like sore thumbs.
were rendered unobtrusive and unob-
structive. Before none but the hardi-
est adventurer dared drive out of the
beaten track: afterward there was no
need to choose way. for all the sur
face was smoother than the best por.
tioD had been
The stories told about the King drag
and its work are prepOsterous. They
are unreasonable and absurd. and yet
they are absolutely true But ask
no one to believe. for my only object
in telling them is to shock the public
into giving the new system trial.
Here is one they are telling in Iowa
In Cedar county gentleman riding
in a spring wagon on dragged road
drove out on one side to allow IL four
horse wagon load OF logs to go by him
The loaded logs went merrily on their
way. but the spring wagon had to be
dug out with spade.
From over near Trenton. Mo-. comes
another 1t seems that some years
ago a stretch OF creek bottom road
habitually overfiowed after every
heavy rain II regularly became Il
mass of mud and water. The com
munity declared that i, was physical
impossibility to ill in enough earth t.
build roadway, and the authorities
were planning to condemn iand fo'
new road quarter of Il mile AVA!
from the creek. At this moment some
body suggested a test with Nin:
drag. Although the creek still covers
the roadway during each freshet. there
has been no serious difficulty with th;,
| road since the test began.
TO tbs man who drives team th'
| word s.smbo means broken double
trees. horses mired down and othe
bad road calamities A quarter OF
mile of this sort of gumbO lies be'wee1
nv home and the railway station
Maitland. One morning when ! board
ed the train at Villisca. Ia. Oh my rt
turn from a Lex tture trip the trainme
said in response to my inquiry 70
news from down the road: We'll. Sil
they had terrible storm at Nathan
last evening. When we stopped fher
1 the rain was falling in sheets. On
could hardly see the depot. The trai
arrived nj Maitland. and steppe
into my buggy and drove home ovt
the gumbo quarter. could see D
the debris on the fence wires. sti
dripping wet. that water had stoo
three or four feet deep on the ros'
during the night. yet there was not
puddle on it's surface, and we traveie
its length without the buggy whee
throwing any mud.
Another season the foods covere
this same gumbo quarter with wat'
and kept 1t standing there for moi
than week. the road being trlveit
every day. appealed to the higilw;
authorities to erect barricade. for
felt a personal pride in that road. N
the prospect Of its destruction ga'
me great mental pain. But the antho
: tiles said they were powerless becau
they could stop public travel on
when travelling became dangerous
the public. so they did naflling.
the end of the week the water rece
I'd. and this King dragged snmlH bo
!. ,evard emerged from it's seven q
baptism absolutely unlarmed