The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1913-12-18
WHOLE COMMUNITY
UWTtS TO BUILD
| Perfect HIGHWAY
"A lexandria Business
Men Join Hands
With Farmers
GRAVEL is PUT ON
Seven Miles of Grad d and
Surfaced Road is Product
of Public Spirit.
IS U ON
Alexandria, S. D.-The possibility

Alexandria, S. D.-The possibili.,
yof good roads at a minimum cash out
2lay is at present being demonstrated
Through tie combined efforts of Al.
%kexandria citizens and the farmers G.,
Ethe vicinity. in improving the high
ways leading into this city.
One year ago a strip of land was
purchased by the city for the pu--
Spose OF shortening and improving the
tsouth and east road into town. Al
Rthat time a mile and a half in that
direction was thoroughly g%uttered
Hand crowned by the use of an ordiu.
larry road grader, and finished with q
bheavy coating of gravel, the neces-
Ssary labor being entirely donated by
the citizens of Alexandria and the
Farmers OF the surrounding country
During the past summer an eleva:.
fed road grading machine has been
purchased through personal contribn-
tions OF Alexandria citizens and bust.
ness firms. at a cost of S 1000, and BY
the use OF which, during the past
few days "A section OF road two miles
in length and connecting at the east
with the work of last year, and a
Bpiece. just west of town a mile and Il
half in length have been nicely
graded and the work of supplying
the top-dressing of gravel is now GO
ing on.
Gravel is taken from a pit in Pierre
creek bluff. owned by the city and
SITUATED a half mile east of town. 1T
is loaded into wagons, through AN
elevated dump by means of a small
6road scraper teams and plows being
1also employed in keeping the gravel
loosened up for the scrapers, while
the frozen crust is removed with
pick and shovel. About three minu-
ties are required to load each wagon
and a continuous line of teams is
consequently on the road between
the pit and the grade. Extra men are
stationed at the grade to assist in
unloading the wagons ard to keep the
ROY line straight. About six hund-
red loads of gravel are required to
each mile of road, each load cover
ing about nine feet.
Forty Teams AT 1t.
An average of forty teams and a
slightly larger number of men have
been engaged in the work during the
last number of days, and it is the
intention if the present favorable
weather continues, to extend the
west grade a mile and a half farther,
and to complete a total of nearly
seven miles of the work this fall.
possibly excepting the crawling OF
one mile on the west road.
A spirit of progressiveness and CO.
operation in the broadcast sense i'm
piled by those terms is clearly res
ponsible for the splendid results that
are being accomplished, and every
day, farmers with their teams, citi-
zens, business and professional men
may be seen welding the pick and
shovel, working on the grade or rub
bing elbows in the pit. and III work
is practically all being done for the
good of the cause and without money
or price. Members of the Rosedale
Russian colony with a dozen or more
teams have given their services q
number OF days on the west grade,
while township and county organiZa-
tions have made small appropriations
toward the work, which is practically
the only cash consideration entering
into the deal.
A good, warm lunch is served all
hands at the pit each day. Thorough
enjoyment is coupled with ,%enthus-
iasm in prosecuting the work! The
present plans are to continue until
every roadway leading into AleNaE-
dria is converted into a veritabie
boulevard over which the pleasure of
travelling will be an inducement 70
visit this city. ,fF #EV Fl ff5 it.. t4