National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1877-03-19
THE BALTIMORE AND OHIO ROAD.

Some Substantial improvements At the
Washington Depot-fnlargod Facilities for
Passengers and Freight shippers
A number Of impcovcments have recently been
made at the Baltimore and Ohio railroad depot
for which travellers will be thankful. The freight
Office heretofore has stood in the csr.shsd and
taken up SO much room that there was space for
only one passage.way or walk. There were only
these was under Ss shea RI. pa Of 9as SSs
the freight ONCE and tearing down the old rail.
ings was wonderful.
crowded, NOW It Is open ard spacious. At night
II Is lighted BY handsome gas brackets on the
stone pillars; On each side Of the shed are wide
walks for tho passengers. A regiment could
march along either side and not crowd the place
The company has more room for running psssen.
Constantly in use. Formerly tSero was one K IN
gle gate through which ali passengers, coming
in or going out, had to pass, and sometimes there
has been torn down, and 3 handsome new . one
erected, with two large gates on rollers In the
The management at the depot is very con.
venient. The walks are much broader than those
at the baltimore and Potomac, which are hardly
improvement In the appearance Of the depot is
very great: The car shed is as handsome and
the depot has been spoiled by the filling in Of the
streets that surround It.
THB SEw FREIGHT DEPOT
hnotner Improvement, which the increasing
prosperity of the read has made . necessity, is
the erection OF q new freight depot. Tho new
building 10 on the square recently purchased by
the road Just east OF the passenger depot, and
about hundred yards from It. Tracks have
freight has been greatly facilitated.
The building ls about two hundred feet long
and iron.clad. There is no wood work about ii
except the mere skeleton Of the structure. The
building is sheeted with iron, and there is little
. IRE should break out there Is very little ma.
terial used In the construction OF the building
that could burn. There Is q narrow strip Of
platform along each side. The once is at tho
west end The only door from tho street leads
leads out Into the long frelght.room. There are
scales near the door OF a capacity OF thirteen
thousand pounds, so that tho freight can be
rapidly weighed and registered, and all business
Freight Is unloaded from the cars on ono side
Of the house and loaded up into wagons on the
other. The business is extensive enough to keen
the house always full, with men constantly busy
loading and unloading. An open platform, eS.
the east end OF the house. At tho end OF the plat
form is an incline plane sopng to the ground
THIS 10 intended to facilitate the handling Of
heavy freight. For instance, piece OF artillery
the neight:house or . car. Tho whole structure
Is built solldly and substantially.
Inc OLD building used for the transfer of eS-
press Weight is still In use, but II lie probable that
erected near the new freight depot The Balti.
more and Ohio Company would erect handsome
new passenger depot II they were assured that
they would not DO disturbed In their present
location: As 1t Is now, with the improvements
that have been mentioned, the road offers much
greater conyeniences to the travelling aud bust.
ness public OF Washington than their rivals OF
the Pennsylvania Company.