The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1918-10-04

days ago,a nd when asked what is
happening that interests him, he said
that after mentioning the war, he
thought he was more interested in
getting some good roads than almost
anything else. He said he had signed
a petition for building the hard roads
at the approach to the three towns,
and that he was ready to sign any
other good roads petition without
waiting to read it. II it was for good
roads he would sign it,
Ancil Rupe was In from Sterling,
and he said he was very anxious to
get better roads; roads that would
stay good when once built. He is a
farmer and would have to pay for
the roads, but he said he was willing
to pay more taxes If we could only
have roads that were right. He
would rather he handing out money
for permanent roads than for tires
and springs that are only good till
they hit another piece of bad road.
Interest in road building is rapidly
increasing. Six months ago very
few people thought it was right to
build any roads or even do much re-
pairing until after the close of the
war. A year ago still fewer believed
that any time should be devoted to
either kind of work while the war
lasted, even tho it last for years. But
observation and careful study of the
cold facts have gradually changed
peoples belief, until now most peo-
pie believe that what we are sacri-
ficing by the daily use of bad roads
is actually wasteing about one-fourth
or one-third of all the time spent in
hauling any kind of loads. II one
team out of every four that is haul
ing produce or goods, were working
the roads every day and in manner
that wasted every bit of it, peope
would rise in revolt at the loss, yet
that is the actual condition and peo-
pie have not generally been taking
account of it. Therefore, whether
we are willing or not until such time
as we make really good roads, I'VE
shall have big force at needless
work. hauling small loads, all that
part of the year when hauling is be-
ing done, and it will be an absolute
loss. We are all waking up to these
facts, and now it becomes question
of how to go about this raod
work and where to begin. The fol-
lowing paragraphs give suggestions.
Make hard surfaced roads on the
to the three largest
towns. Make them sufficient to
carry the traffic that is heavy both
in point of number of vehicles, their
speed and the weight of loads car
ried Allow also for the destructive
force of loads that are both heavy
and swift. Make roads that will
carry this traffic and stay good for
a generation, with slight repairs.
This will call for about 5000 tons of
crushed, rock or gravel to the mile.
Whether we ever make any more
roads in the county or not, 1t will be
advisable to pepare some means of
loading, transporting and handling
quickly and cheaply the 10000 tons
needed for the seven or eight miles
Of road which the present petitions
call for. Forty-thousand tons means
about 10000 two-horse wagon loads.
It means about 1000 carloads, Of the
battleship type of dump cars, requir-
ing man about six or seven years
to handle it with a shovel. Or, if
handled by the gravity system, with
trains pushed up on high line,
(trestle) it would take an engineer,
fireman and two brakemen a few
days to unload it all by tripping the
levers. In the final analysis, 1t would
be perhaps 100 days manpower on
The gravity system accomplishing as
much as 1000 days manpower with
,hovels. The work Of loading the