_Lieut. Mansfield superseded by Capt. Delafield--The Turning of Wills Mountain--Contractors not Properly Instructed--Capt. Delafield suggests a Change of Plan, and enforces his Views by Copious Quotations from Macadam--He is Permitted to exercise his own Discretion--Too much sand between Uniontown and Cumberland--Operations at Wills Creek suspended--A Collision with the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Company--The difficulty adjusted, and operations resumed._ ENGINEER DEPARTMENT, WASHINGTON, October 5, 1832. _Sir_: On the arrival of Captain Delafield, of the engineers, on the Cumberland Road in Pennsylvania and Maryland, you will hand to him the enclosed communication, which assigns to him the superintendence of the repairs of that road which have heretofore been conducted under your supervision. You will, also, turn over to him all the funds, books, papers, and public property in your possession appertaining to this road, and close your account with it. Very respectfully, &c., By order: WM. H. C. BARTLETT, Lieut, and Assistant to Chief Engineer. Lieut. J. K. F. Mansfield, Corps of Engineers, Uniontown, Pa. * * * * * Uniontown, December 13, 1832. _Sir_: The surveys of a route for turning Wills mountain by the valley of Braddock's run and Wills creek are progressing, being retarded only by the weather. I have examined the whole route, and can confirm the most satisfactory account you may have heard of it. The ground over which the road will pass is a uniform inclined plane, requiring very few culverts, two small bridges over Braddock's run of about fifteen feet span each, with side hill in no other part than about 300 yards in the "Narrows" of Wills creek, where a most simple and expedient plan will be to use the level and smooth bottom of the creek for the road, by building a wall not to exceed ten feet in height, thus throwing the stream on the opposite bank, peculiarly well formed for this construction, being a low bottom of alluvion. The idea of cutting into the mountain would be expensive, and no better than throwing the creek from its present bed.