Daily Republican., 1884-04-24
THURSDAY. APRIL24. 1854.
Tho b. d .. and Grade Crossings.


Ohio Railroad, to cross Fourteenth and
Scott streets at grade, passed the
City Council last evening by a vote OF
twenty to three, q larger majority than
had been counted upon by either of the
parties interested. The opposition to
the ordinance on the part of some Of the
property holders on the streets named
was strong as might have been expect
ed, but the strongest opposition came
from other citizens in general on the
principle of danger attending grade
crossings.
There was and is way by which the
property holders can be satisfied and
that is by the Railroad Company pay
ing the parties damages for the DANA
ges inflicted This we believe the
Railroad Company is willing to do. In
fact there was no objection on
the part of the company to the amend
ments offered to the ordinance providing
for speedy adjustment Of all damages
inhi ted by an amicable arbitrament
in which the City Councils given the
the heavy end of the lever.
1t is said by eminent and learned
counsel that the amendment to the
ordinance is not binding in law as the
law itself provides the only plan by
which disputes as to the amount Of
damages done to property can be legal
ly adjusted. This may be true, but
where all parties are willing to act in
good faith towards each other, and
where one is willing to accept a fair
price for property damaged and the
other willing to give the same, it mat
ters not whether the amendment is
strictly in accordance with law or not
That certain property holders in the
vicinity OF these grade crossings will be
damaged by the change of grade can
not be denied. Mr. Seeds, Mr. Burke,
Mr.. Neeley, Mr.. Cochran and other
smaller owners of property will be
damaged. The Railroad Company
knows that, and the City Council know
it as well, but both these parties have
pledged themselves that these owners
of property shall be amply rewarded
for any damages they may sustain.
This is as much us any party could
guarantee, and if this agreement is not
carried out in good faith, then indeed
would these property holders be the in.
,jured parties, and both the Railroad
Company and rAr City Council deserve
cenSuru.
In the next place, was there real
necessity for raising the grade Of these
streets to ii grade with the railroad ? IL
reply, il may b" said that it could hav,
been avoided, but only by depressing ol
scoopng out streets under the railroad
already too low Ill the regular grade es
tablished before a railroad was thought
of in this section Of the city. Property
before was injured by the low and regu
larly established grade, and it was pro
posed to still farther lower the grade
between three and four feet to croi
under tue railroad What was wanted
in that vicinity was a general lifting "
of the grades from Eattlesnake Run, i'll.
stead Of going farther down into the
mire and bog usually found in sucl
low places. 1t was not COntended thai
a lower grade could not be established
for both Scott and Fourteenth streets
Anything almost is possible in these
advanced times of civil engineering
but it soon became evident that this
low grade would never make "a deSira
BILE and handsome improvement. Will
a bridge overhead some sixty or more
feet wide the passage would have had
more the appearance of hug" tunnel
than a popular thoroughtare, and after
night would have been a covert iol
thieves and disorderly persons.
BY this change Of grade there will be
a general elevation of property i'll tha'
vicinity. 1t will be lifted up from the
marsh in which it would have been
left, and much of it be made more valu-
able than it was before, and this lifting
up process is to be paid for by the Rail,
road Company.
A great objection to the change OF
grade was the great danger Of grade
crossings. This was a real objection,
as there is. always danger at such places,
and these dangers can only be guarded
against by the appliance Of safety gates
and watchmen. With these nearly all
the danger is removed. A plausible
and strong argument against this par
ticular grade crossing was that large
numbers of school children from the
thickly populated quarter of the Forty
Acrel Is had to cross the railroad TO reach
the only public school in that section.
1t cannot be denied that this is u real
tangible objection, and were it TO con-
tinue for all time to come, would have
been sufficient reason for refusing the
railroad a grade crossing.
But this objection will soon in IA
great measure he relieved by the build
ing of a schOUl-houSe in that section o:
the city east of Delaware avenue and
north of Scott street. There is such IA
rapid increase of population in this sec
ton that the building of new school
house cannot be much longer Delayed
indeed, it should be done this summer,
and we hope the citizens there will at
once retition The Board Of Education to
have u school-ho built, 5" that the
City Council can provide the means
necessary for building when the next
appropriations are made.
Those who are incommoded by the
necessary encroachments OF the rail-
road must accustom themselves to look
facts carefully in the face. 1t is evi-
dent that great railroad corporation
like the Baltimore Il Ohio in city like
Wilmington must have elbow room. 1t
is evident also that they must have it
along the line of their track-along Rat
tlesnake run.
We believe the time is not far distant
when beside passenger and freight de-
pots great machine shops will be re4nlr-
ed, and those shops will be located on
all that property skirting the road from
Scott street up to Pennsylvania avenue.
Citizens who desire to see business IN
crease and the western part OF the city
built up and made rival of the east
ern and southern part of the city should