Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1911-03-30
RIP ROARING ROAD
MEETING ON SATURDAY
d. Ward King, inventor OF The King
Road Drag Made A Rousing
Address,

1 --------
d. Ward King, inventor OF The KIM
Road Drag Made A Rousing
Address.
The good roads meeting last Saturday
was a great success both as to number,
and interest; and we feel sure that bet
ter roads will be the result. In mate
rial sense the question of having good
roads is the most important that we
have before US and there is no other way
that we can add more to the convenience
and pleasure Of the people and value to
the farms than by making good roads.
Amy township in Audubon County that
will take up the matter in earnest and
grade up and drag the roads, putting
them in first class shape can add from
ten to twenty dollars an acre to every
farm in that township within the next
year.
The committee in charge of the meet
ing was considerably worried when the
speaker did not arrive on the morning
train. A telegram came later saying
he was on the way and at one o'clock a
phonogram from Atlantic said he was
just then getting aboard an auto to
come to Audubon. At 9 o'clock John
A. Nash called the meeting to order and
made brief address on the need for
better roads, better methods of making
them and the great loss sustained by
not having them. DIR. Riley of Extra
spoke of the work and expense of max
ing roads in the early days when in
many cases they had to buy the right
of way and do much work to put them
even in passable condition. At one
time the people of Extra subscribed
~, 900 to make road out west from
that town and at other times had given
time and money for roads in other
directions. John Lovelace declined to
talk on the question but told an anus
ing story. s. F. Garnire insisted that
to have good roads there must be drain
age, grading. dragging; and to get that
work done there must be cooperation
among the farmers.
Mr.. KING ARRIVED AT 2:30
When Mr. King arrived at 2:3O the
court room was filed by an audience of
township officials and other gentlemen
from all parts of the county, who were
anxious to see and hear the gentleman
whose invention has become household
word throughout the country wherever
they are making an effort to secure
good roads. MIR. King said that mans
success or failure in life depends very
much upon the condition Of his head
and the way he keeps the wheels in ii
running. Thirty years ago he moved
from his birthplace in Ohio to Macon.
Missouri, locating twenty miles from
railway station where they had no roads |
but drove anywhere on the prairie. In
March 1895 he did his first dragging by |
mailing some boards on piece of wood
and an old pump stock with which he
tried to fill mp the ruts in clay road |
by his farm. And from this
rude beginning the King drag was
developed.
Mr.. King gave his experience in max
ing a stretch of road and keeping it in
good condition five years, insisting that
Il is necessary to have the road full in
the middle so as to drain the water off |
quickly, and to drag 1t regularly and
1t the right time, which is when the
ground is moist but not sticky. The
of the whole matter is that
dragging when the dirt is moist puts on
,ne layer after another until you have
! foundation solid as concrete and
wholly impervious to water. A hog
wallow will hold water because the
work of the hogs makes a smooth and
,olid bottom.
After Mr.. King had spoken for an
,our he gave opportunity for asking
questions which opened the way for
'parring back and forth with witty
-etorts that put the audience in the best
II humor. He said he dragged his road
about twelve times in one year and
,ftener in winter than in summer, but
We think that would not be true in this
He urged the use of light
lrag, that only one man should stand on
I and do the driving because two would
ak and not attend to their business;
md that the travel should be kept in
he middle of the road. Mr.. King is a
inc looking gentleman, evidently a
lown east yankee though born in Ohio.
lie is good talker and can take care
II his end of the discussion of making
,ood roads or any other question
Il special interest to the farms and
armers of this country. The meeting
was called and provided for
according to law as q school of instruc-
ion, by the board of supervisors. The
Meeting was well attended and much
enthusiasm aroused in favor of doing
more and better work on the roads of
his county.
A Mean Trick.
During the progress of the party