Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-07-07


The Railroad Problem.
To the Editor Of The EVENING STAR
As the action OF the senate ON this vexed Ques-
ton is soon to be had, 1t Is desirable that all the
light possible should be had on IL. The one Ques-
ton OF paramount interest Is how TO give the
railroads the necessary terminal facilities and
relieve our streets from obstruction 1 take 1t
that we all realize the absolute necessity OF the
presence or the railroads, and that everybody Is
DESTROYS that they should have even better
terminal faculties than they now have-the only
question being now 10 give them that and afford
Relief To the streets Every one can see that the
present Baltimore and Potomac depot Is not what
they should have because all trains have to enter
now IL Is necessary be constantly shifting trains
III order TO get In and out, and In few years with
lhe natural increase OF trains. IL will be much
worse. Hence It viii be greatly TO the advantage
Ithdt company 10 Change their depot 10 some point
where that dil1culty viii tie overcome. This can
be done by locating on the squares at the inter-
section OF virginia and Maryland avenues, pro-
posed by the Morrill, bill; or, better Still, by
locating On the three squares between 81 an /
Nv streets, fronting On Maryland avenue.
One great advantage OF this Litter location
would be that the ground floor Of the depot
would be on level with the tracks, instead OF Is
70 - eet above thein as IL must be II located at
the Intersection oI Virginia and Maryland avenues
assuming, Of course, that the tracks 10 be
sunk at Tue latter point the road can BE- bridged
over, and which Nj. Barbour, chairman OF the
District committee Two years ago, at the hearing
stated that MT. scott had offered 10 do two years
SAID they could anu were willing 10 do. such a
change would relieve the Mall, open 9th street.
enable the tracks 10 be bridSed over the line OF
6tn and other parallel streets, and at the same
time give the company far better facilities than II
now las and would be just as convenient Tor the
public the present depot. Ii necessary tue i've
squares between ii and Az and Virginia and
Maryland avenues might DC used 1Or the Two
fptds. OF course slight change would he made
In the lines OF the street cars carry them TO
depOts, and these would De I'd, 3D. and An streets,
All open and clear for Carriages TO anu Irum the
depots and pennsylvania avenue, only couple OF
squares distant. In mat case any number or
tracks could he run through along both sides OF
the depOts, thus greatly increasing the facilities
Tor arrival and departure Of trains, In the n. Y
Central depot; and the great advantage OF having
the dept on "A level with the TRACKS, OF Itself
Is SUFFICIENT TO decide the mater in favor OF that
location. Another advantage would be that 1t
would De so much nearer their round-houSe and
the yards for storing cars, waiting trains, &C.
there being any amount OF ground south Of the
capitol That can be had cheap Tor sucu purposes.
Ihis plaD, with the sIklng Oh the Tracks would be
much cheaper than that proposed by Major Twin
nIngI report, anu as the company wound be paid
Tor the present depot there lie no objection on
that point. That company mas expended about
$:&OOOUOO 10 get through Baltimore, and IL GER
fanny ought not 10 object 10 the expenditure of
One-tui I'll much or less 10 secure a pdsSage and
Improved terminal facilities for all time at the
natIoHai capital Whether they object or MOI Con-
gTeSs ought TO compel II.
A, 10 the Baltimore and Ohio, when we had a
hearing last year On the Ludlow DILL, TO tunnel at
9Th street east after leaving the committee room
we mad long talk with the engineer and counsel
OF that company, ana they then informed us that
the great point with them Was TO be permitted TO
go south OF Pennsylvania avenue and 10 cross
the Long bridge; That II the citizens would
help them get that we might locate their
urpot any where between the Capitol and Long
bridge-no matter where, 50 they only got below
the Avenue. We assured them We would do ali we
could 10 alb them, but never would consent to tun-
neIng Al lst street, AS tney proposed, nor 70
their crossing Delaware and Massachusetts, ave
nues subsequently, when the matter wa, con-
s.dered by the QUEENS Association, they unani-
az NIL nsbn
De permitted 10 70 south OF the Avenue, but that
Instead Of tcnneins tne Hill they should go east
OF 18TH street east, and from that position neither
the local associations nor the Committee OF one
Hundred has ever varied, though many individuals
would prefer that they should he permitted TO
cross on the line OF 81 str ct rather than have
Jueir tracks remain as they now are. But now
that company, while asking this great boon OF get
ting souJn oil penuSy avenue ami crossing the
Long bridge, or, as tuey express II, beng puL on an
equal IooIlng With taelr rlval, the Pennsyl yania
company, in all particulars, refuse To accept the
boon when offered, unless IL Is permitted " 20 on
Ri street. Not only that, but IL has the inpu-
dcnce to say TO the senate committee that N IL
moves az all 1t must be pad Tor doing SO,
and that II IL can't have It's own way on botn
these points II viii stay where it Is, In spite
OF CoLgrea5 and tae citizens combined!
Why that company should insist on tun-
neIing the hiii, wnen, as It's engineer admits
the route east oi 18th street Is so much Cheaper
Is very strange. ON this point CapI. Green In The
report OF the commissioners for 1Ss:,, page l4l.
says: The difference In cost would lie VERY
great, one via Eastern Branchl involving tunnel
"a lttt, which, On UdalS SuDIiIItteQ Dy
MAJOR TIiHiHg, would cost about x2OO, 900; and
he other (iJ Eth streei), requiring a tunnel of
5000 Ieet, costing $500 Ooo excess OF 5000 COO
vi course, TO tunnel al ii street would uce the
cost about s30O,UcO. but even that would make
the tunnelng OF The hill cost 500 600 more than
VIA the Eastern Branch. Why that company In
Its present condition should Insist on this more
expensive route Is indeed strange, and We Leyln
To suspect that IL does not want or intend to move
at all at present IL Degins to look more as though
IL wanted 70 secure a franchise 70 sell than any.
thing else.
As 10 tuRneling at 9Th or any street east OF %.
as ias been proposed, II cannot be done on ac-
count OF the sewers ON 5th street The large
Boundary sewer Is only feet UelOw the surface
ana on u street there Is 6-IoUt sewer only no
Ieet below the surface, and which as II desceDdS
10 The west comes nearer the surface the farther
We 20 east Now, at 9Th and q the track
could be depressed only 8 or . Ieet how
could IL cross the track OF the street
railroad On street adjoining? IL
cannot go under ii because of the sewer ON O. ana
II cannot 10 over IL, unless 1T runs on grade from
Boundary AL the way 10 4, thus crossing eight or
niae streets on grade, which certainly cannot be
tolerated. Al 9th street east it would cross sir
streets on grade, at llth i've streets and at l2th
cover at Maryland avenue. IL Will therefore be
seen that IL IL not possible for the Baltimore end
OHIO 10 cross at any point east OF ID rect and I
cannot cross there without raising embankments
from nine TO twelve feet high various streets
where they are 10 be bridged over it, Including III
street villa Its street railway. In view OF these
facts, IL would seem that The only thing for Con-
gres5 10 do Is 10 compel The Baltimore and Ohio 70
20 Via the Eastern Branch as has been uniformly