Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1915-05-14
Costly Macadain Road.

Apropos of the advertisement of the
Commissioners for hearing on the sub
ject of bond issue for repairing the Lay
louisville road, a few remarks from small
taxpayer in the district, with no vote, may
not be amiss.
Running to the cross roads are three
samples of road building of entirely differ
ent character. On the Gaithersbure side,
a stone road built under j. Wesley Walker
in the oldtime way, with stone hammers
and muscle, some few stone broken with
small crusher and dumped in place just as
they were. covered with dirt to make it
smooth enough to roll down with the traffic.
and never saw a roller. This cost from
$1,000 to $4,000 per mile and is still
notice that the bonding proposition covers
any rebuilding or repairs on this section,
so it must be considered good enough to
haul over after fifteen or sixteen years
hard use, with only the small modicum Of
repairs the county authorities have been
compelled to put on it, when. as usual, 1t
had been left so long that four times as much
had to be spent as would have been neces-
sary if put on at the proper time.
The second sample runs towards Red
land. about one mile. This was built with
out any engineer; anyway, no puttee-
wrapped. spindle-legged sprout located
each gravel with a transit, plumb bob.
and chalk line, but county roller man
with his roller. thresherman with his
traction engine, county crusher and a
few teams hauled the stone from nearby
farms, ground them up, and spread them
unsifted on the road bed. Being unsifted,
very little of the indispensable limestone
topping was used, and it has not raveled
much under all sorts of traffic. This cost
about $4,000. The amount of repairs in
the five or six years would be paid by one
months salary Of the Commissioner of the
district.
The third sample is that now proposed
for repairs under the bond issue. If memory
is correct, the first mile of this was built
in 1905. among the first fruits of the New
Jersey specifications fastened on the county
by the State Aid (Shoemaker) Road Law.
A nice looking young State Inspector stood
by while it was being laid and read the Sat-
urday Evening Post and other periodicals.
He also stopped all hands If there was a
heavy dew, or three-minute shower that
laid the dust, so that it was built on absO-
lutely dry foundations. The cost was be-
tween $4,000 and $1,000. | have not
the exact figures. In 1906 second mile
at slightly less cost. and the first mile
was so well worn out that some $1,000 or
so was used in reconstructing it; but when
complete. the whole road was pronounced
by prominent citizen of the district.
Good enough to 90 to heaven on" After
nine years use some of the people Of the
district. although good deal of repairing
has been done in spots, think it is too bad
to 60 to hell on, during the past winter
especially.
OF all engineer-built ideas to make a
pretty job at most cost and least wear, the
water-bound macadam has been shown
by experience to be about the finest. The
principle of cement sand-water concrete is
that the water of capitalization is driven
out of cement by heat and the residue
finely ground. When mixed in proper
proportions. the water added recombines
with the cement. This fills the voids be-
tween the particles of sand, and the COM
bination fills the larger spaces between
any stone used. making. when complete,
solid rock. The principle of water-bound
macadam is that mud, especially mud
made of limestone dust and water, will fill
the spaces between stone. So plenty of
water. with couple of men to pump into
the sprinkler and one to drive the team,
is used. and as long as the sprinkler runs
there is nice, smooth road. When the
wagon leaves for new fields and old Sol
gets in his work on these poor, little mis-
placed drops of water they fly away to
other duties that are natural to them, and
the wind and automobiles proceed to fer
tiize the neighbOring fields with ground
limestone. II the people of Laytonsvile
district are going to stand for the same
type of road as they had before. would
suggest that they lay pipe line along it,
with sprinklers at proper intervals. estab-
fish pumping station, with concrete dam
on the stream below John T. Warfield's,
and sprinkle the road at daily or nightly
intervals. would supervise the job myself
for $1,000 year. OF course. the work
would be done by my assistant at an ad-
ditional expense Of $3.50 per day, and
would see him on pay days. at least. This
would cost no more than spelling it with
oil. and would leave the money in the
county. where il is most needed, and the
road would last forever. il kept properly
wet. The engineers say so. and they
know.
AS TO the financial side of the bond
issue. il would occur TO mathematician
that a call for $1,000 per mile for resur-
face work is surely enough, when the
original cost Of grading as well as laying
stone was much less than that. To this must
be added little sum Of $3.50 to be paid
in interest, making $26.550. about one
third of which is never used on the road.
but goes to help the income Of some bank
or bankers with fancy for county bonds.
OF course, the fact that some $1,000 was
spent in resurface work on about three
fourths of mile Of this road in 1913 may
have affected the estimates. Reports Of gov
eminent officials are usually compilations Of
figures. not Of facts But assuming that
our superintendent Of roads deals with
facts in his 1914 report. 1t will be seen by
doing a little figuring that. while stone are
laid in place on the Old GEORGETOWN Road