Evening star., 1955-07-10

bought or Is buying Tor the rig
tween Clarksburg and Rockvill,
For the other half of the ri
section, the commission relied {
way department.
Many of these were made by
Ben Du Pre- of Bethesda, who is
under indefinite suspension as
an assistant right-of-way engi-
neer charged with misconduct
In Office"
Mr.. Du Pre-, who is to be given
a hearing before the State per-
sonnel commissioner In Balti-
more, is accused In formal
charges made by the commission
Friday of supplying advance
right-of-way information to a
group Of Washington land specu-
lators.
Names Not Disclosed
Names of the alleged specu-
lators have not been made pub
lie.
Max Gutenberg Of Washington
bought about 80 acres Of land
in West Gaithersburg in two
transactions from cattleman c..
Herman Rabbit for 81, 900 an
acre and sold 3212 of them to
the State for 240 right-of-way
for better than $4,000 an acre.
One sale to the State was
made five months after Mr..
Gutenberg took title from Mr..
Rabbit. In the second sale, he
had acquired. the land only 10
weeks before selling it to the
State.
At the proposed Falls Road
interchange Of new 240, just
outside Rockville, the State
bought three separate parcels
totaling 6 acres for a total price
Of $58, 900. The three parcels
were small corners of tracts
owned by Mr.. Offenberg's asso-
ciates. including Jerry Goldberg,
Robert j. Rosenfeld, William r.
Lchtenberg and Joseph Luria.
The real estate men who were
used as independent appraisers
in the Clarksburg Rockville
stretch. q check Of roads COM
mission records shows, were
Howard r. Schafer of Norbeck;
w. e. Beers Of Silver Spring;
Ralph P. Ripley Of Rockville,
member Of the Maryland Real
Estate Commission: Harry Riepe,
jr., of Baltimore: Montgomery
County Councilman Charles H.
Jamison of Poolesville. a Demo-
crat; Emmert r. Bowlus of
Frederick; Robert D. Hagner,
former county commissioner
and longtime Democratic Party
worker who died last January;
Mrs. Theda w. Porter of Sum-
ner: c. r. Boucher Of Washing
ton, and Bernard T. Brosius of
Silver Spring.
Started in 1852
The commission started buy
ing land for the new road from
Clarksburg southwark early in
1852, according to Leroy C.I
Moser. chief right-of-way en-
gineer for the commission. Work
started on the new 240, also
known as Washington National
pike, at the Frederick end early
in 1850. The road is open now
from a point just south Of Fred
erick to Germantown in Mont
gomery County.
Mr.. Moser said the policy of
the commission is to call in out
side. independent appraisers only
on the larger or more compli-
Gated acquisitions or those that
have to 60 to condemnation
court. He said the outside ap-
praisers on the 240 project gen.
orally were selected by himself
Mr.. Du Pre- or Joseph D. Buscher,
assistant attorney general in
charge of the commissions legal
affairs.
All right-of-way acquisitions
have to be approved by the COM
mission. Mr.. Moser said his de-
partment merely makes recon-
mendations.
Price for Parcels
Records in the commissions
right-of-way departm ent in
Baltimore show that the State
paid the following prices forI
land in the path Of 240 between
Clarksburg and Rockville (pur-
:hases are listed from the Clarks-
burg interchange sout h ward
with the purchase price given
after the name of the seller fol-
lowed by the size Of the tract
and the appraised values:
Raymond o. Butts, $l3.500,
23.3 acres from middle of 1871
acre farm; appraised by depart
ment at $500, Ripley $4,000,
Schafer $4,000.
Edward H. Deets. $4,000, SAL
acres from 118-acre tract, con-
demnation jury award.
w. T. Cooper. $l2,100, entire
7.02 acres; appraised by depart
ment at $11.583.
Mary v. CLANCY. 81, 1000, small
lot: appraised by department at
1915.
Samuel Umberger. $1,000, en-
tire 1-acre tract: appraised byl
department at $500.
John H. CLANCY, $500. entire
one third Of an acre, appraised
by department at 1882.