The Dickinson press., 1917-06-02
WORK FOR GOOD ROADS
Joy for MotOrist in Extensive High
way Preparations-Battery Ser
mon by Bill-MotOr News.

Sive preparations for improved high
ways in the Slope country, contem-
plated and under way, are contribut-
ing greatly to his peace of mind these
days. Morton county is about to enter
on a thorough improvement campaign.
County commissioners, in session re-
Gently, approved this policy and will
rush operations. In addition to gen.
eral repair work on the Red Trail,
grading of the road between Flasher
and Mandan, and ferry road improve
ments, several other projects have
been decided on. Grading and build
ing of the following roads has been
approved: Bohemian road, running
seven miles south of New Salem;
Carter road, running nine miles north
of Glen Ullin; Treiber road, eleven
miles south of Hebron; and Birkmeier
road, south of Hebron to the Grant
county line.
Grading on the Red Trail between
Gladstone and Taylor and Richardton
and Taylor is being pushed to CON-
'pletion, and when the tourist season
is on in earnest the road will be in
fine shape.
Construction of a road which will
begin at a point on the Yellowstone
Trail and lead north is projected. 1t
will go north from Reeder, through
the western part of Hettinger county,
touching New England, then north to
Dickinson and on to the northern
boundary line. Another trail is pro-
posed from Bentley to New England.
Boosters Of the latter city have as.
sured cooperation, and it is certain
that the money will be raised for the
work.
William G. Edens, president of the
National Parks Highway Association,
left Chicago last week for a speaking
tour of the Northwest. He will in
spect highways in this state, Mime
sofa, Montana, Washington and Ore
gon, and speak before bankers gath
erings in a number of cities. 1t is
possible that an attempt will be made
to date him at Dickinson for an adj
dress.
Red Trail ferry began operations
last week. The ferry road leading to
the boat has been completed and is
now marked by signs, so that the
tourist can not be misled. The boat
is solidly built, driven by high-power
gasoline engines, and will accommo-
date as many as eight cars to the
load.
In Canada, despite the war handi-
cap, the Willys-Overland dealers have
already booked more retail orders
than the total Overland sales in Can
ada for any previous twelve months.
A Studebaker Stunt.
Just to show the natives of Salina,
HANS, that the Studebaker car can
work up speed and also stand the
grind and the bumps, the agency in
that city recently staged a novel
stunt, which was witnessed by every
inhabitant of the place who was able
to walk, ride or crawl to the scene of
action. A flying leap stunt was
staged in the middle of Main street.
A wedge-shaped jumping platform
was erected, Is feet long and Is in
ches high at the take-off, and when
the a leaped it was making SIS miles
an hour. Measurements taken from
the take-off to the spot where the rear
wheels hit gave the length of the
leap as Sd feet, 2 inches. And the
crowd went home satisfied that there
is real stuff in the Studebaker, and a
flock Of speed also.
Sales of Blood & Foster recently in
clude Dodge sedan to Attorney W. F..
Burnett, Chalmers Six roadster to
Mayor White, and Dodge touring car
to Lawrence Voelkers, residing north
of Belfeld.
Ray Graf, local agent for the Indian
motorcycle, last week sold an Indian,
fully equipped, to Louis Tinters, local
N. 2. fireman.
Battery Spiel by Bill.
mo part of an auto shows more
quickly the effect of abuse than the
storage battery, and each particular
form of abuse has it's definite sign"
says "Bill" Dauber, local Willard serv-
ice man. ave hear a great deal
about guarantees being abused, but
we're never bothered with that sort
of thing, for when a guarantee is
overstepped the battery tells it's own
story. A man comes in with a bat
terry, practically new. He says it will
not hold the charge. We take his
battery down, and find perhaps that
the upper half of the plates is COW
cred with white %sulphate, and there is
a sharp line of demarcation between
the upper and lower halves. The bat
terry tells us the whole story.
"The owner might have thought he
was using it right when he did not
use it to run the automobile or when
practicing economy in starting and
lighting. But he has never filled it
with distilled water, and the water
in the battery has evaporated. ONLY
the lower half of the plates has been
exposed to action of the electrolvte,
Capacity of the battery naturally has
been cut in two, and upper half of the
plates has been ruined.
Another man says his battery is
dead. Hydrometer tests show a high
specific gravity, so we tear down the
battery and find it is short-circuited,
that the wooden insulations have
been corroded and eaten away to al
most nothing. With a comparatively
new battery, only one thing could
cause this: The owner has added acid
to the electrolyte, something which
the a owner should never do,
"A nan came in recently who ap-
peared to have a real grievance.
His battery had gone dead suddenly,
after working fine for some time. We
opened the battery and found that it
had been overcharged, that is, the
generator was returning to it far
more energy than was being used by
starter and lights. Plates were
buckled and bent out of shape, insu-
lation ruined, and active material in
the plates dead oxide) was softened
and ready to crumble. Failure to
take temperature of the battery, or
let the service station do it, had abso-
lutely ruined the battery. -,
"a battery can be killed by kind