The Oskaloosa herald., 1912-07-11
THE I.O.A. SHORT LINE|
Alex Miller Tells of Trip from
Pella to Washington.

Dutch town, through to Washington
and that place is on the Short Line.
We are sure that we saved at least
two hours, by having road that was
marked. We were told when we left
Pella that we should follow the mark
ed poles and we did as we were told.
Out of Pella, the poles are marked
with white only,and we do not know
why, unless they haven't got them
finished. Only at one place, did we
find them so handsomely and clearly
marked as at Washington and that
was at Keota.
He has had great big son of a
gun of an automobile built for himself
with torpedo body, forty horse power.
1t looks like a torpedo boat and as
if it might run, swim or fly. 1t is a
terrific looking machine. 1t is Don
McClure's especially made car and
goes like the devil, we are told.
They have many brands of cars
which are distributed from there. 1t
is a good place for such a plant as
he got on the ground early. He is
GENERALLY located, has the advantage
of age and is tree from labor troubles
and he has a beautiful place.
There is a beautiful country be-
tween Oskaloosa and Pella and crops
ale looking regular Iowa style. There
are good farm houses, great big barns,
you meet many automobiles and it
loks like an old fashioned turnpike
that you reaa about in the olden
times.
That town does everything the
best. The poles come right through
the middle streets of the town and
you can see them all the way. But
when we came to Oskaloosa, we
merely followed the poles in and out
of town. We stopped at McClure's
big garage for an hour and although
it was Sunday, everything was going
on the same as on a week day, for
you know, garages have no Sunday.
There is no let up. McClure's have
one of the biggest if not the biggest
plant for automobiles in Iowa. And
we are told that they do only a
wholesale business. They have two
floors full of everything in the auto
line and are getting ready to add an
other floor. They have 80 people EN-
ployed right in the plant besides
number of travelling men.
They paint your buggy or your au-
tomobile or your hearse right in the
garage We saw a hearse in there
for painting.
Every time we travel over a por-
ton of Iowa, we are prouder of the
fact that we are a Hawk Eye.
At Rose Hill, we followed the
painted poles and the same at Delta
but it was getting dinner time and
we wanted to make Cooks at Sig
Quincy. By the way, Cook seems an
appropriate name for landlord.
The regular meal was over but Cook
saw to it that we did not go hungry
and we took an hour for dinner.
As we were eating, a party of five
from North English pulled into town
in an automobile and also wanted
dinner and then Cook shut the dining
room, to ward off any further hungry
pilgrims.
Town was lively, if it was sedate
old Sigourney. Ball games thrive
there on Sunday and we saw dozen
or more picnic parties around Sigour-
IciI side
and elsewhere. They say that base
ball does better on Sunday than on
any other day.
The town is all torn up with put
ting in a big sewer and it interferes
with the EO-A Short Line so that we
wasted a miles run getting out OF
town by the right road. But we n
nally got our bearings and liked out
Between Sigourney and Harper IS
about the hilIiest road we have seen
| 1t is surely the DEVILS wash board
! but what cared we, for didn't we
have a Ford, noted hill climber
and we sfted right along. Tom was
at the wheel most of the time and
we didn't care a cent whether Roose-
welt bolted or not, or at least this
writer did not.
At Harper, church was calling at
Father Grothe's church, but we did
not stop, as we we're interested more
in getting home than In any divine
services.
-, We pulled in at 4:S0 and we made
I'D our minds we would pay this trib'
ute to Mort Keeley's Short Line. II
he did nothing else while president
of the Commercial Club than 10
boost this good road plan and the
marking of the poles, he has earned
our gratitude and we make motion
that he be given a vote OF thanks. AL
lin favor of the motion say Aye" The
ayes" have 1t, the motion prevails
and will be so recorded in the arch
ives of the lodge
But seriously, nobody knows un
less he has tried II, what hell
marked poles are and the road is Sc
much better than any OF the SIDE
roads, that you can't Imagine u
The next big question before US u
the question of good roads Their,