The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1911-02-25
A ROAD ACROSS IOWA,
How $50 Miles of Highway Were Put
in Good Condition In an Hour.
Council Bluffs Correspondence Of the
Pittsburg GaZette-Times.)

Pittsburg Gazette-Times.)
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 ESQ 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 Mis-
sissippi River.
Weeks and months were spent in
preparation for the work, but not
pick or shovel was used until the
designated second was licked off. Then
as If by magic 10000 workmen
swarmed out onto the roadway and
when they ceased work sixty minutes
later Iowa had one of the best long
distance 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 re-
sponsble for the splendid showing.
Last winter the Iowa roads became
so fearfully bad that traffic was prac-
tically killed and farmers were COM
peeled in remain in their homes Final
ly the matter became a political ques-
ton and both parties got behind the
movement. Governor Carroll called
a good roads meeting at Des Moines
early last March and out o. this meet
ing was evolved the plan of a river
to river road stretching from Coun-
Gil Bluffs on the Missouri River to
Davenport on the Mississippi, a dis
tance Of $50 miles straight across the
State from east to west.
Make the river to river road as
near perfect as it 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 commit
tees in each county through which the
road would pass were appealed to.
The chairman Of the committees Of
each party were asked to get in the
game and work for the road. Every
body agreed to do so, and soon a
rivalry was created between RepubH
cans 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 and from 9 O'Clock to 10 o'clock
the hour work.
Every farmer along the way was
personally seen by the committees,
and practically every man agreed to
give the one hour that was asked for
Farmers were asked to bring their
ploughs, scrapers and road drags, and
an organization equal to chose employ
ed in professional railroading was
worked out.
In the week preceding the work
all bridges and culverts along the
road were repaired and put in first
class order that no delay might come
to the road builders when once the
latter started working.
The result of the organization was
shown last Saturday. Shortly before
o'clock in the morning farmers be-
gan getting out in the road. Hun dreds
and thousands Of ploughs, picks, shov-
els, road drags, grading machines and
other implements were brought along.
Every farmer brought his team with
him. superintendent and overseers
had been appointed in readiness when
promptly at 8 o'clock the order was is
sued to fall to-
And 10000 determined men fell to.
For an hour they continued working
with might and main. At 10 o'clock
the job was finished and the farmers
went back to their fields, leaving
Iowa the possessor Of the finest piece
Of long distance roadway in the West.