The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1899-01-19
PREPARING PLANS FOR GOOD ROADS.
Present Work of the MaryIrnd Geological

Present Work of the Maryland Geological
Survey.
The laboratory of the Maryland
Geological Survey in Baltimore is now
on the various substances of this
state which are recommended as best
adopted to serviceable road building.
These tests under the direction of DR..
w. b. Clark, are being pushed in con-
junction with the work of gathering
and compiling information relative to
the general subject of road construc-
tion in Maryland.
The survey has already received re-
plies from many of the counties in
answer to the heterogeneous sent out
in circular form to the boards of com
missioners. Nearly all of the Eastern
Shore counties have evinced a live in
terest in the projected undertaking,
and have punctually provided.all the
data requested by DR.. Clark and his
corps.
The circular letters issued by the
survey were intended, when properly
filled out by the county commission
ers, to form the basis for future prac-
teal planning on the part of the ex-
pert corps. This planning is expected
to consist mainly of an elaborate and
suggestive report, which, when sub
mitted to the next legislature, will be
the tangible argument to support
some definite and substantial action
in the direction of good road build
ing.
The survey is now at work on its
report. All the incoming stock of in
formation which is daily being re-
ceived from the several counties is
subjected to all the scientific trials
and tests necessary to prove the cor
rectness of its statements. These
tests are intended to reduce to a
scientific certainty the degree of util-
ity possessed by each of the preferred
substances which are recommended
( by the different county boards.
The object of the surveys present
experiments is to determine for each
of the counties two important points.
| What material is best suited to the
individual county for road construc-
ton? The other is, What material
can each county use with the best re-
suits at the cheapest cost?
The information forwarded to the
survey in accordance with the inter
rogatories sent out will make possible
an easy solution of this double prob
lem. In fact, that same information
will be the nucleus from which will
be elaborated the legislative report.
The report will first deal with all the
various lines of road construction on
general principles, and will then
take up the list of counties and each
of the characters of material and treat
them specifically.
One of the most important and by
all odds the most welcome features of
the report will be the helpful style in
which the roads of each separate
county will be handled. That parti-
cular department of the report will
reduce facts to that concrete form in
which theyswill be of the greatest
practical service to the local road
builders. 1t will treat all the various
/ types of roads, the material of which
| they are constructed, the cost of con-
struction, the comparative durability
of each and the average annual re-
quirement which will be made in the
form of repairs.
In connection with this listing and
complete compilation of data will be
found suggestions and recommends
tions from the survey itself, disclos-
ing the best methods for laying the
| best roads, what character of con-
struction is best fitted to certain sorts
and what kind of road would be the
cheapest, commensurate with it's dur
ability, which could best be built in
each one of the counties.