Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-05-10
BIG HIGHWAY IN
POOR CONDITION
State Chamber of Commerce
Makes Criticism of Lincoln
Highway Maintenance

| Charges that parts of the Lincoln
Highway between Gettysburg and
Bedford, over which many Army
trucks and trains of automobiles are
being sent from the manufacturing
points to the seaboard, are in bad
condition and that in places the
highway has not been well maintain
ed are made in a summary of an IN
spection of the highway issued by.
the State Chamber of Commerce.
The summary calls attention to the
fact that the Lincoln highway Is an
international roa1 over which many
tourists travel as well as a route for
military vehicles and notes that very
few men were found at work along
the road.
1t declares that any neglect of the
highway would seem to be "a vital
and serious matter"
The statement issued is as fol-
lows:
1.-THE Lincoln highway, inspected
recently by officials of the Pennsyl-
vania State Chamber of Commerce
from Gettysburg to Bedford, is in
poor condition in many places and
i'm need of immediate attention to
prevent rapid deterioration. This
highway is the national east and west
route through the United States and
q feeling of local and state pride
alone should be sufficient to induce
officials to maintain it in a high
state of repair, without any prodding
from citizens, when we add to this
the military necessity of the main
tenance of the Lincoln Highway in
the highest efficiency so that the
thousands of Army trucks loaded
with war supplies may pass over the
highway safely and quickly, any ne
slect of the National Highway run
ming across the entire length of Penn
sylvania would seem most vital and
serious matter.
"Yet this is exactly what Paul Lit
tlefield, general secretary, accom-
panied by F. r. Stevens, agricultural
director, of the State Chamber. OBJ
served on an automobile trip over the
middle section from Gettysburg to
Bedford.
THE road west of Gettysburg has
a deep rut in the center. West of
Chambersburg, the old concrete GEN.
ter is in bad shape. Ruts in places
extended continuously for hundreds
of feet. The road here is not well
maintained.
"West of st. Thomas the holes look
like miniature shell craters. West
OIL I. anu over the
ridges the stones are working up,
the road often being bare of surface.
''No attempt was made to count all
the bad spots, but 142 were noted, of
which twenty-five had been repaired
or were being attended to. Only
three stone rollers were observed at
work and west of Cashtown Gap, sew
eral bad spots exist right in front of
the stone crusher.
For a few stretches the roadbed
was in good condition, but its con-
dition in comparison with the Will
liam Penn Highway from Hunting
don to Harrisburg, is most unfavor-
able.
"Only relatively few men were OBJ
served at work on the Lincoln way
between Gettysburg and Bedford.
Long trains of new automobiles
from factories in Detroit passed go-
ing east for delivery to eastern sales
agents.
'In view of the increasing use TO
which the Lincoln Highway will be
subjected, so long as the war con-
tinues, it would seem that state pride,
not to mention patriotic duty to ones
country, would move officials to con-
centrate their energies and devote
their time to an attempt to imme-
diately remedy the present acute
condition of our Lincoln Highway"