Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-01-15
WINTER GRADING
IS DONE ON ROADS
THE WORK PROGRESSES ON A
THOROUGHFARE NEAR COUN.
GIL BLUFFS.
MANY ARE EMPLOYED
Twelve Teams and FifteenMen Are
Kept Busy on Force Which is
Now Completing Work Be-
gun Last Summer.

Council Bluffs, Jan. IA demon
stration Of just what few real live
good roads men can do within a few
weeks and in the winter time at that,
may be seen in Lewis township, where
twelve teams and fifteen men have
been kept busy actually grading the
roads with the ground frozen TO a
depth Of eight inches.
On the Manawa road and the road
way leading around the east end Of
Lake ManaWa and on the south over
mile Of work has been practically
completed. Sloughs have been filed,
the roadway graded with deep water
ways on either side and now the sur
face Of the road between Lake Mana
wa and this city is to be cindered.
What were formerly mud roads run
ming through sloughs, filed with water
part of the year; are now good drive
ways and will be twenty-four feet wide
and three feet above the surrounding
land and six feet above the bottoms
of the bitches running along either
side. when completed.
Employ Many Teams.
Twelve teams and fifteen men are in
the crew which Is now working on the
road five miles south of the city on
rural route No. i.
With a grading scoop for each team
the work is progressing fast. A strip of
road is selected for improvements and
the gang Is separated into three crews,
four teams and five men to each crew.
These crews settle themselves to work
about fifty feet apart and the horses
IN, oir }on
road to the bottom of the ditch which
is being dug. The man who loads the
scrapers stays at the bottom Of the
ditch and is not idle minute.
he loads are emptied by the drivers
under Mr. Nansers direction and the
work progresses at considerable speed
when the different crews compete with
one another in making the ''circle.'
The men in the gang are young farm
crs from the township who are partic-
ularly interested in literally making
the dirt fly They desire good roads
almost as much as the township trus-
tees and at the same time are being
paid 81 day for their work and that
of their horses.
The work is in heavy soil compos-
ed for the most part Of gumbo, which
almost refuses to be worked. Though
it is plowed first, the scoops or scrap
ers have considerable trouble In cut
ting through the half frozen substance.
The road is at this time left rough
on top, as rolling has been found to be
but little use. Travel has proven the
most practical way Of smoothing the
surface and in the spring the trustees
intend to see that it is all gone over
again and leveled to twenty-four foot
top on gradual arc.
Four different stretches have been
worked so far. These will total over
a mile in length and include all Of the
worst part Of over five miles of road
way. The cost of the work, when COM
pleted, will amount to about 81 900, but
all who have seen it say the money has
been we'll expended
Cinder Surface.
The road between here and Lake
Manawa is to be surfaced with cinders
from the J. F. Wilcox & Sons green
houses at the lake. The cinders are to
be put in place within the next few
weeks and it is expected will be we'll
rolled by spring, when the heavy trav-
ell to Lake Manawa starts. The cinders
are being furnished free and the work
is to be paid for out Of the money sub.
scribed by the local business men.
The township trustees intend to
keep boosting for good roads until they
can claim the best roads Of any town.
ship in the county, though the popula-
ton is but about 1900 and the terri
tory is comparatively large.
The money in the township for road
work is to be used with the rest,
though some will be reserved for keep
ing the improved driveways in condi-
ton during the year.