The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1924-08-07

A Boise man told a rude jok
about a party of lodge women max
| ing a trip over the north and soutl
highway. Oh, don't know that /
was a rude joke exactly. 1 believe
will tell it to you before starting
up the line and see what you make
of it.
1 didn't catch quite all he said
but as l remember 1t, a party of foul
or five ladies of Lewiston who were
delegates to the grand chapter Of
the Order of Eastern Star at Nampa
in June, 1924, decided to drive
through and go over the north and
south highway. The press had said
good deal about the road being
open for traffic, and some of these
women were accustomed to driving,
so they took to the road.
The car needed overhauling but
they didn't know it. About every
time they negotiated hill something
went wrong with the car and there
was delay None of them expressed
any Impotence, and none of them
admitted that there was anything
going wrong. They just said that
all was we'll and that everything
would come out all right. The man
telling of the trip said the ladies
were all Christian Scientists, but
that may have been just his way
of trimming up the story.
The lady doing the driving had
never been taught the trick of let
ting a car down hill on compression,
and every time she descended steep
the hill was long she would nearly
lose control. They did some won
derful coasting at times, and at first
the ladies were unanimous in say
ing it was all right and all they had
to do was to keep their seats to ar
rive at Nampa on time. But the
time came when they could not keep
their seats and their philosophy was
shattered. The brakes got hot and
failed to hold, and she had to choose
between slamming the car into
hunk of granite at the side of the
dugway or shooting the chutes. She
chose the hunk. The car stopped
more abruptly than did the passen-
gers, and when they untangled them
selves and got out, one of them ex-
claimed that it was providential that
they struck the rock; another added
that the Lord was with them on all |,
Of this trip and it was now very
plain that the hand of God was
guiding the car. The third one is |
said to have retorted, "Well If it is,
He is doing very poor job of it. No
such driving as this could pass mus
ter in an application for taxi IL
,ense." The man telling the story
said he had always found that
good car and strict attention to the
Job of driving were vital to pleas
mt journey on mountain roads. He
llso said that every driver ought to
De taught the trick of descending
Hills on the gear best suited to the
grade, and should be taught just
low to change gears during the de-
scent, If it became necessary to
,hange.
The north and south highway is
,pen to traffic, but it is not complet-
ID. Between Council and White
,ird are 1876 miles of ordinary
road with short steep hills
nd dugroads that call for caution
n driving. 1t was on this twenty
hree and six-tenths miles that the
lewiston ladies had their trouble.
he rest of the road is a boulevard
With easy grades and broad, smooth
oadbed and plenty of room for cars
o pass at any place.
Twenty years ago the politicians \
7ere talking about getting a railroad
o connect north and south Idaho.
or about twenty years before that
hey were talking about getting ap-
ropriations to build state wagon
Dad. For twenty-one years before
hat there had been occasional men
ion of wagon road along the line
t the pack trail made by the gold
ushers who went in in 1868. At
arious times q section of road was
uilt. / remember that in 1894 the
'lackfoot News said that SO much
honey had been spent on the state
'agon road and people knew SO lit {
e of where 1t was or what 1t was,
was due to the people that some '
counting be made of the appro- !
already expended. In the {
arly years of the present century !
railroad was built as far as Coun- -,
Il, and it was known as the Payette I
nd Idaho Northern, and is known 6
5 the P. & I. N. or Pin road. The ,
RECON Short Line and Union Pa
fic sent cruisers through the rest t
the route good many years ago
} observe and report upon the feas-
ility of railroad and the cruis- +
3 reported that 1t would be very S
Epensive and they did not find a
for enough traffic to sup