The Washington times., 1911-05-14
HEAD OF MOTOR CAR
COMPANY ENDORSES
LINCOLN ROAD PLAN
Points to Appian Way as
Precedent for Highway
Memorial.

Strong Endorsement OF the plan to
have the Lincoln Memorial in the
form of a road from Washington, ID.
c., to the battlefield of Gettysburg, Is
given by Benjamin Briscoe, president
of the United States Motor Company.
in an interview on the subject Of
American road building and its needs.
Mr.. Briscoe has been chiefly interest
ed in the manufacture of automobiles
and in cooperative industry, and it
is not generally known that he has
exerted an increasing influence in
highway development throughout the
country
The Lincoln Memorial Road As
ISOLATION" said Mr.. Briscoe, sis rem
dering an excellent service in its ad-
vocacy of such a road. In studyine
the question how to express in the
most fitting manner our appreciation
of Lfncoln's life work, 1 am forced
to the conclusion that the memorial
should be a great highway ra,
than a monument, statue, bridge, ar,
or any other structure. Even II we
take from the question every argu-
ment or motive that might be prompt
ed by the use of an automobile, or the
ownership of one, disaSsociate II en-
tirely from our national good roads
movement and admit nothing but tina
which determines the htness or the
memorial the road still seems to be
the logical and inevitable choice.
Points to Appian Way.
eThe reasons are sound, If not OBJ
vious The greatest memorial the
world has ever known is the Appian
Way in Italy, built by Appius Claud-
ius 300 years B. c. 1t was celebrated
for its beautiful monuments. its tenn
pies, and the sumptuous villas that
arose on either side of it, Through
out the ages it has been called the
Queen of Roads
mo particular engineering difficult
ties would be encountered. The coun-
try is rolling and offers fine land
scape effects. The plan submitted by
the Lincoln Memorial Road Associa
tion, suggests road 200 feet wide
with a greensward 40 or so feet wide
in the center and smooth highways on
each side, 40 or so feet wide, one to
be used by swift moving vehicles like
automo obiles-the other for carriages
and wagons.
THE road would be used by hun
dreds of thousands of tourists. The
full value of such a memorial could
be appreciated only by imagining a
two hours ride through Maryland
and Pennsylvania, with the Blue
Ridge mountains in sight part of the
time, six or seven hours spent at the
world renowned battle-ground, with
its memories of Round Top and Sem
mary Ridge, and by traversing other
noted spots, including he scene of
Pickett's charge.
Suitable Termini.
Looking at the matter from the
standpoint OF road Improvement"
concluded Mr.. Briscoe, at would seem
that The Lincoln Way certainly
would become the nucleus of a great
transcontinental highway to be built
by the States through which it will
pass. The cost of the memorial road
has been estimated to be about
$3,GOO.D00. With this sum, it will be
possible to provide fitting terminus
on the battlefield of Gettysburg,
while in the city of Washington a
magnificent architectural development
can be placed at the entrance to the
road. 1t is proposed to make this en-
trance sufficiently impressive to meet
the views of those who demand some
thing tangible and substantial wholly
within the National Capital"