Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1914-05-28
ROAD BUILDER MAKES HIT.
D. Ward King, Split-Log Drag Expert,
Entertains and Instructs.


Before an audience of several hun
dred persons, d. Ward King, the Mis-
souri, split-log drag road enthusiast,
preached the gospel Of better highways
last Friday and for two hours and a
half bent his energies along lines and
advanced undeniable argument for bet
ter rural roads in this community. Mr..
King can hardly be called an orator
but when it comes 90 explaining in
plain and unvarnished terms the proper
way to construct public highways he
stands in a class alone.
This man King and his road drag
are wonders and the results that can be
obtained through the proper use of this
simply constructed piece of road work.
ing machinery are SO great as to be al.
most beyond belief to those who have
not seen the excellent highways con-
structed in other places where the drag
system of road building has been in
practice for times past.
How the Drag Originated.
The speaker stated in opening his
address that he had been born and
reared in city and was compelled to
seek outdoor life on account of his
health and as result the year 1880
found him far from his city home in
Springfield, Ohio, ON farm near Matt.
land, Mo-, which section at that time
was considered new country and had
few of the advantages of the civiliza-
tion of the east.
According to his story his knowledge
of farming was meager, in fact he
stated there was but two things he was
positive about, one was which end of
cow gave milk and the other his ability
to distinguish sheep from hog. He
was ignorant of farming but willing
to learn and in digging out the various
methods best adapted to the heavy
soil Of this new country he soon learned
the advantage of listening to all the
advice offered and then when in doubt
experimenting little himself. In fact,
it appears the inventor Of the now
famous drag has always had consider.
able self reliance and when he started
out to accomplish task usually sue
ceeded although in attaining success
he found many obstacles to overcome.
Won Fight Against Gumbo.
While the sticky gumbo roads of the
ShowMe" state defied all efforts Of
this gentleman for some years he kept
everlastingly at it trying this and that
experimenting until one rainy day he
hitched onto a device made of a fence
post and an old pump stalk which was
used for breaking down corn stalks and
dragged the road from his front gate
to that Of his neighbor 8 distance of a
half mile. A careful inspection of the
road after the dragging showed much
Improvement and continued application
of the improvised drag after each rain
resulted in road with perfect contour
and surface strong enough to support
the heaviest of loads and of such a
nature as to shed the most copous
rains. This was some eighteen years
ago and today Mr.. King finds his
method is in use in 45 countries and has
received the endorsement of not only
his own government but a number of
foreign countries as well. According
to government figures the split-road
drag can be advantageously used on
ninety-nine per cent of the roads of
the United States.
Cites Actual Results.
The man from Maitland told of his
early experience with the public and
his ideas of road redemption, of how he
had been secured by the state of Mis-
souri, years ago to carry the gospel of
good roads to the rural communities
and of how he had been doubted and
even looked upon as being of unsound
mind and then of the seed finally TAX
ing root and endorsement after endorse
ment being given to his work and as
a result today finds numerous communi-
ties with miles and miles Of dirt roads
as smooth as boulevard, due to the in
J telligent use of the road drag. He
, told of the river to river highway in
the state of Iowa, stretch of road
traversing the state from Davenport on
the Mississippie to Council Bluff on the
Missouri and over which an automobile
has travelled from one end to the other
during the daylight of one day. This
/ is pronounced as one of the most per
/ feet highways in the world and is built
) through country with soil very SINH