The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-09-11
MERIDIAN
ROAD men
in The II. CITY
Enthusiastic Over the Pros
poets Of Big Route
Are on Tour From Winnipeg
to the Gulf
Worst Roads They Have En-.
countered, in Canada

The international Meridian road
relay touring party from Winnipeg to
the Gulf Of Mexico, arrived in this city
about 2:30 this afternoon and were
escorted to the city by w. w. Smith
and party in the formers big touring
car, which met the distinguished vis-
itors at Hillsboro.
This touring party left Winnipeg at
1880 yesterday morning and made
Grand Forks yesterday evening, where
| they spent the night, starting from
there this morning. The trip from
| Winnipeg to the state of North
Dakota line was made without much
trouble although for twenty eight
miles south of the Canadian metropo-
lis the roads were in bad condition on
account of the heavy rains which had
descended the day before.
The state line was reached after
noon yesterday and from there on to
the Forks the roads were in fairly
good condition. 1t was just 2 o'clock
when the town of Pembina was reach
ed and here the Meridian party was
transferred into American cars. 49,.
The speakers for the party is G. w.
braska, and he gives at each place
where the party has been stopping a
clear and concise account Of the objects
of the trip, showing maps and giving
other, data which is most interesting.
He said that international organization
is most desirable, with subdivisions in
each state that the road passes
through and he showed how the farm
ers through whose land the road be
laid xyil no eraaf1V henafifad thArahV-
He says that it will be sure to make
one real good road reaching from VIM
nipeg clear through to the gulf and in
time 1t will be one of the great routes
that automobile parties will take great
| pleasure in going over. He also stat
ed that in his opinion in time there
will be railroad that will follow the
i course very closely. eE
Reached Here at 2;15.
! The party reached this city at 2:15,
being one hour and a half behind
time, having been delayed, so Joe =.
Long stated by the bad roads between
Grand Forks and this city. In the
party to come to Fargo in addition
Ito Mr.. Long, who is the editor of
The Road Maker, a monthly journal
printed in Des Moines, Ia, were S. II.
Lea, state engineer of Sou h Dakota,
who is the president of the Meridian
Road association; ]. c, Nicholson, of
| Newton, Kan, secretary of the organi-
zation; j. p. Ahrens, publisher of the
blue book of automobile tours from
Chicago. "
| T. R, Atkinson, state engineer, of
| North Dakota, was with the party alta
Winnipeg and came as far as Hills
boro, but left there for his home.
The worst roads that we encounter
ed" said Mr., Long, were In Canada,
e
/ line they were fairly good, but this
side of Hillsboro they didn't look as
though the Lord had been given any
assistance in the building of them, for
lthey were very bad. From Bathgate
to the Grand Forks line we found the
roads in Pembina county to be fairly
good, although even at that they did
not show up as though much work had
been done on them.
i Had Lunch Here.
During their stay in tn Getty the
Meridian roads people were the guests
of the Fargo Commercial club and they
We're entertained at an elaborate
luncheon. During the lunch Mr..
Nicholson spoke briefly OF the gen
eral Improvement along the meridian
and more particularly of what had al
ready been done in the state of Kan
sas, where he said the people were
taking q deep interest in the work,
because they saw that it would mean
much to them. He said that the
j present inspection tour was by no
means a pleasure junket, but 1t was
one of business. for the purpose OF
logging and mapping the road and
Strengthening the weak places in the
4 various organizations of the different
states through which 1t would pass
He also emphasized the immense inn
i portance that the road would be to
the farmers through which 1t passes,
i Editor Long Talks.
Il j. l.. Long, one of the best posted
men in the work, said that the .agita-
ton for the good roads in the minds
of most people was a mere outgrowth
4 of the automobile craze, but in reality
4 the interest in good roads arose out
of the recognition of the fact that they
i were vital adjunct to civilization
Il Mr.. Long gave splendid description
Il of road building from the earliest at
i tempts down to the present time and
!. said that the ancients even so far
4 back as the time of Christ considered
/, road building, and he spoke of the
mastery system of the Roman roads
of centuries ago.
Left at $3.50.
4 The party left at $3.50 in car pro-
vided by the commercial club for Wah-
q peton, where the members of the party
I will spend the night. Before leaving
3. Mr.. Brown said that 1t should be inn
Il pressed on the people of the state that
Il after a road was once graded, no other
II grader should be used, but only tile
drags should be utilized. We found
that most of the road between Fargo
and Winnipeg has been graded, but II
hasn't been we'll done, for it is mostly
too high and too narrow. There has
been very little work done in Canada
on the road. I can say that between
Fargo and the Sheyenne the roads are
in fairly good condition, but beyond
that they are bad. We expect to make
another trip over the road next
1 spring"