The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1919-09-30
Many Miles of Roads
Before Winter Comes
Continued from page one)

way. A strong fence has been built
on each side of the grade where II
crosses the lake. Graders are work.
ing north of Sterling. A few hun.
dred feet of the old grade that was
in good condition last spring has ut.
terly collapsed and is ground up until
it is only streak of sand. This
occurred in a rise of ground that will
be cut down by the graders In the
hope of reaching clay strata. The
road thru Sterling and westward
thru the swamp.has been graded, but
the grade thru the swamp packed
as fast as the muck was deposited
on the grade and they were unable
to smooth it down. They are wait.
ing for rain to soften it enough SC
it can be smoothed out with the road
| grader.
Don't Slow Down for jog
Where there was jog in the road
west of the Christensen farm both OF
the square turns were cut out and
the road was built on slant. The
old jog in the road was only about
100 yards long and now it presents
two curves that can be followed at
good speed.
Aberdeen Will Connect Up
At the crossing of the American
Falls canal, west of that, the hill
was cut down and heavy grade
built at the foot of the hill, below the
canal. The rest of the road from
there into Aberdeen has been graded.
From the experimental station the
road leads westward to where it IL
tersects North Main street and the
village of Aberdeen will grade thru
the tOwnsite to connect with the
highway on the south.
Few Strips to be Finished
The gravel pit has been completed
at Aberdeen to receive gravel from
Moreland, for covering all the roads
in that district. All but short sec
lions of the grading have been com
pleted to the Power county line and
that is in progress.
Freight Rate Delays Work
The work of putting on the top
coat of crushed rock in the south
end of the county has reached an I'M
fortunate tieup. When the county
commits: toner's decided to ship gravel
from Moreland their decision was
based on freight rate of so cents
per ton from Moreland to Aberdeen.
This rate was given in writing by
the management of the Oregon Short
Line and they also submitted an esti-
mate or proposition to the county
commissioners for the construction
of spur at Moreland to handle the
gravel. The commissioners accepted
the proposition and deposited their
money and went ahead and built the
gravel station, both for loading and
unloading, as we'll as the rock
crusher. About a week ago they
applied for cars to haul the gravel
and they learned that the railroad
company could not receive anything
Tor shipment until the new freight
rate has been spublished. The old
rate is SO cents per ton, and while
the new rate had been approved by
the interstate commerce commission,
yet the company can not act upon it
until it has been published in the
new tariff book which will, not be
out until the second of November.
The commissioners had to choose be-
tween paying the 80 cent rate and
delaying the work until November
BY that time the weather will be so
cold that it will be freezing the clay
that is used to mix with the gravel
and they would have to suspend OPP
erations within short time il they
commence.
Suspend to Save
They estimated that if they went
ahead with operations the extra
freight rate they would have to pay
from now until November would
cost the county an additional $4,000
or $4,000 and they have decided to
suspend operations on that account.
Planning the Work
The new highway from Riverside
to Moreland has not been commenced
yet, the time having been consumed
in negotiating. right-of-ways, the
purchase of land and the re-arrange-
ment of bitches and fences to enable
the farmers to handle their irriga-
ton properly and yet make the least
bridges and culverts possible.
Improvement in Grades
An examination Of the grades con-
tracted under the present manage
ment shows q marked contrast to the
old grades built in former years and
under different management. The
old grades were usually high, narrow
and had too great slope. Both
edges were uneven and there was a
strip of two or three feet on each
side that was hardly fit for travel,
yet the expense of building It was
almost as great as IL It had been COM
pleted with better margin or edge.
The new grades that are being built
by the farmers in the past few weeks
are generally patterned after the
plan followed by the county construc-
ton gangs.
Most of the grades that have been
built in former years have been shall
low and where this work was done in
the summer season 1t was ground to
powder and was q damage for the
rest of the season. Most Of the
grades that have been built under
the new highway system, even tho
the year was dry, the grade was built
so deep that it did not grind up like