The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1914-12-08


ty. 1t has traversed up and
mountain and hill, the smooj
fected modern road, and it haa~ade
its way over soft earth in two places
for a distance of seven miles, where
new roads have not been finished.
Finally it has operated in clear wea-
ther and in rain.
The demonstration engine is un-
der the charge of three brothers
Charles, William and Merton Morgan
all of whom live near Flinstone.
Charles Morgan says that when he
left home on the trip his wife bade,
him goodbye and told him that 1T
would be the last, as she never ex1
pected him to return from the trip
Her fears, it is said, arose from
the thought that sentiment in favoII
of the use of engines with uncovered
cleats might result in violence I'd
her husband as the demonstrator OF
the feasibility of covered cleats. Howl
ever, there seems to have been n
ground for such fears, as Mr.. Mo
gan has not been disturbed so far,
There is nothing complex abb
the demonstration engine. The
have been rssncys tsana
" Heels, IeaFlng Att EtiIO.
rear wheels, which nropel the engif
an iron band, about ere-half an incA
thick and eight inches wide, had
been circled around each tire, SO ad
to cover the cleats. 1t is bolted I'd
the tire in way that permits easy
fastening and removal. When thu
band is attached the tire offers an
absolutely fiat surface to the road. !
Attached to the demonstrating enI
gine are a sprinkler-wagon and /
threshing machine. The sprinkler
wagon and contents weigh about 3
tons and the threshing machine and
contents about ~ tons, making q
total weight behind the engine OF
about seven and a half tons. In
pulling that load over South Noun
tain the engine had but one of the
rear or driving wheels at work. The
other had been put out of commits
sion by temporary disorder in the
engine.
Chairman o. E. Weller and AS
sistant to the Chairman, Frank II.
Zouck, of the Roads Commission, saw
the engine in operation today, just
beyond MiddletoWn, and they e3-
pressed complete satisfaction in th|e
success of the demonstration. They
said that the haul over the heaviest
grades in the State proved concl4-
sively that engines with coverelt
cleats could be used successfully AMID
that the damage done by cleats TIC
the roads was avoidable. The sahie
opinion was expressed here today y
one of the leading business men c
bankers of this section, a man {
controversy as to whether eng Fs
with covered cleats could be use
The controversy round its ON I
in the effort of the State Roads CoNl
mission to enforce an act of the las1
Legislature forbidding the use oi
the new State roads to traction en-
gines with uncovered cleats. The
act had been passed at the instance
of the commission. The cleats or
the wheels of the heavy traction en-
gines cut deeply into the new roads
Flagrant violations of the law
against use of uncovered cleats lee
the commission to cause the a. 81
of number Of owners of traction en-
gines in this county during the la s.
! few months. When they were tried
in the Circuit Court here in Septem
Der, a large number of owners apt
| farmers testified that if the law we're
enforced, it would be impossible tt
move threshing machines along the
State roads from farm to farm, ahC
that, in consequence. many farme er:
would be unable to have their whea
tbreshed. The commission put OF
the stand witnesses in rebuttal, bu
the Court held against it. The com
mission then took an appeal.
In the meantime, feeling that thu
traction engine owners and farmer
of the State misunderstood the facts
the commission decided upon th'
demonstration, which is now nearl.
at its end and which, it is believed
will convince those interested tha
the heavy damage to the new AM
high-grade roads from uncoVere,
cleats is unnecessary.-Balt Sun o
Dec. 8, 1914.