The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-09-14
Highways Here Are Better Than In
Missouri and illinois, But Not
az Good az In Central
Part OF State.
GOOD WORK BEING DONE
Mixture Of Sand and Clay on the
Montrose Road 10 Sign That
Brains 10 Being Used
by Board.

Iowa roads are better than Illinois
roads hereabouts, and Missouri roads
near Keokuk are the worst of them
ALL" said DR.. G. Walter Barr, who has
motored recently all around keokuk
"but the Iowa roads hereabouts are
not as good as those IN the central
part Of the state. The pity Of 1t Is,
that these roads could be made prac-
tically perfect by just littly more
attention, at trifling cost.
"The White Way road and the
river road, for instance, are dragged
Immediately after every rain, appar-
emily by farmers each of whom has
Ia small stretch quickly finished.
have seen the Jefferson Highway be-
tween Des Moines and Indianola drag
ged before one could motor twenty
miles after a rain OF the kind that
demands quick work As soon as the
top of the ground ceases to be mud,
the roads up there are good and solid
and smooth.
Take the road from Hamilton to
Carthage. Apparently 1t is dragged
few times a year, II ever. On Labor
Day, it was two ruts in hard road
bed. Dragging at the right hour
would have made it like Main street
makes the mud only half as deep
during or just after a rain. Wednes-
day. the Red Ball road to Donnellson
had not been dragged. when it ought
Ito have been dragged early Tuesday
morning. Time Is much in road drag
ging, and dragging at exactly the
right hour doubles the value OF the
work. They seem to have the secret
of that up in Polk, Mahaska, Warren,
Jasper and other central counties.
1T ought not to cost any more to
drag at the right hour than to drag
a couple Of days or couple of weeks
later-and the benefit Of timely drag
cling Is not to the people who hap
pen along soon after a rain, but to
everybody on account of the perma-
nent benefits of dragging at the right
| time exactly
Brains and Roads.
During a dry spell, the road to
Donnellson and Mount Pleasant Is as
good as any in the state. 1t can be
kept so easily But during wet
spell, all dirt roads are poorer than
permanent roads. There is no finer
example of good judgment, fine road
building and true economy OF cost
than in the permanent work being
done on the iowa lake shore .boule-
avrd between Keokuk and Montr,se.
Another sign that Lee county sup
ervisors are making roads with brains
is seen near Devils creek above Mon
rose The mixture Of clay with the
sand there will make road sand
stone as soon as it has settled COM
pletely in about year. 1t becomes
the same mixture as was used In the
big fill between the government dry
dock and the bluff at Keokuk."
Bid for Farmers Trade.
The road between West Point and
Fort Madison was found to be in fine
condition and we'll cared for-good
enough to be called the equal Of the
White Way at its best.
Another phase is the stretch OF
mile and half or. SO of concrete
road built out into the country from
Fort Madison 1t was built by Fort
Madison and stops at the city limits
down toward Montrose which Is out
among the farms. It is very prac'
tical bid for the farmers to trade In
Fort Madison, as is the Red Ball road
and the Lake Shore road up the coun-
ty a bid for others farmers to come
to Keokuk.
"Keokuk really does not need
concrete road" remarked DR.. Barr,
.'but it would pay Keokuk retailers to
raise the small amount OF money nee
essary and keep the Carthage road
dragged frequently, Immediately after
every shower or rain. and made as
good as the road to Mooar which
would be the result-untfl that trolley
line is built in the future. Since c.
IL. Becker died, the Alexandria keo-
kuk road seems to have been forgot
ten by Keokuk merchants. Grading,
side drainage and dragging would
keep it good. The cost would not be
prohibitive, considering the increased
trade-and it ought to pay the mer-
chants better than refundins railroad
fare, for instance"