Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-02-18
.<ANAwHA, TOWN OF ONLY ga
PEOPLE, HAS FIVE COUNTRY
MAIL cARRiERs.
SERVICE HAS NOT HURT
SMALL TOWNS As PREDICTED
One Carrier on the Job Since Service
Was lnauouratsd - Waiting for
Trains at Abbott Crossing No Joke
Station Has No Wire and Travellers
Must Remain in Ignorance.
special to Times-Republ,can.

+
kanawha, Feb. 1S.-This town enjoys
the distinction of having more rural
mail routes than any other one of it's
| size in this part of the state and prob
ably anywhere in Iowa, there being five
full-length routes from a. center with
a population Of 400 people
| 1t is told that at the time when
rural mail delivery was in the expert
mental stage and the establishment of
routes here was being agitated, bust
ness men in the town believed as did
others in other towns that rural mail
delivery meant commercial destruction
Tor the points from which they started,
arguing that farmers would seldom go
to town except to get their mail and
that their absence would compel mer-
chants to close their doors thru lack Of
trade. A postmaster of those days
thought he could see differently, how
ever, and he went after routes with a
vigor that accomplished results re-
CARELESS of general opposition at home.
what the business men think of the
matter at this time is not to be known,
for Others have taken their places, but
If mail routes have ever killed their
towns glance up and down the streets
OF kanawha most any OF these days.
Is enough to produce the conclusion
that it was some other town than this
one.
Only one of the original mail carriers
of Kanawha is still in the service r.
L. Bray has carried ever since the
routes We're established. AS the Kama
wha routes were the first in operation in
Hancock county he has carried mail!
longer than any other man II the
county or since Nov. l. 1901.
One was travelling man who wanted
to go to Clarion; one farmer on his
way to Forest City to look after some
property interests in that vicinity: one
was young lady on her way to her
| home in Belmond: the other passenger
who left the train was headed for
kanawha. Every one might have TAX
en- another direct route If he had only
known. This happened at II o'clock
a. M. connecting train due at 1885. It
should be mentioned also, that when
the party entered the depot they found
inside a man who had been there since
1880 a. M, waiting for the way freight
south.
! Now this is the station where the
agent always answers the first ques-
ton with polite II don't know. we
| have no wire here" for the scene is
laid at Abbot Crossing.
After waiting half an hour some one
looked down the track. No smoke.
nothing except the distant willow tops
that look like smoke but are not. Noon
and only the willows. Some complaint
Of hunger on the part Of the q: 80 man.
One O'Clock and everybody hungry.
One man said 1t was worse than the
summer day he waited in southwest
Iowa and slid half way round the water
tank on the grass in order to keep in
the shade. The agent wrote In big
books and some one thought he might
be copying things said about the rail-
| road company. Another one remarked
that 1t was wonder he was allowed
clock. A third said it didn't do him
any good to have one as nothing was
ever on time anyway. About 1880 q
farmers wife came in and said, There
was a wreck at Reinbeck this morning
and the rorth-bound train will be five
to walk to Abbott nearly mile away
and get something to eat The 1880
man went along and while he was away
the freight came and departed. Tow
ard night the smoke appeared above
the willow tops. Three Of the party
had to stay over night at Bows and
when the one bound for Kanawha
reached Belmond next morning the
train had gone ard 1t was night again
ere he reached his destination. Seems
as tho that agent must always con-
tinue to answer. Il don't know, we
have no wire here"
William Pralle. of near Latimer, has
something new in the way Of COW
barn. 1t is round in shape and circles
a silo. The circumference is 40 feet
and there is room inside for thirty
stanchions. It is twelve feet high at
the caves and therefore has capacity
for considerable hay or straw. The
cost of the structure. silo and all was
about $1,000.
Kanawha is one Of the centers Of
BREAKS A COLD IN A