The Parker post., 1911-10-28
NEW ROAD FROM
VIDAL TO BLYTHE
Route Has Been Inspected BY Frank
Murphy and Dan Shea-Very Little
Work Is Required to Make Excel
lent Automobile Road.

BLYTHE, Oct. ga short wag-
on road connecting with the
railroad has been bone of con-
tention for some time in the val
ley, and number of roads has been
tried with various results. The road to
Clamis, while for the most part of
solid formation, lies for half the way
in another county that will do abso-
it up, and the expense of it's upkeep
has fallen on the automobile lines
and the donations of some of the
freighters. AS a result of the last
rains the road is in the worst con-
ton in which it ever has been and no
funds to fix it up, and furthermore
in high waters long detour is nee
essary over sandy heavy roads that
cause a considerable loss of time.
When the Santa Fe road was COM
pleted the county went to consider
able expense in making a road to
Blythe Jc., but it has proved a hard
proposition on account of the heavy
sands encountered, and as a result,
has been practically abandoned ex-
cept by few freighters, although it
is nearly Is miles closer than Glamis.
Another drawback to both roads men
toned is that there is very little wa
ter along either road making a long
water haul necessary
To remedy these evils Frank Muir
ply and Dan Shea have been spend
ing the past ten days in laying out
a station on the Santa Fe about IA
miles west of Parker and about the
same distance east of Blythe Jc.
From their reports this appears to
overcome most of the greatest troub
les encountered On the other roads.
The distance is even shorter than the
Blythe Jc. road and there is practi-
cally no sand and plenty of water
along the whole route with ti--L t.zes>,+eeaA ts,+eeaA
ception of one stretch of about Is
miles Mr. Shea says that with one
four-horse team and three or four
helpers he could make good auto
mobile road between here and Vidal
in thirty days with the exception of
a 20-foot bridge, which would b e
needed at one place where the road
crosses a wash.
If a road such as they report can
be procured at reasonable price it
should be attended to at once,
for there is no doubt that the Santa
Fe would donate generously as it
would mean that they would get most
all the freight for the upper end OF
the valley at least and part of the
passenger service, but they would
have to arrange different passen-
ger service to compete to any consid
erable extent with the Southern Pa
cific.
If the new road is practical it
would mean a saving of from $500
to $500 per ton in the cost of freight
and would pay for itself in a short
time.
Active work on the desert entries
on the Mesa and Chuckawalla valley
is now under way and from now on
until next July there will be great
demand for hay and grain from these
sources as this is the closest place
where these supplies can be obtained.
Of hay we have an abundance at
reasonable prices, but of grain we are
very short and the prices are high.
The United States Gypsum COM
pany has started work on it's claims
between here and Blythe Jc. They
are having the extensive holdings
all surveyed preliminary to their
other operations, and if satisfactory
arrangements can be made with the
Santa Fe they will commence opera
tions on large scale Floyd Brown
has the contract for furnishing the