Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1909-04-29
AUTO.PROOF ROADS INSPECTED.
Maryland Commissioners Study Btu
mnOus Macadam.

MARYLAND Commissioners Study Btu
minOus Macadam.
The members of the Maryland Roads
Commission, who are inspecting modern
road building in the New England States,
spent the second day of their tour in an
interesting trip of 1875 miles through
Massachusetts and Rhode Island, trav-
cling from Boston to Providence, Charles
town, Narragansett Pier, and other i'm
portant points.
The party which consists of Chairman
j. M. Tucker, F. G. Hutton, S. M. Shoe
maker, Prof. William B. Clark and Chief
Engineer Crosby, left Boston at o'clock
and reached Newport at p. M. and de-
parted shortly after for New York.
Gin the trip Of inspection the Mary
landers were accompanied by w. r. Far
rington, one of Massachusetts five divis-
ion engineers, who went with the party
To Cape Cod and Prof. A. H. Blanchard,
deputy engineer Of the Rhode Island
State Board of Roads ard professor of
civil engineering at Brown University.
They inspected experiments in sand roads
building with oil and tar binders and saw
macadam roads, said to be as perfect as
any built.
1.-The great problem Of modern road
building is to get type of road that will
Withstand the strain of automobile trav-
ell. This problem seems to have been
solved by Rhode Island. Between Mar
raganset Pier and Westerly and Nara
ganset Pier and Saunderstown are sever
al stretches of road that have withstood
Tor three years the travel Of from $50 to
500 automobiles day for six months in
the year without cent being spent for
their upkeep. These roads are called
bituminous macadam, and were inspect
ed by the Maryland commission with a
view to investigating their adaptabi.lty
to suburban Baltimore, where automobile
travel is the heaviest in Maryland.
The cost oi bituminous macadam runs
rom $500 to 81, 5000 mile above the
| v
rad, with inch roll. The average
cost of ordinary macadam road in Rhode
l>,and has been $1,000 a mile, and the
average cost of ,nacadam bituminous has
b zen about Sc, 500. While soma of the
stone used in road building is hauled 100
mics, the most of the material is found
right on the spot, the country being gen
orally rocky.
"The Marylanders were delighted with
the days work, and Chief Engineer Cros-
by said the bituminous macadam was
better than any other bodybuilding he
had ever seen. Ten miles of this new
road was gone over, the longest built
sections being three years old. Engineer
Blanc hard, who had direct charge of the
bituminouS macadam construction, said
the maintenance of the lO-mile stretch
had not cost cent. At no point are
there signs of rutting or wear in any
other form Engineer Blanchard says
the road is not only success as an au-
tomoble resistant, but it is also absolute
" dustless in summer
"The road consists of a layer of brok-
en- stone, over which heated bitumen is
poured and covered with quarry dust and
rolled.
Chairman Tucker, speaking of the
days work, said:
"Our day has been very protitably
spent. We have received every assist
ance at the hands of the Massachusetts
and Rhode Island authorities. While
bituminous macadam is still in an exper-
mental stage in connection with auto
mobile travel, it is the most successful
/ type we have yet een.-Sun.