St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-06-11
WILL THE BRIDGES Goa
The st. Louis Railway Back ward.
but the Manitoba All Ready.

The nuisance of the Manitoba railway
crossings at Washington avenue, Third.
Fourth and Fifth streets has been crying
evil for 10 these many years. The question
of bridging the tracks has been agitated
meanwhile, but to date, to no purpose. Now,
however there is reason to believe that the
bridges needed will soon be erected. The
council committee on railroads held a meet
ing yesterday afternoon, at which the princi-
pal magnates of the Manitoba railway were
present. Among them were ]. j. Hill, A.
Marvel and Col. r. G. Benton. President
Hill presented diagram of a proposed set
of bridges at Washington avenue, Third,
Fourth and Fifth streets. He Furthermore
proposed to put all yards and freight houses
above Washington avenue, and to lower the
tracks of the company as follows:
At Washington avenue, yard tracks feet and
main TRACKS u feet; at Third street, yard tracks
feet and main tracks II feet; at Fourth street
at Third street; at Fifth street, yard
tracks feet and main tracks 10 feet.
Mr.. Hill remarked that if any one expected
his company to build structures for any other
company, they would fall short of their eX-
pectation. This was in reply to an intima-
ton that the Minneapolis st. Louis people
had made no proposition to bridge. Col. Ben
ton said that the fact that easy access TO the
freight houses must be preserved should be
accorded ut once by the city. In order to
do this, the bridges, he claimed, cannot be
built the full width of the street. 1t was pro-
posed by the diagrams shown to build a
bridge at Washington avenue sixty feet wide
This will lack forty-two feet of filling the en-
tire street. At Fourth, Fifth and Sixth
streets, it was proposed to build bridges with
twenty-four-foot roadways and an eight-foot
sidewalk on either side. At Washington ave-
nue. only the main tracks of the Manitoba
Railway company pass, and the st. Louis
tracks.
THE COURT DECISION.
The conference between the committee and
the railway company fastened by re-
cent decision in the courts, to the effect that
if decided that the bridges were needed.
the city should submit plans and
in case the plans were feasible the court
would order the railway companies to build
them and entirely at their own expense. The
city, it may be interesting to know, at first
offered to build and maintain all approaches,
but according to the ruling of the court il is
not necessary. At yesterdays meeting, T.
+. Andrews. largely interested in adjacent
property. suggested that the railway compa-
MES build the bridges the full width of the
roadway, and that the alley be widened, Civ
ing them good approach to the freight
houses. This was stoutly objected to by Mr..
Hill, Mr.. Benton and Mr.. Marvel Mr. Hill
advanced the theory that q sixtyfoot bridge
on Washington avenue would carry all the
people necessary Engineer Rinker suggested
that according to his Interpretation of the
plans Third street would be completely
blocked. This aroused Aid. Pratts opposi-
ton, and Aid. Morse stated that the traffic of
Third street demanded good bridge. Vice
President Truesdale of the MINNEAPOLIS g. ST.
Louis hallway company, who was also pres
ent, had no plan or proposition to submit.
His company had not decid ed to build bridges.
Aid. Morse proposed, therefore. that another
meeting be held in two weeks for the purpose
of deciding upon the matter, and the meeting
adjourned.