The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1910-09-08
An Hours Road Building

A great piece of road building was
in Iowa one day recently
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 condition of any road west OF
the Mississippi river. Weeks and
months were spent in preparations
for the work, but not a pick or shovel
was used until the designated second
was licked OFF. Then as II by magic
10000 workmen swarmed out onto the
roadway and when they ceased work
sixty minutes later Iowa had one OF
the finest long distance roads in the
entire West.
And not the least interesting thing
in connection with the tremendous
piece of the work is the fact that not
a man of the entire 10000 engaged
in the work received one cent OF wag-
es Good will and patriotism alone
are responsible for the splendid show
ing
Last winter the Iowa roads became
50 fearfully 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. The gov
ernor called a good 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
a distance of $50 miles straight 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 committees 10 han
die the work the regular Republican
and Democratic committees in each
county through which the road would
pass were appealed to. The chair
man OF the committees OF each party
was asked to get In the game and
work for the road. Everybody agreed
to do so. and soon a rivalry was ere
ated between Republicans and Demo
Gratis each to see which would have
the most workmen on the job when
the time for work arrived
A certain Saturday was selected as
the day and from o'clock TO 10 o.
clock the hour OF work. Every farm
er along the way was personally seen
by the committees and practically ev
ery man agreed to give the one hour
that was asked for. Farmers were
asked to bring their plows. scrapers
and road drags and an organization
equal to those employed in profess
ional railroad building was worked
out
In the weeks preceding the work nj
bridges and culverts along the roat
were repaired and put In first class
order that no delay might come to IN,
road builders when once the latte
started working.
The result OF the organization wa
most .emphatically shown. shortl,
before o'clock In the morning far
mers began getting out on the road
Hundreds and thousands OF plows
picks, shovels, scrapers, road drars
grading machines and other implen
ents were brought along Every I'M
mer brought his team with him. 81
perlntendents and overseers had bee
appointed In readiness when prompt
az y O'Clock the order was issued 4
fall to-" '"'u
And 10000 determined men fell I,
For an hour they continued. worl,in
WIN might and main At 10 o'oioc
.ne JOB was finished and the farmer
went back to their fields leaving Low.
, , nrssessor Of the finest pleca r
inohs,uistance roadway IN the West