Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1907-03-29
Report Of the Grand Jury.
To the Honorable the Judges of the Circu
Court for Montgomery county, Md.

port OF the proceedings as lolloWs:
We have examined eighty four witnesses,
finding twenty three indictments.
Jailer William p. Trail reported on CON
dition of the Jail and prisoners, recommend,
ing that the large door leading from the jail
yard to the street and the root Of the jail DC
repaired, also that the cart furnished for the
purpose Of holding and hauling away the
garbage and slops of prisoners have new
cover put on and that provisions be made
for having cart emptied oftener.
We visited the Jail in body and ma
prisoners-1 white male, colored female
and coored males; and that repairs need
cd as recommended by Jaier Traii, the
large door needing a new sheet iron lining
on inside and new frame around door: Inc
cart for removing garbage, slops, 0c', Is
without any cover We would recommend
that there be new and smaller cart pro,
vided, or else have new top put on the OLD
cart bed. We further recommend Duckets
with covers provided for prisoners to deposil
| night soil and slops; also that heavy mesh
galvanized wire screens be put over cell
windows on the outside to prevent any one
from passing In or receiving articles Ihrough
window bars.
We also recommend that the Jail roof he
| repaired, as In several places the slate mas
become broken and knocked OH by large
| limb falling on roof during the winter.
We found conditions Of the jail and yard
In clean and sanitary condition, the cells
and beds clean and well kept, and the COOK
ing and utensils amply sufficient for 'he We
quired needs, the prisoners seemingly cou'
tented, having no complaints w maze ~
garding their quarters or rations
Acting upon the request OF Numerous =
payers that we make inquiry to 60 80
the cause for the apparent unneceas' y anAy
| in Al
are being built In this countY aAier me
Shoemaker Law, we summoned ana exam
lned a majority of the Board OF County
Commissioner, together with the clerk to
the,said board, and made such other lnves'
| tgatlon as was possible in the limited time
had for such investigation.
We find that when citizens OF commu-
nifty have applied to have a piece OF TINS
road constructed, and such application mas
been approved by the Board oil County
Commissioners and has also been approved
by the State Road Commission, that all
plans and specifications have been prepared
by the State Road Commission, including
the time in which the road was to be COM
pleted several different plans for liking
| time limit seem to have been adopted by the
| State Road Commission and accepted by the
| County Commissioners. In at least one in
stance q contract was let without any time
limit, the cause for this, ii is said, that no
contractor would agree to build the road
and bind himself to any specified time Tor
| Its completion.
| We find that the contracts for building
| these roads are let by the County Commits
sioners, subject to the approval of the State
Road Commission, and that these contracts
cannot be altered or extended without the
| consent of the County Commissioners and
| the consent OF the State Road Commission.
We find that in practically all OF these con
| tracts the time limit has been extended upon
| request of the several contractors, when so
recommended by the State Engineer. We
| find that about III miles OF the Shoemaker
| road have been contracted for and the work
on the same begun. About miles oil the
III miles have been finished. About OF
miles In addition to the II miles have been
| applied for in different parts OF the county.
About 3 or miles of the 81 miles have been
recommended by the County Commission.
ers and the applications sent 10 the State
Road Commission for their approval. We
| Ind that the cost per mile varies, the aver
age cost being about 80, 400.
We find that at least two contracts for one
mile each, on different county roads, have
| been let to the same contractors, and that
the County Commissioners should have
known that these contractors were not
equipped with the necessary machinery 10
construct these roads, and were depending
on hiring some OF the machinery from an
other contractor. We find that the State
Engineer has had, and does have, absolute
control of the construction OF all of these
roads In this county, and that the County
| Commissi oners have done about what he or
| his assistants have asked them to do In the
| premises
We find nothing from this investigation
| which tends to cast any suspicion on the
conduct of our County Commissioners In 80
| far as their integrity and honesty OF pur-
pose is concerned, and we believe them to
be an honorable body OF gentlemen, but we
do believe that they have allowed the State
Engineer and the several contractors to i'm
pose upon the people Of the county certain
| hardships in connection with the building
| Of these roads-which hardships could have
been greatly lessened had the County Com
mlssIOners stood up firmly against 30 much
| extension of time and exercised more au-
thority, which they apparently have under
| the law, In the construction OF these shoe
| maker roads.
We recommend that Ia the future when
more ofthese contracts are to be let, that the
County Commissioners refuse to give the
contracts ont until they are more reasonably
sure than they have been in the past that
the contracts can be fulfilled In reasonable
specified time. We believe that the exces.
sive rains during the last two or three years
| have somewhat delayed the completion OF
| these roads, but we also believe that our
| County Commissioners should have seen
| that work on these roads was pushed more
rapidly in good weather by reason OF this
| fact.
We believe in good roads and we favor
any practical law which will give us good
roads, but we believe that certain portions
| of the Shoemaker Law and the preceding
acts which led up to the Shoemaker Law
are not practical road laws, and We recon-
mend that these acts be so amended as 10
| become practical road laws II they are TO
remain on our statute books.
| A committee of five being appointed they
visited the Aims House, finding 81 in
mates-9 white males, white females, total
| 10: 8 colored males, 5 colored females and
children.
We recommend new hen house being
built, repairing and painting main building
and porch on west side, also a ten-foot CON
crete pavement between back OF house and
stone wall whole length of house, building
a new garden fence and water tank, aud q
shed at south end OF barn for storing ma
| chinery and that meat house be repaired q
We also recon- mend building being built
for superintendent, the main building not
being efficient for the inmates and super
intendent, and further recommend new
spouting being placed on main building
and barn.
We find the property in good shape, clean
and Ia a sanitary condition. We find on
the farm 4 fine work horses in good c0nul-
ton, cows In most excellent condition,
bulls Zone 2 year. old), 8 heilers, boar, 2
brood sows, IA shoats, 10 cords OF wood, 70
barrels Of corn, 8 tons of hay, barrels Of
fish, 100 bushels Of potatoes, 1 900 pounds oil
meat, 38 acres Of growing wheat Cooking
lne), farm implements in gooc condition,
showing careful attention; 81 acres to NOW
in grass, and 40 acres for corn, partly
plowed.