Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1914-03-20
Traction Engines, Roads And Other
Things.

ne ulSpOSeS OF nnally IN MS last paragrap
Anyway, sooner or later there will b
State regulation which will require thes
fil-pieces," etc.-it will amuse the folks a
large to read some more observations. Per
sonally, | will quit being an owner of
traction engine at the first fair offer 70
the outfit, but while it is here of course
have fellow-feeling for the other mel
who are in the business, and maybe lit
tie biased by it. will own up to one mis-
statement in my former letter. My engin
is not at home. so could not count tn,
cleats, but find from the bill of last Sc
bought that there are 80 on each wheel
"a in all. instead of 1873. find, however
that there are two nuts on each fill-piece, 81
it does not affect the time used in changing
them. The estimated cost of go cents fo
each change is apparently not great, bu
when deducted twice from the thresher
mans profit of about So per day 1t lookl
like he will not have much for that day.
work. Twice. because it happens on leav
ing the road as well as on coming on it
Such economy as this. put in practice ir
private work. will bankrupt the worker
much quicker than it will the county, be.
cause 1t sharder to raise the tax rate. Five
years ago go cents would hire a laborel
for day on most any farm work. and
even now it will work one for a half day
As to the "Killeen Road" the "otheI
causes" must have contributed very largely
to the damage done. Senator Lee once said
in public address in my hearing that the
first mile of the Blair road was worn out sc
completely in building the second that it
cost over $4,000 to rebuild it. II this be
so, the engine hauling must do less dam
age than the teams. 1t must be kept in
mind, however. that this "Killeen Road
was subjected to engine traffic such as no
road will ever get from agricultural outfits.
Take for example the Frederick road be-
tween Rockville and Gaithersburg. There
are about ten farms on this road which
raise annually about 5000 bushels of
wheat, and, probably. 5000 tons of hay
and straw are baled on this stretch. This
is practically all done by two men who
make not over ten round trips on the road
in season, while the engine on the road
work made hundred or so.
II there were any guarantee that the
roads will be kept smooth after improve
ment, probably the smooth wheels would
keep the machinery from being shaken to
pieces AS a matter Of experience, they
have not been so kept under our county
MANAGEMENT. A year or so before the
Federal Government stepped in. travellers
over the Georgetown pike can remember
the six bitches running the length Of that
road, and how hard it was to find place
to travelOn. Also the many bumps they got
in. moving from one side to another. Sum-
mer before last ! saw little, humpbacked
fellow bringing roller up the Seventh
Street pike. He had command of Ian
guage which fitted him for revivalist of
the Billy Sunday type. had it been of the
revival instead of the reviling kind. He
was out Of coal, he had broken several of
the cab supports. and had his roof propped
up with fence rails and wire. his headlight
had shaken off and was piled up on the
water wagon, and the whole outfit was in a
state Of collapse. He said THE internal fool
Road Commission ordered me to run this
machine over the road from Forestville to
Mt. Airy instead of shipping it on the rail-
road. Thought they would save money, but
when what is left of il comes out of the
shop they will be behind" A good deal
of space could be filed with his whole
speech. but it would be considered imprint
able. The smooth wheels did not seem to
have saved either his machine or his
nerves. and | much fear ii will be much
the same way with the other improved
roads.
OF course. If we are going to turn our road
system over to the Central Government.
forsake our Democratic doctrine of States
Rights and depend on the outsider to make
roads, we will have to put up with the regu-
lations they see fit to promulgate. So far,
the people in this section do not seem
willing to turn everything over to carpet
baggers, and ii does look foolish to put
ourselves in a position to have the signs
set up on our roads. on which special levy
taxes are still being paid for county bonds,
like those so prominent on macadamized
roads in the District Of Columbia mo
heavy loaded wagons allowed on these
roads" And yet that is what the accept
ance Of the Department OF Agriculture
mean IL carried to the extreme.
While the regulations against thresher
engines are raising the same controversy
in a great many other States. there appears
to be no actual proof Of such damage as is
claimed. And there are positive facts to
the contrary. There is piece Of macadam
at La Porte. Ind. about a half mile in
length. between two plants OF large en-
CINE and thresher factory. which has been
put to the test by the hardest kind Of en-
CINE traffic. having been used as a testing
ground for all kinds and weights Of engines.
in all kinds Of weather, for five or six years,
and it has stood the racket with little or no
repair and shows little wear. No road in
this State has ever been so used, and the
law as il now stands was put through the
Legislature on the theory that damage
might be done. II was probably drawn by
the same kind of engineer as the one who
told delegation of our citizens that the
arch Of the roads built under the specifi-
cations Of the Shoemaker law was so per-
feet that it would support a heavy loaded
wagon even II the entire earth foundation
should be washed from under il.
JOHN E. MUNCASTER.
Dtsordered Kidneys Cause Much
Misery.
With pain and misery by day, sleep
disturbing bladder weakness Mt nidht tired