The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1927-08-25
$4,000 YARDS OF
DIRT TO BE MOVED
Contractors Start Work On
the Big Fill Across Sank
Lake Narrows
TO TAKE NINETY DAYS
Resume of the Progress of
Construction of Highway
Number Four

Work of constructing Babcock
Highway No. between Sank Gem
tire and Long Prairie may now be
said to be in full blast.
After weeks of preparation in
the erection of trest1es and tenn
porary narrow gauge tracks across
the Sank Lake Narrows Nolan
Brothers, contractors Sunday
moved in large caterpillar steam
shovel on the right of way near the
Home School for Girls. Monday
and Tuesday was spent in making
cuts for the tracks on land. Thous-
ands of dollars were spent before
one shovel full of dirt was placed
where it will remain.
The foreman in charge of the
work stated to the Herald editor
Tuesday afternoon that they ex-
pected to begin the fill which will
require the moving of 125, 900
yards of dirt, Wednesday morn
ing. Within a short time the crews
will work night and day. He said
that each crew would move about
1900 yards of dirt each day un-
der normal conditions. These
crews will handle the fill to the
lake channel where the bridge of
100-foot span will be erected
Within a few days another shovel
will be installed and the fill will
be carried to the channel on the
other side of the lake.. With good
fortune they expect to complete
the grading in about 80 days.
This piece of highway is one of
the most comprehensive pieces of
road building Mr.. Babcock is
building this year. When COM
pleted it will also be one of the
most beautiful and practical high
ways in the state. The plans and
specifications call for a 40-foot
top on the highway across the lake.
| The view up and down the lake as
one drives this road will give the
tourist a pleasurable thrill. The
completion of the highway will al
so bring farmers within few miles
| of Sank Centre who have hereto
fore done much of their business
elsewhere because of distance to
the city. 80
The Herald believes the rerout-
ling of this Highway is the most
constructive piece of work accom-
plished by the Sank Centre Com
munity Club.
Last week the Long Prairie
Leader sent one of it's newgather-
ers over much of the new high
way, and he found many things Of
interest. His story follows:
"The busiest work in the coun-
ty is the building of the new high
way from Sank Centre north on
No. A. AT least that is the opin-
! ion of The Leader reporter after
visit to the road construction
camps Saturday afternoon. Three
large crews of men are busy be-
tween Round Prairie and three
1 miles south of Little Sank, stirring
up an immense amount of dust and
incidentally building a fine road.
ain all nearly 100 men are now
employed in the three camps Wis
tied and before the end of the
| week more men and great deal
more equipment will be added to
rush the work-at top speed.
"The John Leach company, of
| Omaha, Nebraska, in charge Of
1 the fve-mile stretch of road near
Round Prairie, has "a men en-
! ployed. A grader that automatic
ally loads the dump wagons is
pulled by large caterpillar tract
/, or and is kept on the go continu-
ally. The Leach company also has
a gasoline dragline for excavating
that cannot be handled by the
grader. The Gragline shovel fills
a wagon with two bites and can
handle yard and half Of ma
terial every minute. John Leach,
foreman in charge, said that their
work will take them about two
months longerato complete. No
cuts have to be made on this part
of the road, the gravel taken from
[ the ditch is put back on the road
to bring it up to the required level.
/ 1.-TWO miles north of Little Sank
i is the camp of Spencer & Nolan of
Minneapolis. Thirty men are em-
| ployed at this camp which also has
SO head of horses and mules. A
! grader with an automatic loader Is
also being used by this crew and
steam shovel is expected this
week to take care of the excavat-
ing that will have to be done in
the Little Sank vicinity. in one
cut alone $4,000 yards of ma
terial will have to be moved which
is quite job in itself when it is
remembered that it is equivalent
to $4,000 loads of dirt. One of
the worlmen when asked whether
the job would be completed this
4 fall doubted that the Little Sank
part of the job would be finished
within a year.
i From Little Sank to Sank Gem
tire there are a number Of large
fills and cuts to be made. In one
j place alone so 000I yards Of mater
9SstCbntinued on Page Een