Daily Republican., 1885-05-14
The Railroad Fight.

'"0 nd''Odu SHt'
TAE PENNSYLVANIA AND THE
II. Il o. RAILROA Ds FlGH TING
FOR PHILADELPHIA.
|GRADING A R0AD-BED.
The Philadelphia correspondent OF
the Baltimore Sun to-day says: The
Pennsylvania Railroad Compan to.
day locked horns with the Baltimore
and Ohio In the Neck" and that
dreary section Of meadow land and
marsh In likely to be the scene of open
warfare bet tween the two Dig railroads
before the Maryland corporation sue
ceeds In getting its freight line con.
structed across the lower part of the
city from river to river. Appearances
now are that the fight will be as lively
Ioutside courts and councils as It now il
within. Eight hundred lxborers were
employed to-day grading and preparing
a road bed for the Baltimore and Ohio
across the Neck"
Another gang OF workmen comma and.
ed by construction bosses OF the Penn.
sylvania Railroad were working with
/ hhu uUih hlbo 6b NpIlOub pUlute
throwing up high embankments and
laying extra tracks. To the represen-
tatives of the B. &. o. the new depar
ture on the part Of their great riva
meant obstruction and delay for the
NEW road.
The Pennsylvania road has, In fact,
taken possession Of It's full right Of wa y
sixty feet wide on Commercial avenue,
in the neighborhOod of Mifflin. Moore,
Meadow and Mexican streets, where
the Ba ltimore & Ouio line will cross,
and are laying 3 tracks where only one
has been needed. The same work of
tripling the tracks has been performed
on swanson etreet, where the Baltimore
aud Ohio Railroad will again cross. At
one point AN EN- meankment twelve feet
high has been built across the Bal
timore and Ohio grades. Iu the mean.
time the new company makes rapid
progress.
Tho work all through the Neck" is
very difficult, ard anything but agree.
able at the wet season of the year.
Many of the workmen Of both forces
have 10 labor in water two feet deep.
The work by both companies is being
rapidly pushed, aud orders have been
issued by the Baltimore and Ohio u
tave the trackbed from river to rive,
i and up along the Schuylkill tinished
and rsady for the rails by September ]
The board of city trusts this after
nuon gave the Baltimore and Ohio vir
tusliy au open door, 80 far as the pas
sage Trough the property under 1t,
lcohirol 10 concerned. The matter came
lup through resolution offered by Mr.
Minchiusr, chairman OF the committee
L.. iv,t ha nj ~ Tho -
mentioned will be occupied by the new
road, beginning at Paddle Hole ian,
and Oregon avenue and extending
easterly along Oregon avenue for ter
or twelve squares. The permission wa
vigorously opposed by William l.
Elkius, who said:
The gentleman who broached tn,
proposition to the board Of city trust
told us the Girard trustees would hav
the advantage Of the dittoren tial rate o
: AZ cents a toll ON coal. On that basis
! voted for the resolution because saw
: great benefit to us in it, Since then
memb Der saw Vice President Spencer
Of the Baltimore and Ohio, and he de
MED any such thing.
"Mr. Ellis has made the proposition
and the Baltimore and Ohio would in
dorse everything he did, and MI
Spencer also said so, but still he said tn
Baltimore and Ohio would not pledg
itself TO give us the the benefit of tn
differential rate. Now, If that was
subterfuge to get through our propert
am opposed to it. | want to raise III
ohjection to the Baltimore and Obi
getting Into the city, but they must d
as others have done, and agree to term
as TO differential rates, as all othe
, companies have DONE"
Mr.. Minchiner ssid that he woul
indorse all that Mr.. Ellis would prom
ise. The interest of the city, he said
had been carefully considered, and b
recommended that the asked for pei
i, mission should be granted to the Bait
more and Ohio Company. The matte
was discussed pro and con, sewers
members favoring selling the propertis
Q If possible to the Baltimore and Ohi'
I and all favoring granting the right {
way. Finally the matter was referre
y to the committee favorable to 1t, wit
i ripower TO act.