Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-01-30
CITY AND DISTRICT


TIE BALTIMORE AND OHIO WANTS IT AND THE PENN
sYLyANIa pOEsNT-How PRESIDENTS SPENCER AMI
ROBERTS LOCKED HORNS BEFoHE TIE SENATE Dis
TRIcT CoaMITTEE-sR. DOUGLASS on THE BALTI-
MORE AND oJIo ROUTE AND MR.. cowES on The
LEslL SgArTs OF THAT ROAD
During The hearing by the Senate committee
Saturday o. parties interested In the subjects q
steam railroad routes and the proposed union
passengp- deDo: Ia this city Mr.. H. I. Douglass.
chief engineer Of the Baltimore and Ohio Co, said
he pronO-e, 20 have the two branches OF that road
unite anil enter the city ana come down I'd street
northeast q street and street would be crossed
at grade and II and 2d passenger station
would nc established. At Massachusetts, avenue
the tracks would enter tunnel passing beneath
I'd street the tunnel to emerge at reservation No.
IL, at south Carolina avenue. From the southern
mouth y. the tunnel n would connect with the
BaltIm0rr AID Potomac tracks at 0ne-Balf street
soufheI>t. dlS company would leave IL TO Con-
grpss 20 determine the location OF the union depot
From One-Hlf street, tine junction 81 tie Balti-
more AMI ohio with the Baltimore and Potomac
tracks four tracks would be necessary, two for
each ~ the roads along Virginia avenue, and that
would require width OF 90 ieet. Inat avenue IS
IN length. l. the passenger depot should be 10
Gated IN ArmOry square he would propose that a
tracas rvm the pla OF entering Armory square
TO the present Baltimore and Potomac depot. That
could sIs.ly % done By placing the union depot
under one management, one set OF signals, &C.
rTIE OBJECTIONS 10 TIE PRESENT B. AND O. DEPOT.
The complaint against the present location Of
the Baltimore and oaio depot, Mr.. Douglass said,
4 that Il obstTIcts North Capitol street and Mas
sachusetts avenue crossing both at grade. He
paIhia;aad that tracks exclusively for freight
uses crossing streets at grade not o5jectiona-
bic but an, necessary In order to facilitate the
hand,in- ~ freight ard TO cheaper the cost OF
handi.s IT,
PRE- !Dz,.T sFESCER on THE Union DEPOT QUESTION.
Pres.Jcut spencer, OF the Baltimore and Ohio
said Tie Baltimore and Potomac was built to AFFORD
washin zion = competition that did not then exist.
Prior % the construction Of the Baltimore and
Potomac southern trains passed along In front of
the Capitol mo tie Baltimore and Ohio depot
thus delivering their passengers there, whereas
now SCltherI Passengers are delivered only 30 the
Baltimore ard PoJomac depot. since 1873 the
ipyai rights of tho Baltimore and Ohio had been
tlyue.l OF In Doubt. aud That road had made
no improvements, sj!oEans how soon it might
b. novel. The sIg-ssStiJl -. a Gnioa Depot came
originally fTJL Tue '.Sl.tl', ana tie Baltimore and
Ohio acGJisscei rs road ~aLtci chance 10
Compete .Or the southern tr.I;i',. Gr. spencer
maintained that tiers IS 40 GiL,ra!iy IN operating
union d,pcJ, anu there wOul1 DC no trouble in
Washington. In Philadelphia so trains arrive
and deplrl day. and last year il 6oO.0 900 passen
gers arrived nGd'paftet ~ that depot. Last rear,
he sai,i, tie Baltimore ami Ohio In this city
handled at It's passenger depot gs7,61S persons;
the report Of the Baltimore AMI potomac depot
for the year was abOu. LOO 90 Passengers, or
about =, 100000 for both Il. pots
LEGAL STATUS or THE BALTIMORE AND OHIO.
Mr.. j. n. CDyen. general counsel Of the Balti-
more anti ono Railroad In explaining the legal
status of THAI road. said That In 1874 the road
authorized 10 enter Washington bpt not to 20
farther west than tlIs west Sii sLn street. In
ISL IL WAS ;tutuOT,zfti bN congress 90 20 TO II
street ami Delaware avenue Mex g. had 10 pro-
cure the consent VI citizens - reach its depot.
which was then on IcnI~y dnIi avenue. In 1850
an AGREEMENT was entered into by which the depot
was removed Ia H. present. io,Ttioa Neither any
act OF Congress nor the ---erISi.IS made thereun-
der provided that the charter privileges might
De altered afnrnd.t. repealed. In I>ts5 Congress
authorized the Metropolitan branch. but IL re-
quired that an agreement shouIt b. made with
the corporate aTthoTiues for ITS entrance into the
city. he branch WIS 10 come down 1st street.
In none II tn arts I'D Congress reserve the right
Go alter or amend The authority TO use steam
power WAS extended 20 continue until the year
1910 Upon the faItl Of the legal acts ana agree
ren'S Ihe company has expended many million
dollars, and though Congress may thrust the road
0utsie the city force it 10 tear up an it's tracks
&c, yet n Congress does this II must bs by the
ri2nt Of eminent domain and
IHE GOVERNMENT HCsT ALLOW CONVERSATION.
Mr. Cowen explained that 80 far Congress is
concerni and It.; acts the Baltimore and Ohio has
the rsnt tHletnitely 10 use steam power, but by
Cit ordinance that right would expire IN 1910.
Blu, aside IgOi the legal rigE; Mr.. CJwea asserted
that. ~ liter OF equity. n Congress compels
Corporations that have Invested large sus In pur-
suance - .gTcriRcnts To make expensive changes
The Government should bear part OF the expense.
In response a. NJ. Spooaer Mr. COwen Admitted
that L. did Got l4anta!n that the Government
would b. ,es1ily bond TO compensate the Blni-
EOn aId OH. rs "A mater Of fact he did not
think IL 9Ouli b. s:a.iy boand, but In justice IL
ought 10 bear part o. the expense OF the changes
j
UNION DEPors PUBLIC NECESSITY
Mr.. COIsea leii that union depots have become
public Necessity; TINT when people arrive In
this city from the South they should have the
r1ght AM ths pi1vils-e of selecting fro.a two
TVuccs Z the Ncrta anu VS.. At the same depot.
they SilJud lot DE cO.uDelcd 10 travel over the
City IN . de-. - procure con yeti:iOn lie declared
that There o el be no difficulty In the manage
ment vi a rniO9 dcpO;. fAs Interstate Commits
son haI b-cn created to co;Ipe! pubic carriers TO
respect Ia. & sts OF each other aad o. the public
Was a railroad company 10 stand here IN the ma
GonAl capital 20 prohibit ua1n depoG In the In
terest U; TIE pablc? II Necessary The Inters: ate
COInnii-siCa rlshs " given autAori y to regulate
the IDaEa-eIIeht OF the unioa depot, II the rail-
roaG coup 1ules ent Tag II could not agree upon a
In reply 10 Mr. Riddleberger President Spencer
admit that road could strike southern con-
nectiOl Via t..e Shenandoah Valley and Ly nchburg
that would b. shorter than VIA TIE Long bridge
but there would D. No - liz To procure there.
PEAR OF DYNAMITE TIE Tunnel
Mr.. COwen had heard that some Con1ressmen
objected 70 o tunnel under I'd street as being too
near the Lew library building, for fear somebody
might put dynamite IN the tunnel and blow up the
building. lie went On 10 show That underground
Railroads arr run near pUJ,ic buiillags Ia London
Mr. spooner-"And they are afraid OF dynamite
Mr.. COwen considered the objections to the tun
mel beneath Capitol iiilt a. puefiie.
PREsIDgST sOBEgTs MS ANOTHER SAY.
President Roberts, OF tEc Pennsylvania Co., ex-
planned the extent and operations OF his Broad
show how u differs from any proposed union depot
mere. He ssiG Inst seven Ir.,e railroad, enter
Jersey City, and there l. no union depot there
Each rO1d manages It's own depots Mr. Roberts
said the Baltimore an9 OHIO had refused 70 toin
the Peansylvsn road ~ PhIla .slDhfa
This was disputed, ana Mr.. Roberts added that
all facilities north o. Baltimore were Offered the
Baltimore and ohio on ecu 4 terms with the Penn
eyiyania road, but the Bii,imore M ONO W anfed
all priyi-s Tor ITS passenger traffic and to take
us freight uanlc, which had some value, To
anoJhcr Company. The Pennsylvania refused un-
less IL could get both passenger and freight
ceiphia: hone IN New York. lie admitted that
the Pennsylvania and the baltimore ard ONO
jointly own th;rIy-tbree miles OF railroad between
NewArk and columbus, OHIO, and no section or
road ever caused 80 much angry litigation. With
the expert snce Of that joint ownership he wouii
declare that no consideration on earth would r.
duc- MIN 20 90 TITO partnership IN railway Jrafic
with any other company. IL Is dangerous In
Chicago the Illinois Central had permitted the
Baltimore and OHIO TO get In wiIh !. In its union
depot, and they had been
oCARREIING EvERsIScE.
Mr.. Cowsn protested against that statement
Mr. Roberts said: IL may lie mistaken about It.
but oor't think 1 am" There Is no need of a
union OF depots between the Baltimore and Po,o-
mac ano BALTIMORE and Ohio roads, ne continued
No Passengers who come into tn, Baltimore and
fotoinac depot want 20 tOthe Baltimore and Ohio
Al the Latter Walls - connect WITH the South give
IL route TO the Long criise ana let /, erect tts
own DEPOT anywhere 10 may see proper and can
get iIcllIie- AL he Collected to wuS the putting.
OF the two companies together In oae deI,ot IIe
naiataiDed that TIE proposed