The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1921-07-14
WORK ON OUR ROAD
Grading and Bridge Crews Are Max
ing Dirt Fly on the thinner
man-Elk River Road.
There Are Five Camps for the Men
Who are Doing the Grading,
10 Men Are Employed.

One hundred and seventy men are
working like beavers on the thinner
man-Elk River road, clearing stretches
of land and hosting and shoveling the
soil around according to the plan laid
down by the highway engineers.
There are two big steam shove1s
working on the job besides all the
horses and men that are employed.
AS the driver crosses the railroad
tracks at Zimmerman he encounters
one Of these big machines swinging its
long arm out and reaching almost I'M
der the wheels Of his car for huge
shovelful Of sand which is deposited
in the cars of a horse train When
the nine small cars are loaded the
train moves on and the sand is dumped
about couple of hundred yards be-
low on a stretch of low ground. All
down the line for ten miles crews of
men are busy with shovels and scrap
ers, building the road bed by filling in
and cutting down. Verify in these
days mans hand shapes the earth's
surface to suit his own purposes.
The grading of the ten mile piece
of road has been let to Winston Bros.
Co., and Frederick Atkinson is the
foreman in charge of the whole prof.
ect. The Winston Bros. is one of the
biggest companies in this section of
the country engaged in this type of
work. The company has two big
camps Of its own and part of the
work has been sublet to A. F. VOL
Ian, Roy Carter Of Zimmerman and D.
C.Washburn of Elk River, each of,
whom has his own camp and crew of
men. All the bridges and culverts,.
20 in all, are being put in by the Isle
Construction Co., which also has it's
own camp. F,iei:n;.~-4.
The road when graded is to be SO
feet wide and the culverts and bridges
will be about so feet in width. The
general course of the road will not
be changed but the curves will be
eliminated. The engineer reports
that the new road, at all points, will
lie within hundred feet of the old
bed. The road will of course be gray
eled after being graded. There are
number of big gravel pits on the
highway. Monday the old road was
still open but it will probably be
closed this week. Drivers will then
have to make a detour about two miles
east, going east from Zimmerman in
stead of taking the south road, and
coming back on the main road about
two miles below town. When the
lower portion of the Zimmerman-Elk
River road becomes impossible, it is
planned to have detour west through
Meadow Vale. Cars would then con-
tinue due south from the Scenic high
way and not take. the left-handed
turn that leads into Zimmerman.
About 300 yards below the railroad
crossing is one of the Winston Bros
camps. It forms quite village with
it's cook house, dining hall and group
IF tents for the men and horses.
There is one tent for the 81 horses
and four tents for the men. Each
camp has it's own blacksmith.
One of the most interesting fea-
lures was the cook house and dining
hall. A big range is installed in the
kitchen and the cook, C. Edeson, pre-
pares everything the men eat, even
bakes bread. The Union party did not
stay for supper but if the doughnuts,
cookies and pie which Mr.. Edeson
produced were samples of his cooking
the men in that camp have excellent
board. M. E. Carlson, general office
man, who orders the supplies, says
his company plans on giving the men
just the kind of food they want. He
says they make it point to furnish
first-class food, oleomargarine never
appears on their tables and during
the hot weather they even serve iced
tea. The men working by the month
receive a salary and their board while
the day men pay for their board.
Roy Carriers camp was also visited.
He has % men, including three resi-
dents of. Princeton, Andrew Lindberg.
Charles Weeks and Dick Patchen.
This camp is much like the first one.
that is, it is a complete little village.
Mr.. Carter does not use tents but has
four small houses, 10 #. by "a it,,
mounted on wheels. Two of these are
used for sleeping rooms, one for
cook house and dining hall, and one
for general office.
The other camps on the road were
not visited but evidently number of
the Isle Construction crew are stay
ing at the hotel in Zimmerman. They
are fine set Of clean, husky-looking
young men who undoubtedly could
build bridges or anything else they
undertook.
Anyone who thinks work is not
progressing rapidly on the thinner
man-Elk River road should drive
down there and look over the ground
and work did not start there until
June rs.