The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1904-06-24
ENCOURAGED by the Mary
H. land Legislatures passage of

Shoemaker Good Roads bill, the
Maryland Geological Survey, under
the direction of DIR. VIM. Bullock
Clark, has prepared for an active
summer of service in the interest
of the Boards of County Commits
sioners throughout the State, from
which calls for assistance in the
way of expert information, esti-
mates, and road engineering have
begun to come in to the Survey
authorities.
A very striking sign of the pros
pective betterment of roads in
Maryland is the interest and prog
ress manifested in the various
counties to help themselves and to
push forward scientific road build
ing. In each case the fact that
there will early be available a con-
siderable sum under the Shoemaker
Act will be a great assistance, and
it is expected that full advantage
will be taken of the opportunity
for obtaining the supervision OF
road building by A. N. johnson.
The question with which each
county is confronted is whether,
under the present method of ad-
ministering its road funds, the
roads have steadily improved a
dollars worth for every dollar that
has been expended upon them, and
whether the very best results have
been obtained in each case.
What are the facts in this con-
nection9 In the past fifteen years
the people of Montgomery county
have expended on their roads, in
Guiding tolls, over $4,000. Let
us say that it is necessary to ex-
pend as much as half this sum on
repairs which are absolutely needed
to keep the roads in safe condi-
ton, and that the other half of the
money should have been expended
in making good macadam roads. II
this had been done, then in the
past fifteen years they would have
spent little over 100000 on well
made roads. Now put the cost OF
a good macadam road at a compar-
atively high figure, say $4,000 per
mile for 12-foot macadam, accord
ingly, they should have costructed
in the last Is years 45 miles Of
good roads. But 40 miles of good
macadam roads have not been built
in the last 15 years in Montgomery
or in any other county of this State.
A realization of the unsatisfac.
tory and wasteful methods pursued
in the past is, however, apparent
in many parts of the State, and
there is now in progress a definite
sentiment for scientifically con-
structed roads. Requests for assist
ance have been received by the
Survey from Ia of the % counties
in the State and examinations,
plans and estimates have been made
for upwards of so pieces of roads.
Not all of these have been improv-
ed wholly according to the sug-
gestions given, but in a large num-
Der of instances the work has been
done according to the plans and
specifications that were furnished
AS an instance of progress, Bal
timore, Prince Georges, Allegany
and Carroll counties have each en-
gagged road engineer for the i'm
provement of their highways, and
with these gentlemen the Highway
Division of the Survey will in all
probability be called into consulta.
ton. In a number of other coun-
ties money has been appropriated.
and in one instance, bequeathed fol
making sections of the state model
roads under specifications of the
Maryland Geological Survey. One
of the roads was made in Queer
Anne's county on the Eastern
Shore, where heretofore oyster
shells had been the only material
used to improve the roads. This
road was constructed by the Sur.
vey of a basic Stag from the steel
works at Sparrow's Point, where
the Stag was readily shipped on
barges to point about "a mile and
a half from the road. The material
was employed because of its cheap
ness and made a very satisfactory
road, although one not well adapted
to withstand very heavy traffic. Its
cost was 1880 a mile.
In 1908 the County Commission
ers Of Cecil county appropriated
$l1, 900 for the construction of
macadam road to be built under
the Maryland Geological Survey
specifications at Rising Sun. This
road, which has been completed
for one mile, is macadamized for a
\ width of IL feet and graded for a