Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-04-18
THE PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD.
Hearing Before the House District
Committee Today.

VICE PRESIDENT GREEN OF THE ROAD Apvo-
GATES ITS INTERESTS AND MEssRs. n. Il. Parker
AND 7. ". SoYKs OF THE WASHINGTON BOARD
OF TRADE SPEAK IN BEHALF OF THE INTER
EsTs OF THE PEOPLE OF THE DISTRICT.
The representatives Of the Pennsylvania rail-
road were given another hearing on the Akin
son bill by the House District committee to-
day. The committee was to have met
at 10 O'Clock. At that hour the chair
man and Mr.. Barclay, the attorney for
the road, were the only persons
present. At ten minutes to IL Mr.. Atkinson
and Mr.. Hemphill were the only members of
the committee besides the chairman present.
MIR. Barclay of Philadelphia. the attorney; Vice
President Green and q. H. Painter, represented
the Pennsylvania Railroad. Mr.. Church, Mr..
Ross and Mr.. NJ. NJ. Parker were present to
represent the Washington Board Of Trade.
TWAS lilo o'clock before the committee was
called to order
represented the Board of Trade and if he had
anything say.
Mr.. Parker replied that representatives of
the Board of Trade were present but they did
not know that they had anything to say. They
had opened the hearing at the last meeting
preferred to let the railroad open.
Vice President Green said that the railroad
had nothing more to say on the subject if the
Board of Trade had not.
Mr.. Hemphill then proposed that the hearing
be declared off, if nobody wanted to give any
information to the committee.
After some little talk Vice President Green
said he would present few statements with
relation to the Burton bill if the committee
desired.
Mr.. Hemphill said that he wanted it under
stood that the committee did not insist upon
any statement being made. The railroad came
to ask for certain things. If they did not care
to give the committee any information on the
subject he thought the committee ought not to
insist upon it.
Mr.. Green then took the floor. He said that
the two propositions in the Burton bill were
for the removal of the depot to the in
tersection of Maryland and Virginia avenues,
and that the tracks be sunk in trench from 4
to 70 feet deep from between I'd and Sd streets
and the Long Bridge. He said that for the past
ten years there had been a dozen different
points proposed and that no two sets of
people agreed upon any site. He
no majority of the people of the District or of
the people Of the country would vote to move
this depot. He said that in all his travelling
In and out of Washington he had not
seen, all told. 1000 people in the Mall Park,
while 10000 passengers are benefited by the
present location OF the depot.
When men sent their families off on the cars
they were given every possible comfort
and convenience. The proposition to
put the depot at Maryland and
Virginia avenues meant that the cars at
the depot should be under ground twenty feet,
and that the passengers should have to sit in
foul atmosphere and submit to discomfort which
they would not tolerate.
MIR. Circuit asked about the necessity for space
for the separation of local from through
freight, and Mr.. Green pointed out the neces-
sity for more facilities.
Mr.. Grout said that he thought he spoke for
the committee when he said that Mr.. Green
need not spend a moment in discussing
the necessity for greater facilities for
the road. He thought the committee was
convinced of this, and that it needed no argu-
ment. The only questions that bothered the
committee were those Of the
DEPRESSION OF THE TRACKS AND THE PUSHING
BACK OF THE DEPOT.
Mr.. Green then said that there was no place
in the city limits that could possibly be as
suitable in every respect for de pot as the site
now occupied.
There were fewer Objectionable features and
greater benefits to the travelling public. It
was altogether the best site in the city limits.
He said as to the tracks, that the approaches
could be materially improved. but that
it was farcical to talk of sinking the tracks un-
der ground. No doubt he said, the tracks
might be depressed from AZ street to 9th, but
this meant an immense work and ex-
pense, and the question would have to be
very carefully Investigated by the engineers Of
the road, the engineers Of the District and the
engineers OF the government, and the matter
would have to be settled for all time.
The road could not afford to spend 81. ZOO, 900
for this work; the District could not afford to
spend 81 00O,0 900 as temporary expedient
The Inconvenience and hardship would fall
upon the passengers, who would have to travel
through the gully and sometimes through
three or four feet OF water. He said that the
tracks occup led the streets at grade by right
by command Of Congress. Congress put them
there.
Mr.. Green, continuing said that Mr. Moves
had gone out of his way to denounce the road
as outlaws grabbers and robbers, when in fact
the road occupied the streets and the depot
site by right granted by Congress-
CITIZENS NOT COMPLAINING OF LEGAL BUT IL
LEGAL ACTS OF THE ROAD.
Mr.. Grout interrupted him here to state
that Mr.. Noyes had not spoken Of the occupa-
ton of streets and the mall authorized by Con.
gress. but was referring to acts of the road
which were not authorized
Mr.. Green said he understood this but that
the road had permission from the Commits
sioners for all the sidings laid, DC He re-
law that the road proceed along these streets
at grade.
Mr. Grout asked il the road had protested
against this-if they wanted to come in in
any way but on grade.
Mr. Green said that he supposed not; that
after cutting the tunnel they were not banker
ing to make more cuts.
AGAINST SINKING THE TRACKS
Speaking further about the proposition to
sink the tracks, Mr.. Green said that the road
could not in justice be made to damage prop
erty for 500 feet ON either side by sinking their
tracks and then be forced to pay damages.
They had he said, paid damages once for all
time in compliance with the provisions of the
act OF 1872. To make them incur other dam
ages and go down in their pockets to pay for
them was confiscation or robbery.
He called the committees attention to the
fact that the German government was spend
ing S24 000 900 to sink tracks in six cities He
said the road was willing to do what
was right but that they did
not want this proposition to relieve the streets
combined with that to give them the greater
facilities they asked. These facilities, he said,
were needed at once. The other work would
take long time.
Mr.. Circuit suggested that the
road might be granted the facilities they asked
which they might have four years to make the
improvements asked by the District
Mr.. GREEN OBJECTS.
Mr.. Green resisted this suggestion and said
that the railroad could mt toll what IN ralv An