The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-06-19

The War Department Receives Some
More Information Concerning the
Building of the Electric Road-The
Builders Said to Have Broken Their
Promises-second Attempt to Stop the
Work.
WASHINGTON, June 1.-THE Secretary
of War has received a preliminary re-
port from Mr.. Batchelder of the Gettys-
burg Battlefield Commission, in which
he says: ''In view Of the pressing emer-
gency which seems to require the prompt
action of the government, (if the Secre-
tary of War is to preserve the lines of
battle at Gettysburg), and, in the alb
sence of my colleagues on the commits
sion, hasten to make preliminary re-
port of the present condition of affairs at
that place.
Il have just come from Gettysburg.
Before l left there, Mr. Hopper, presi-
dent of tn electric railroad, entered into
an agreement with me to suspend opera
tions on that portion of the line in front
of the Second Army Corps and to turn
his road off that line to the Emmittsburg
road. Having made that arrangement, 1
started for my home in Massachusetts,
but, noticing in today's papers that he
had resumed operations on that line, and
realizing the enormous damage that he
is doing on the field, and at the earnest
request of Gen. Sickles, have deemed it
wise to turn back from New York and
report at once and in person to the Sec
retary.
when I left Gettysburg, workmen
were engaged in blasting out group of
bouldeTs covering space Is by 25 feet,
which formed portion of the defenses
in front Of the left of the Third Army
Corps during the second days battle.
This seemed a wanton destruction of
an important landmark of the field. A
variation of dozen feet in the line,
which there was ample chance to make,
would have cleared those boulders, but
it was evident that they were being blast
ed for material with which to make fill
ing for the road, which is swampy at
that point
HThe boulders which covered the COM
batants in the desperate engagement be-
tween the Fourth Maine and the Fortieth
New York Of the. Union Army and the
EnTtF-fourth Alabama and the right of
Bennings brigade of the Confederate
Army are already blasted, and the frag-
ments broken under the hammer are
covered with earth to form a roadbed.
And it is this locality which has been
turned into park toIwhich cheap excur-
sions are to be run from Baltimore and
other cities.
This is themost wild and picturesque
section of the field, For the distance of
over one mile before reaching this locali-
ty the road cuts ruthlessly through the
scene of some of the most desperate en-
counters OF the battle in which De Tro-
brands, Tilton's, Sweitzer's, looks.
Kelly's, Cross's and Wards Union bri-
gades and Kershaw's, Semmes's, Wof-
ford's, and Anderson's and Robertson. s
Confederate brigades contended for
hours. s. ires,r-s, =,
'The railway cuts. straight, through
lines of battle; forest trees, are leveled,
bouldeTs and lodges are blasted, streams
are bridged and the whole character of
the field is changed, and every hour the
work of devastation goes on.
After leaving the DEVILS Den and the
Valley of Death, the road will climb
around the western and northern face of
Little Round Top, disfguring it's slope
by cuts and fills of from three to ten
feet. Reaching the summit, it will
descend the eastern slope to- the dance
house. This entire route through the
| ravine near the Wheat Field and around
the DEVILS Den, up though the Valley
of Death, a distance of about two miles,
may be avoided by cutoff of about
half mile over the Wheat Field road,
| and If alright of way of fifty rods can be
secured from the land syndicate, the cut
over Little Round Top may be avoided.
Work is about to be commenced on Little
Round Top.
'From the dancehouse the electric
road follows the route of the Reading
branch railroad toward town to Hancock
Station, where itturns to the right across
the line of battle of Stannard's Vermont
brigade, over the marked position of
Weir's Battery &c, Fifth United States
Artillery, to Hancock avenue, immedi-
ately in fgont7ef the Second Army Corps,
along which'it passes over the advanced
positions ofss28 Confederate regiments
lfwhichc pgisea Longstreet s assault on
1.-THE third dayEand buriess beneath its
track fhe spott where Gen Garnett was
killed. ogj SsAds wsf e3.,:r5 sFs,ga
"It should be understood that debar-
ring thes electric railroad from the batvle-
field Except unimportant crossings where
thereswas no6g hting) will . not present
| its 0pHrationgin the streets Of Gettysburg
oraoyeEthe highways which reach all the
Important. featuresof the field without
desecratlng these sections made historic
By the blood of men. In few instances
| It Is important that short sections of the
battlefield be crossed by the road, but it
should beunder the direction of the bat
| tlefeld commission
Acting Secretary Grant referred this
ranOrt a
the e.work on the Gettysburg battlefield to
Col. Lieber, the acting Judge Advocate
General, "for his examination and opinion
as to what authority the War Depart
nent has now or may have after July /
to prevent or interfere with the cutting
of the lines by the railroad company.
Attention is invited to the act Of the
Pennsylvania legislature of two years
ago giving the government authority to
condemn land, &C., and also to the gen
eral authority granted by Congress to the
War Department to condemn land for
national cemeteries" t%
/ tsyI~. he as Ma Naa rino,