Belt Valley times. [volume] (Armington, Mont.) 1894-1977, 1923-09-20
THE GREAT FALLS ROAD.

what is the matter with the Great Falls road % is a ques
ton which a great many people are asking.
One of them reports that on a recent trip to the county seat
he saw eight wrecks along the road and that on his return in the
morning, three of these wrecks were still lying along the road,
mute evidence of something which had gone wrong. The belief
seems to be gaining that this is a dangerous twentythree mile
stretch and that thetimid and the inexperienced driver might do
better to go to Great Falls by the way of the Sand Coulee hill road
or would be safer by travelling TO the -Four Corners and then TAX
ing the less travelled road west.
just what is the matter with this road?
The roadbed is hard and within a few minutes after a hard
rain is comparatively dry. 1t has long straight stretches, also
winding hill roads, amply provided with safety fences painted
white. 1t has a few narrow places, some of these with abrupt
descents into the bitches.
There is new gravel in spots which renders these portions of
the road unsafe for fast driving, but taking the matter by and
large this road as a road is one of the best in the state.
Between Butte and Anaconda there is a cement highway with
imperceptible grades where a driver can attain a speed of sixty
miles an hour without causing his Lizzie to get out of breath. A
beautiful road indeed, wide enough for two cars to pass with ease
with safety fences in tricky places, with large red signs at danger
GUS spots, and every precaution taken against accident, yet this is
the only road in the state whose reputation for accidents compels
the Great Falls road to own itself outcassed.
And why are there more accidents on the Butte-Anaconda
road than there are on the Great FaDs-Belt road? Our belief is
because the former is slightly the faster. A person may drive to
the head of Little Belt over a road which, with its dips and turns
and stn feel perfectly safe. He may drive over the old road up
Belt creek in the darkness but he has no fear, Notwithstanding the
fact that this same road is one of the most dangerous in this sec
ton. But when he leaves Great Falls on a Sunday night to return
to Belt, many a good driver is apprehensive and draws a long sigh
of relief when he has pulled safely into his garage.
Years ago five or six hours on the road to Great Falls in a
lumber wagon was not considered excessive. Later three hours
behind a good driving team was considered fast. Five years ago
ninety minutes in a car to the same place was accounted good time
Today the journey requires from thirtytwo to fifty-five minutes.
And at night when the joy-riders are out and the engine is work
ing perfectly in the cool night air, to the driver who is trying to p-
lot his family home in safety, it seems as though thirtytwo min
ues is the average time for the other fellow.
The reason for fast driving on the part of those out for a
good time is obvious, but why a staid old gentleman of sixty should
tool his car along at fifty miles when he has all day to transact a
small amount of business requires some other solution.
In driving over the cement roads from Manhattan to Bozeman
and from Butte to Anaconda we were impressed by the monotony
of the driverss task, by the sameness of perspective, by absence
of the little things which call for a drivers skill and which, while
done intuitivey without conscious thought, still keep the driver in
tent on his job and drive away the intense monotony. There were
no mudholes to go round, no ruts to avoid, no abrupt pitches to
coast down, no steep hills to climb. Nothing was left for the driver
but to hold the wheel straight and a tremendous inclination to
step on the gas.
In a less degree the same thing is true of the Great Falls road.
Ii is so good as to be monotonous and to avoid the irksomeness of
too long a time being spent with little to divert his attention from /;
a task which carries little of pleasure, the driver speeds up. This
accounts for a majority of the accidents, directly and indirectly,
for the speeder may drive the timid or unwary off the road. r
A contrivance which would automatically shut off the pas Y
when a speed of thirty-five miles has been reached would do much
to protect life and limb.