Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1914-12-10

18m389 . HGw 8oao 10
Unnecessary
From Baltimore Saa. Dc. :. 1914.
The I0-mile-Iong DEMONSTRATION that
traction engines wifsa hands over the
eieafs on the wheeis ean Re operated
successfully upon ttse State roads viii
De FINISHED to-morruw in this CITY.
Frederick. Nd according 10 the
present schedule. The demonstration
was arranged By tie STATE Road Com
mission 70 convince the traction men
and farmers of the state that there IS
. feasible way 90 move the engines
without doing the serious and costly
damage 70 the new roads that results
when the cleats are uncovered.
The demonstration trip proper
started ~ Cumberland on Tuesday a
seek ago. As a matter OF fact il be-
gan about p miles the other side OF
Cumberland near Flintstone, where the
owners OF the engine live, so that the
real distance which has been fraversed
when the engine reaches Frederick is
about i28 miles.
In covering that distance the engine
probably has been put TO the severest
sess possible in the State. u i now a
few miles 10 the west of Frederick and
in reaching that point, has crossed
range upon range Of the Allegheny
and Blue Ridge Mountains and the
hills OF Frederick county. ID has
traversed mp and doxn mountains and
The hills Of Frederick county. II has
traversed up and down mountains aud
hill, The smooth, perfected modern
rosd, and il has made its way over
soft in tao places for a distance OF
seven miles, where neN roads have not
been finished Finally II has operated
IN clear weather and in rain.
The demonstration engine i under
the charge OF three brothers-Charles.
William and Merton Morgan-aIl OF
whom live near Flin,stone Charles
Morgan says that when he left home
on the trip his wife babe him goodbye
and told him that il would be the last,
as she never expected him to return
from the trip.
Her fears, il Is said. arose from the
thought that sentiment in favor of she
use of engines with uncovered eleats
might result in violence 10 her husband
Is the demonstration of the feasibility
of covered cleats. However, there
seems to have been no ground for such
fears. Is Mr.. Morgan has not been
disturbed so far.
There is nothing complex about the
demonstration engine. The cleats
havs been removed from the front
wheels, leaving a fat tire. On the
rear wheels, which propel the engine,
an iron band, about one-half an inch
thick and and eight inches vide. has
been circled around each tire, 50 as 10
cover the eleats. Il is bolted to the
tire in a way that permits easy fasten-
ing and removal. When the band is
attached the tire offers an absolutely
fat surface TO the road.
Attached tothe demonstrating engine
are q sprinkler-wagon and threshing
machine. The sprinkler-wagon and
contents weigh about three tons and
the threshing machine and contents
about four and half tons, making
total weight behind the engine of about
seven and q half tons. In pulling thai
load over South mountain the engine
had but one OF the rear or driving
wheels At work. The other had been
put out of commission by temporary
disorder in the engine.
Chairman q. Z. Weller and Assistant
to the Chairman Frank Fl. Zouck. of
the Road Commission, saw the engine
in operation today just beyond Middle
town and they expressed complete sat-
isfaction in the success of the demon
stration, They said that the haul over
the heaviest grades in the State proved
conclusively that engines with covered
cleats could be used successfully and
that the damage done by cleats to the
roads was avoidable. The same opin-
ion was expressed here today by one
of the leading business men and bank
ers OF this section, man who has kept
in close touch with the controversy as
70 whether engines with covered cleais
could be used.
The controversy found its origin in
the effort of the State Road Commits
sion 10 enforce an act of the last Leg
islature forbidding the use of the new
State roads to traction engines with
uncovered cleats. The act had been
passed at the instance of the commits
sion The cleats ON the wheels of the
heavy traction engines cut deeply into
the new roads.
fragrant violations OF the Las
against use OF uncovered cleats led the
commission TO cause the arrest of
number of the owners of traction en-
gines In this county during the last
few months. When they were tried in
the Circuit Court here in September, q
large number of owners and farmers
testified that If the Law were enforced,
il would be impossible TO move thrash
ing machines along the State roads
from farm 10 farm and that. in conse-
Quence. many farmers would he unable
10 have their wheat thrashed. The
commission put on the stand witnesses
in rebuttal, but the court held against
il. The commission then took an ap-
peal
In the meantime. feeling that the
traction engine owners and farmers OF
the State misunderstood the facts, the
commission decided upon the demon
stration, which is now nearly at its
end and which il is believed. will con-
vince those interested that the heavy
damage 20 the new aud high-grade
roads from uncovered cIeats Is un-
necessary