Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1909-03-05
The State Roads Commission Hears
Advocates of Routes.
EXISTING Pixies WILL Be BUILT UPON.


The hearing before the State Roads Com
mission in the Fourth Armory at Baltimore,
last Friday, was largely attended, and DEM
onstrated the great interest which is being
felt in the proposed State roads. The con-
sensus of opinion among the representa-
tives from the counties affected by the
tentative routes in Howard. Carroll, Mont
gomery Frederick and Washington coun-
ties was that existing turnpikes should be
preserved and improved, but not torn up
or destroyed At the close of the previous
meeting the idea became prevalent that
the commission stood three to three on this
proposition. and the apprehension was ac-
centuated by the remark of Commissioner
Shoemaker at Sandy Spring several days
later.
Senator Blair Lee, without advocating or
opposing any of the proposed routes through
Montgomery county, vigorously urged the
Importance of conserving the funds appor-
tionable under the law to this county by
utilizing any existing pike which might
form part of the route finally selected.
He also explained the plans of certain tax
payers in the eastern part of the county
to purchase and donate to the commission
thrty-seven miles of pike and thus make
them free roads. and explained that this
plan would not involve the expenditure of
more than a nominal sum to place them
in proper state of repair or cost the dis
tricts of the county anything except the
three directly interested.
Mr.. Shoemaker indicated that his atti-
tude had been misunderstood, and Govern
or CrOthers gave the assurance that there
would be no wholesale tearing up of pixies
and stated thatit would be the policy of the
commission to utilize, as far as practicable.
any existing pike which might be covered
by the State road system.
No decision was reached in respect to
the acceptance of the proposed donation
of the thirty-seven miles of toll pixies in
the eastern part of this county.
The various proposed routes through this
county were well represented by their re-
spective advocates, including Messrs. j.
Dawson Williams. W. 0uterbridge Spates,
and William T. Griffith, who spoke for the
Poolesville- Beallsville route; Messrs Chas.
w. Prettyman. Robert G. Hilton and DR..
James E. Deets, favoring the Clarksburg
HyattstOwn route, and Messrs. Elisha Riggs
and Columbus Purdum. for the Damascus
Mt Airy route.
Mr.. Allan Farquhar favored road con-
Meeting with Howard county, opposed the
tearing up of pixies and advocated the
acceptance by the commission of d0na-
ton of the toll roads, which latter propo-
sition was not opposed by any of the
speakers from Montgomery county except
Mr.. Charles X. Darby. who did not favor
this plan.
The commission gave no idea Of what
its final conclusions would be. In case the
tentative route from the District line to
Hyattstown via Rockville, Gaithersburg and
Clarksburg should be finally adopted, it is
the hope of the advocates Of some Of the
other routes that there will be enough left
of the apportionment for this county to
enable the commission to build several
miles besides where most needed. And
the chances of this being done are con-
trbuted to by the present disposition Of the
commission to accede to the sentiment of
the counties against the tearing up Of ex-
listing turnpikes.