Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1913-06-19
Preparing For fiftieth An
niveisary At Gettysburg.
Tents And Cook Houses About
All Erected. Railroads Busy
Planning to Handle Crowd.

All Erected. Railroads Busy
Planning to Handle Crowd.
But eleven days more and the great
preparations for the 50th anniversary OF
the battle of Gettysburg will have been
finished and everything will be ready to
receive the 40, 900 or more veterans who
will journey to this famous battlefield to
participate in the exercises as mapped
out by the various State and Government
Commissions.
Having had the opportunity to view the
thousands of tents in which the veterans
will be sheltered, we believe the govern
ment capable of caring for them, provid-
ing the railroads are able to get them to
Gettysburg. To handle the thousands of
old soldiers and thousands of their friends
will be all: if not more than the Western
Maryland and Reading roads can do, con-
sidering their trackage at Gettysburg.
1t may be wise for people from this
and other nearby points to visit the bat
tlefeld before the arrival of the veterans
or take the following advice as given by
the Taneytown Carroll Record in it's last
issue. 1t says:
Gettysburg is anticipating all sorts of
strenuous experiences during the 5Oth
anniversary of the big battle, and many
of its citizens already wish it was all
over and normal conditions restored. The
assembling of many thousands of old
soldiers from both armies. and the at
tendant many thousands Of visitors, is a
tremendous undertaking, even with the
use of the big plans backed by the gen.
eral and state government. and it now
looks very much as though nearby peo-
ole will be very wise if they stay away
from Gettysburg during the celebration,
and let the old soldiers and the long dis
lance people have all the room and ac-
commodations.
Taking proper care of teams will be
practically out of the question. as the
roads and streets will be badly congested,
while securing feed, and especially wa
ter, for horses, will be an extremely
doubtful proposition, and accidents are
reasonably sure to be plentiful. The
driveways will also be subject to special
regulations by which teams will be COM
PEELED to go only in certain directions,
and this will cause trouble to those not
fully acquainted with the roads. y
The following paragraphs on the event
are from the Gettysburg papers.
1T is impossible to give an adequate
conception of the work that is being done
by the United States authorities; an idea
may be had from the fact that between
two and three hundred loaded cars have
been received by the two railroads with
materials and supplies for the occasion.
The rations began to arrive last week
and all eatables that can be kept will be
coming in by trainloads befort the cele-
bration begins. Nearly seventytive per
cent of the tents have been erected and
over fifty thousand canvas cots will be
placed in these tents with blanket for
each veteran.
1.-The Reading Railroad began few
days ago to double track the Round Top
branch, for as the event draws nearer,
greater appear the demands that will be
made upon the railroads for all kinds of
transportation facilities. The Western
Maryland is building yard of eight
tracks east of town with a 500 it. freight
platform and storage house 10Oxl2O. A
representative of the Pullman Car Co.,
wanted trackage for $50 Pullmans and
was told it was impossible to be given
same. Pullman cars will be returned
and held at a nearby city. A force of
80 men will be required to care for these
cars.
According to estimates by transports
ton managers it will require about "a
hours continuous effort to move the 40,
OO0veterans alone. This estimate is based
on the theory that trains can be moved
at intervals of ten minutes each. This
theory might possibly work out if there
was belt line constructed, over which
empty cars could be taken, to make room
| for incoming trains. The Battlefield Com
mission established routes of traffic for
all battlefield vehicles over Springs Ave-,
West and returning by way of West Mid
die street; plans for East bound vehicles
do not seem to have entered into the
Railroad Company's calculations. Spring
avenue and West Middle street are both
grade crossings, and with the double
track system in operation one train is
due to arrive every ten minutes; when
the siding is filled with coaches, then
each train will be compelled to return
over the same tracks, thus leaving ar
interval of five minutes between the ar
rival and departure of trains at both
grade crossings. This proposed schedule
of trains will naturally result in block
ade of crossings for at least "a hours and
vehicle traffic will be practically sus'
pended"
Find En- For You.