The Twin Falls times. [volume] (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1905-1916, 1910-09-08
ROAD ACROSS IOWA.
$50 Miles of Road Built In One
Hour.

A great piece of road building was
completed in Iowa last week. when in
the short space of one single hour a
line of road $50 miles in length and
stretching entirely across the state of
Iowa was put in the most perfect con-
dition OF any road west of the Mississ-
ippi river.
Weeks and months were spent in
preparation for this work, but not a
pick or shovel was used until the de-
signated second was licked off. Then
as If by magic 10000 workmen swami
ed out into the roadway, and when
they ceased work so minutes later
Iowa had one of the finest long dis
lance roads in the entire west.
And not the least interesting thing
in connection with the tremendous
piece of work is the fact that not a
man of the entire 10000 engaged on
the work received one cent of wages.
Good will and patriotism alone is res
ponsible for the splendid showing.
Last winter the Iowa roads became
so fearfuly bad that traffic was prac-
| tically killed and farmers were com
PEELED simply to remain in their
homes Finally the matter became a
political question and both parties got
behind the movement. Governor Car
roll called food roads meeting at Des
Moines early last March and out of
this meeting was evolved the plan OF a
river to river ROAD stretching from
Council Bluffs on the Missouri river
to Davenport on the Mississippi, dis
lance of $50 miles tsraight across the
state from east to west.
Make the river to river road as
near perfect as is possible to make
just common dirt" was the sense of
| the good roads convention.
| Instead of appointing new commit
| tees to handle the work the regular
Republican and Democratic comrnft-
| tees in each county through which the
road would pass were appealed to. The
| chairmen of the committees of each
party were asked to get in the game
and work for the road. Everybody
agreed to do so and soon a rivalry was
! created between Republicans and
Democrats, each to see which party
/ would have the most workmen on the
/ Job when the time for work arrived
Last Saturday was selected as the
day from O'Clock to 10 O'Clock, the
/ hour of work.
Every farmer along the way was
/ personally seen by the committees
and practically every man agreed t.
give the one hour that was asked for
Farmers were asked to bring theil
/ ploughs, scrapers and road drags, ant
an organization equal to those employ
ed in professional railroad building
was worked out.
In the weeks preceding the work al
bridges and culverts along the roat
were repaired and put in first class or
der that no delay might come to tn
road builders when once the latte
started working.
The result of the organization wa
shown last Saturday. Shortly before
o'clock in the morning farmers begal
getting cut in the road. Hundreds an
thousands of nloughs. picks. shovels
Escrapers, road draes, grading ma
chimes and other indictments wer
brought alone. Every farmer brough
his team with him, Superintendent
and oversners had been appointed an
we're IN readiness when promptly at
! o'clock the order was issued at ia
to-"
And 10000 determined men fell to
+ Fer an hour they continued. workin
: with might and main. At 10 o'eloc
1 the Job was finished and the farmer
: went back to their fields. leaving low
/ the preseason of the finest piece {
$ long distance roadway in the west :
Gooding Herald.