The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-05-25
THE NEW UNION DEPOT.


The railroads have done much for Indian
apolis, have added to is commercial Importance,
and have helped to make it one of the finest
inland cities in the country. In return, In
dianapolis has done very much for the rail
ways; has afforded material aid when needed,
has vacated streets and alleys, and granted
every reasonable damand. Even in the mat
ter of requiring gates and fagmen for the
protection of human life, these have been in
sisted on only at points where they seemed
absolutely necessary, and the tax imposed
thereby has not been onerous for the roads.
When the Belt railway project was undertaken,
the city Endorsed the bonds of the
corporation to the amount of $500, 900, thus
assuring its construction. 1t would seem,
therefore, that the benefits enjoyed and af
forded are reciprocal and about an offset, one
against the other. The shipping facilities en-
joyed by Indianapolis are paid for by the
freight shipped to and from this city. But
there is yet an unfinished duty on the part of
the several roads that center here, and one
that would be easy of performance by cooper
alton. For years the passenger &C comodations
afforded Indianapolis have been wholly made
quate to the needs of the city, and the effect
has been to greatly discommode the
travelling public at this point; that
is, not the travelling public of
Indianapolis, but that still larger body of
people who have occasion to visit or to pass
through the city. The structure which for
years has served as Union Depot here was
once of sufficient capacity to- accommodate
the demands made upon it. But for years,
twenty at least, it has been much too small
From transacting the limited business of a
few roads it has come to be the focus of four
teen railways, over Which the solid trains of
sixteen roads are daily sent out. The
space under roof, never large, has
long since failed to accommodate the
trains, leaving little or no room for
passengers and for the transaction of business
connected with the express baggage and mail
cars, each of which calls for considerable
space. But it is waste of time to argue this
point. No man passes through this city but
realizes that our depot facilities are cramped
and mean-a disgrace alike to the city and to
the railways doing business here.
Year after year this wretched state of af-
fairs has called forth the condemnation of cit
liens and of the public in general, the result
being that the roads have quoted the clamor
by promising to rebuild as speedily as posi-
BILE, and in such proportions and style as would
meet the approval of all interested. These
| repeated promises had become so frequent,
| and only to be broken, that their utterance
came to be the signal for derisive laughter, so
| that the press dared not give publicity to them
without invoking ridicule. 1t has long been
| a standing joke to say Of anything that seemed
well nigh impossible that it would happen
''when the new Union Depot is built mean
ing thereby that it would never take place.
The protracted nor action of those in position
to make this needed improvement has been
quite the contrary to creditable to them, both
as business men of integrity and as friends Of
this city.
1t is quite probable that indianapolis has
suffered in this respect because of the fact that
so many of those at the head of the roads that
center here reside and have material interests
elsewhere. These, of course, would not be so
quick to see the necessity of better house
here as if they lived here and had property
whose value would be involved But even
those who reside at st. Louis, at Cleveland
or elsewhere, ought to be able to realize the
advantage of decent facilities at place of the
railway Importance of Indianapolis. The
present structure is disgrace to every cor
poration interested in it, and reflection upon
their management as enterprising and business
like men, AS for the few who live here,
and have an interest in the building Of a new
station, it is greatly to be regretted that they
have not been able to influence the others to
begin this very much needed change. They
certainly have had enough material to make
an unanswerable argument and it is equally
certain that had the officers of all the roads
interested been residents of indianapolis this
injustice would have been remedied years ago.
There now exists well-understood agreement
J on the part Of tho railway companies to