The Grangeville globe. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho) 1907-1922, 1915-12-09


ion to use the grader but once since
becoming acquainted with the drag;
that was in a case where saplings
to the size of four inches had grown
up close on each side of an old
road; these had been cut the year
previous The grader was used to
pun the stumps. THE SHAFING
WAS DONE WITH THE KING
DRAG. Capitals are mine.)
One imagines that IL the grader had
been in New York and unpaid for, Mr..
Davis might have loosened the stumps
with a pillow rathr than send east for
the machine and be compelled to pay
and wait. Would you not, M. Hous-
ton admit these marrow crooked roads
running among stumps. as among those
entirely unimproved roads on which
Mr. Page says the drag fails? And did
you note that although the big road
machine seems to have been quite
handy Mr. Davis did the shaping with
a King drag?
Afterwards Mr.. Davis wrote a bulle-
tin for the State Highway Department
in which he tells of ten mile, three
months demonstration in Skagit coun-
ty, that is Credited with net saving
of 81 10000.
We cross the continent again and
call in a gentleman whose home is in
Maine: Mr. Frank p. Sanborn, of
Standish. His first experience with the
log drag was on "a difficult clay, three
fourths of a mile.
Later that season three miles. The
next year xteen miles, and n 1905. thir'
ty miles of road were handled by him
with the split-log drag as the leading
implement So unusual were his results
that State Engineer Sargent embodied
the story In special report, placing
a copy In the hands of each road com
missioner in Maine.
Please note the following extracts, or,
far better. procure a copy of the re-
ports from Maine for 1907-0S and read
the story in full Please, sir, esoecial-
ly examine Mr.. Sanborn's bill OF ex-
penses, which include blasting, hauling
earth, cutting brush, and "the eleven
miles. of highway put in the firmest and
smoothest condition for travel ever
known, and more. than so per cent of
the appropriation remaining for other
improvements"
Remember, Mr.. Houston thai Mr..
Page cease essly urges the building of
road with a grader first; he insists
on the prio rity of the road machine.
Remember-and then turn to the top of
Mr. Sanborn introduces these sentences:
page of the Maine pamphlet where
Our lest sections of road are
those where the road machine has
never been used, or used the least;
here the cost of dragging was least.
At other places where the machine
had been more recently used the
cost increased
Furthermore, on page s, after fully
stating his case against the road ma
chine, Mr.. -Sanborn sums up thus:
1t is the belief that no one liv-
ing in the territory desires to see
the road machine back tearing up
our smooth and firm roads 1t Is
the belief that no one will under
take to point out any part of the
road that has suffered through fall
ure to use that implement
One fears, Mr.. Houston, that you may
question whether these are the words
of unbridled enthusiasm Listen to Mr..
Paul d. Sargent, State Engineer for
Maine, whn at one time was your de-
partment's chief engineer. Who has
often acted as substitute for Mr. Page
when Mr.. Page was busy. Mr.. Sar-
gents comm ents follow. They may be
found ON page 20, lines s., 9. 10, Maine
Annual Report for 1907. Shall we read:
THE remarks of Mr.. Sanborn in
relation &c the misuse of the road
machine sre none too strong and l
can heartily concur in Them
AS indicated above, Mr.. Sargent is
highway engineer of repute and long
experience. His opinion will carry
weight.
Next cones Colonel c. F. Baker of
Council Bluffs, Iowa, a veteran road
In a pamphlet dated April. 1908 He
says:
1.-THE drag, II properly used, will
bring a tin layer of earth toward
the center of the road; then let
travel sol,dify 1t between wet per-
iods; Thea after another rain, bring
another layer in like manner, which
will tend to raise the center of the
road to a proper crown If this
process Is followed there will be
but little dust when dry and tits
IN FINE CONDITION FOR TRAV-
Ell WHILE BEING PUT UP.
ITO illustrate: On one half mile
OF road near here, WHERE A
GRADER OR A ROLLER HAD
NEVER BEEN USED. but had been
dragged, as above described. after
each rair for about two years, 1t
was found to have an earth top
about ten inches in depth, almost
as solid as brick, so water could
not penetrate 1t to any great ex-
tent, and in FINE CONDITION FOR
TRAVEL SINCE FIRST DRAG
GING ard mud so insignificant as
to be no detriment to travel" i.
(The capitals are mine) The impor-
tant point. of course. is that the drag
grades and that the road Is In fine
condition from the first.
Colonel Baker was not an easy con-
vert to ths drag. After listening to
a lecture ON the split-log drag in 1905
the Colonel was very skeptical. telling
his friends, as he has since confessed
publicly In my presence. that That
man King is either the biggest fool or