The Evening critic., 1883-02-08
Local Railroad Legislation.

The District Commissioners have pre-
pared bill and submitted it to the Senate
Committee on the District of Columbia for
their consideration, which makes radical
changes in the routes by which the two
branches of the Baltimore & Ohio Railway
enters the city, sets back the depot Of that
company one block to square GS1, and
requires them to conform to the established
grades. The Baltimore G. Potomac Railway
depot is also required to be retired as far
south as b street south, and is to be
excluded from the mall by removing the
present track on Sixth street. The
also to remove all its auxiliary
structures from their present site,
and empowered to enter suit against the
United States for the value of the present
extensive main building. Provisions are
contained in the bill which will obviate
the objections urged against this company
using Maryland and Virginia avenues as
freight depots, and both it and the Balti
more & Ohio company are to protect their
tracks by substantial iron fences and auto
matte gates at street and avenne crossings
The most radical change proposed by this
bill is iu the track of the Baltimore e
Ohio Railway, which has now two lines of
tracks in this city. The eastward, or Bal
timore line, enters near Tenth and l.
streets northeast, and runs in o south
westerly direction without any reference to
the lines or grades of the streets which it
crosses or follows until it reaches Delaware
avenue and III street. 1t follows this ave-
nue. from III to Il street. occupying it with
four, and in places five tracks, and destroy
ing its use as an avenue. At l. street the
tracks leave Delaware avenue and pass
across to North Capitol and ID streets, and
thence to the depot crossing the streets
last named about twelve feet below the es-
tablished grade and rendering all travel on
them impossible.
The western line of the road, usually
called the Metropolitan branch enters the
city near New York avenue and First
street east, and follows the line of First
street with one or two tracks to its intersec-
tion with the other line at G. street and
| Delaware avenue.
In view of the fact that the Baltimore
and Potomac Railroad Company are author
lied under the bill proposed by the Com
| missioners to bring suit against the Govern
| ment for the "value of the present extern
sive main building" it will hardly make
much of fight against the bill, for the
reason that the Government is always
prompt in settling any little question of
this kind as soon as its attention is called
| to it, Then there is nothing in the bill that
| III thS icasp VI ~ Jop' IL iooho Juop
to the reverse of bill that the attorneys of
the roads would draw, and last, though not
least, the bill provides for the very thing
the people of the District want-a union
depot. But the depot is to be constructed
upon plan unknown to anybody but the
authors of the proposed bill
The Baltimore & Potomac are to remove
their depot as far south as B street south.
The depot of the Baltimore & Ohio Road
proposed in the bill is at Brooks Station,
on the line of the present Metropoli tan
branch, and the main stem will enter the
city following the line of the track already
laid until within short distance of the
city, which it enters at Delaware avenue
and Boundary street, and follows the line
of that avenue to the new depot in square
| Eg1