The Washington herald., 1918-07-31

new ROAD WILL
BEARMY ASSET
Lincoln Highway, Nearing
Completion Already Aid
ing, Says Holland.

Perhaps before the close Of the war,
certainly within year or two after
the war Is ended. there will have been
constructed a complete surface road
whose Eastern terminal is in the heart
Of New York City and whose Western
terminal 10 at San Francisco. 1t Is
the so-called Lincoln highway and 1t
already has been in part constructed.
When. IN the administration OF Presi-
dent Monroe, John c. Calhoun advo-
Gated the construction OF q national
highway with an Eastern terminal
on the Atlantic and a Western termi-
nal on the Ohio River, perhaps at
Cleveland. railroads were unknown.
The steamboat had been so perfected
as to make IL possible to navigate
many Of our inland streams to COM
mercial advantage. There was, how
ever. no convenient method of trans
poration from the Ohio River to the
Atlantic coast.
This national highway was begun
and then came the railroads. 1t was
necessary to continue the work be-
cause the railroads. or some Of them
at least. crossed the Alleghany Noun
tains. The natural waterways were
supplemented by canals and the dis
trioution of products from the West
S@N0NAy AaNAANANCN-
Lincoln Approved idea.
When Abraham Lincoln, in 1859,
visited Council Bluffs, Iowa, where he
vas to be engaged in an important Iiti-
cation, he listened. with great inter-
est. to the proposition that a railroad
should be constructed from the
Mississippi River at that point across
the continent to San Francisco.
Lincoln in mis- early life had some ex-
perienCe as a surveyor. He was told
by Grenvi!!e NJ. Dodge. who after
wa DIS constructed the Union Pacific
and who lived at Council Bluffs. that
the most plausible route for the rail-
road stretched through Nebraska,
IA cross the almost uneNplored regions
of the Far West. thence by passes
through the Rocky Mountains and the
Sierrars, to the Pacific Coast. Only
recently General Dodge, when on a
visit to this city. spoke Of the approv-
al which Lincoln. who was two years
later to be President. gave to the pro-
posed route. Shortly before General
Dodge's death. Ihe spoke of 1t as an
interesting coincidence that in these
modern times they were building a
great highway across the continent,
which. when. completed. will be avail
able fer all kinds Of motor trucking.
saying that in the main this highway
followed the almost identical route
which Lincoln had approved for the
construction Of n Pacific railroad.
The Lincoln Highway.
Recently information has come to
this city setting forth that by the
expenditure Of some s1S.0Oo.O0O. by
various States, a continuous road
has now been constructed from New
York to San Francisco. 1t is not
yet a hard surface road but it will
be in due time and it will furnish
excellent supplemental means of
freight transportation and also good
opportunities for pleasure travel.
especially from the Mississippi River
to- San Francisco.
Some splendid road construction
has already been secured along va
.rious parts Of this Lincoln highway
Across New Jersey for instance,
there are excellent macadam roads.
but since the entrance Of the United
States into the war the utilization
of these roads by motor trucks.
which are now transporting every
day grea amounts OF commodities
between. New York and Philadel-
makes it necessary to speedily i'm
prove this road construction.
What Pennsylvania Has Done.
In nnidwinter many motor trucks.
conveying merchandise from Detroit
to Washington, passed over this road
in Pennsylvania The road is used
now in part for military traffic be-
tween Pittsburgh and Atlantic coast
ports. 1t Is in excellent condition
throughout the whole $50 miles of its
length. 1t is the longest improved
link in the entire Lincoln highway.
In Ohio 1t is expected that the
dirt roads which comprise OhiO's
link in this highway will soon be
eliminated The State has already
expended 1900. 900 in perfecting hith-
erto unimproyed roads. Indiana has
a splendid highway. 1t is practically
so constructed as to meet the de-
mands of the heaviest kinds of traf-
fic. There is still a good deal to he
done in Illinois and Iowa. The soil
Of those States makes road-buildfng
rather diff1cuIt. but recent reports as
sert that Iowa's 35O-mile link will,
within the next twelve or eighteen
months, have been so perfected as 20
be able to sustain whatever traffic
goes over them. In Nebraska, on
account Of lack of funds. the work
Is progressing slowly. although there
is a fairly good dirt road across
the State. Wyoming has matched
and even overmatched, when her pop
ulation is considered, all the other
States in improving the Lincoln
highway. No Utah private benefac-
ton has made it possible to improve
the desert section and the mountain
pass so that about the worst DOR
ton Of the road between New York
and Golden Gate. Cal-about fifty
miles in length-will be put into ex-
celIent condition in a short time.
Nevada relies upon Federal aid and
will probably receive it.
This great Lincoln highway will, II
IL believed. be Of important CONNER
cial and military advantage to the
government But 1t is not the only
important national highway under
construction. Beginning at Chicago
another highway is under WY, run
ming southerly as far as Florida. This
IS called the Dixie highway. Already
. s1a,6O0.e0O have been expended upon
IL There has been some difficulty in
overcoming the mountains OF Ken
tucky and Tennessee but this Is now,
under the direction of competent en-
sineers, diminished II is said. of the
Dixie highway, that 1t Is to be of
very great advantage. serving directly
or by short connections the army
cantonments, and when the war Is
ended It will be of Importance in the
transportation OF commodities. for it
is certain that the movement of COM
nodities after the war will be so
great as to entail railroad conges-
ton unless there is relief