Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1914-12-03
Traction Eas;.,e Test
Stats Reads comniss;oa sIsnts To Prove
Its cesfsafien That Wheels Can BE
Eqsippsd So as To Do No Iniury.


w uDttshcu bt hequestI.
One OF the most interesting expert
ments in connection with the construc-
ton and protection of roads ever un-
dertaken I'm this State is nov in pro-
gress under the direction of the State
Roads Commission. IL is expected 20
be OF marked interest TO the farmers OF
the State and has been undertaken by
the commission In order 10 prove the
soundness Of its contention, which was
over-ruled last summer by the Fred
erick County Court; that il is not
necessary that the improved highways
OF the State be destroyed or seriously
injured by traction engines in order
that the farmers may have their grain
thrashed.
A State law forbids the use of trac-
ton engines on the State roads unless
their driving wheels, all of which are
equipped with triangular cleats OF
steel, be rendered harmless TO the
roads by the use of filler blocks be-
tween the cleats or by the use of iron
bands over the wheels of sufficient
width TO prevent the cleats from cutting
into the roads. Suits for Injunction
were flied by the commission against
the owners of several traction engines
who refused to equip their engines
with either the filler blocks or the
bands, and the Frederick County
Court refused to grant the injunction
permitting the engines to use the
roads with unprotected wheels at will.
The commission appealed and the
case is now before the Court of
Appeals.
At the trial the commission offered
to equip the engine OF any man in the
county with bands over the wheel
cleats, and IL the engine could not 60
over any State road in the county
thus equipped and draw its usual load
the commission would withdraw its
suits. This proposition was rejected.
Later the commission endeavored to
hire an engine from one of the big
factories in order to make a demon
stration. but the engine company re-
fused To allow one of its engines to be
used.
Since then the commission has Sc
cured typical traction engine, has
fitted its wheels with bands and is now
sending it over the roads from Cum
berland to Frederick, where it will
wind up in front of the Courthouse.
The engine started out from Cumber-
land couple of days ago and is now
held up at Gilpinville. II miles east of
the Queen City, waiting for bridge
to be strengthened. This will be COM
pleted today and the engine will start
on its eastward journey tomorrow
afternoon. 1t has already crossed
Martins Mountain, seven miles east
of Cumberland, which has a OK per
cent. grade, probably as heavy as any
1t will have to encounter, and it went
over the mountain without the slight
est trouble.
The mountains IL will have TO cross
ON its way to Frederick will be Polish
Mountain, Green Ridge, Town Hill
and Sideling Hill, this last requiring
steady pull of four and half miles
TO the top and a descent OF equal
length on the east. This will take the
engine across the Allegbenies. In
crossing the Blue Ridge it will go
over South Mountain, Catoctin Noun
tain and Braddock Heights and thence
into Frederick.
The engine is owned by Charles Nor
gan, of Flintstone; is of 10 horsepower
and has l6-inch driving wheels. Il is
hauling a thrashing machine weighing
three and a-half tons and a tank wagon
filed, which weighs three tons more.
This is a far.heavier load than the or
binary thrashing outfit makes, but the
commission was anxious to make the
load heavy enough.
The bands on the wheel are half an
inch thick and 10 inches wide, and each
band is made in two sections and are
bolted right through the rim of the
wheel. In tests two men put on the
rims for both driving wheels in less
than 10 minutes and took them off In
10 minutes. 1t was asserted at the trial
that it would take from three to four
hours to take of or put on the bands.
II the experiment proves successful
over the steepest grades in the State,
the commission holds there will be no
excuse for traction engine owners re-
fusing to so equip their engine wheels
with the bands and thus protect the
roads from excessive damage. Il has
been figured out that a traction engine
using the roads FREE uently will cost the
State in damage to the roads more
than the engine would cost.
The Engineering Record, in discuss
ing the Frederick county decision, In
an editorial, says:
what is at present an unjust de-
cision may become dangerous prece-
dent. Motor traffic in Maryland, as in
other States, is subject to laws regard
ing weight and speed and the payment
of license fees. These are equitable
requirements. What the Frederick
County Court has done is to set aside
a tractor regulation Law as logical as
those restricting general motor traffic.
Bituminous surfaces in Maryland
seem to be meeting legitimate strains
efficiently. To expect them to carry
heavy engines with unprotected wheels
is an absurdity which should be evil
dent to every intelligent Marylander.
The Roads Commission should appeal
from this decision and should be up