The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1903-02-21
HIS SECOND ANNUAL REPORT.
Roads Engineer Crosby Submits 1t to the
County Commissioners.


The second annual report of Mr.. Walter w.
Crosby, roads engineer for Baltimore county,
has been printed in pamphlet form and copies of
it were handed TO the County Commissioners on
Tuesday. The report forms an interesting and
instructive document of thirty nine pages. from
which we make some extracts as follows:
noticeable increase in the appreciation of the
Importance of the proper shape of a road has
been apparent this year, and the engineer feels
much gratified thereby. In some sections of the
districts where the road fund does not exceed
$50 per mile, on advice of the engineer. the old
onIv of earth at the ninimnm Cost and after
ward such needed stoning was done as could be
Afforded. The results were most gratifying,
there being less expense for maintenance and
more money for permanent work than ever
before.
The engineer wishes to call attention to the
Importance in roadmaking, as in any other work,
of care and attention to small details Many a
road can trace its ruin directly to lack of care in
spreading the stone or breaking it, or TO lack of
age for the surface water Too often are stones
carelessly dumped into hole and left to pack
down In bunch that makes two holes of the
first, when, by very little care, the original
hole might have been patched SO as to preserve
the proper shape and surface of good road.
As frequent differences of opinion among the
road commissioners of the different districts ex-
st as to the amount of mileage in charge of each,
with the result that it is sometimes difficult to
tain road, the suggestion is made that each board
of district road commissioners be required to
submit annually list of the different roads in
its district, with the mileage of each road, and
the equal division of this mileage among the sew
eral road commissioners, according to law, for
the approval of the County Commissioners.
The matter of distractions in the county roads
has become one of great Importance, particular
ly such as are connected with the erection of
poles for wires and similar structures. Too
often are the rights of the public totally disre-
garded by the telephone. telegraph or lighting
companies, and poles placed where they are a
distinct menace to travel, or where they serious
ly interfere with the proper maintenance of a
satisfactory driveway. With view to better
recommended that the Board of County Com
missioners pass an order that hereafter no per-
NIT for any pole of any kind or any similar OBJ
struction within the limits of the county roads
shall be issued until the party desiring said per-
mission shall file with his application for per-
NIT plan showing the locations of the Travelled
way of the road limits of the existing poles, &C.,
and of the proposed location of the poles petit
toned for, and until such plan shall be approved
by the County Commissioners. Solar, however,
no action has been taken.
The work of improving some of the county
roads has been impeded by the disputes which
have arisen at some points as to their exact loca
ton. In many cases the records are faulty, and,
while by q long, expensive process the exact
location of the road in question might be estab-
lished, it has been in some cases thought better
to abandon the proposed improvement until
such time as the disputants could agree to set
tie the matter and permit the work to go for
ward.
The engineer notes with pleasure. by the an
nouncement of the appointees for the ensuing
year, the evident interest of the County Com
mssioners in the taxpayers behalf by their re-
fusing to appoint some men as road commi sion
ers who have proven themselves unfit for these
positions.
the roads for labor and material in the different
districts OF Baltimore county follows: