Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-12-12

During the present week the Senate District
committee proposes 20 take up and discuss a
biil In which the people Of this city are dssply
Interested So far - ia title Is concerned ths
neasur. misht easily b. mistaken for a ben-A-
cent effort on the part Of the Pennsylvania Rail
road Compsny-"A bin 20 provide for doing
swav With certain grsde-crossings on the lines
Of the Baltimor. and Potomac railroad in the
CITY Of Washington. District Of Co
lnmbia. and for other purposes" Now
every rational being in this community
favors the abolition OF grade-crossings. bat it
By no means follows that everybody fsvors this
bill. for Concealed within that omnibus and
for other purposes T. one Of the most thor
oaghly Characteristic propositions ever made by
an earth-grasping corporation. Section 10 pro-
vides that the said railroad company be, and
., u hereby, further required 10 construct a
Double track on the Tsoug Bridge over the Po-
tomac river and the island IN the said river, and
g. build on the Virginia SD. Of the said river
two additional spans each one hundred
AMI forty fee, long. in consideration
whereof the said company shall be- ard
g. il hereby. freed and relieved from
th~ obi cation n maintain the said railway
bridge IN good condition for ordinary highway
travel, 81 being hereby understood and agreed
that proper highway bridge shall be provided
at IN. expense % the United States or Of the
District Of Columbia between The foot Of lith
street In the city - washtugton, and the Vir-
giuia shore - such point ~ may be determined
mon ~ most suitable therefor Nv The
Commissioner % tlr District Of Co
lumtia. That s~rfIr-. vas framed bv
the railroad company. There IA nothing
Indefinite IN the lsnguage. no veil Of majesty
60 conceal the corporate desire. Tor some time
Ta-t IN. company has been anxious 10 have a
double track o. The bridge. but a. that could
not be lsii unless thu driveway was abolished
and two al !i:irnaI spans added 60 the Virginia
end - the structure legislation became usces-
,lr, and this bill l. The first step. In view of
tie conditions upon which tie cu-upany took
Io-sessiol o. aud holds the bridge this propo-
s.,ion J. n gigantic IInpertin-uce. The Long
bridge the property u The United
s;.t.- and It passed iuto the keeping Of the
railroad company through a contract in which
a.. company agreed to maintain the wagon
~sy acro-s the Fotoma~. uh,ch. to the people
81 this city. isa tboroughfare o; considerable
importance. The maintenance of this highway
l.. q course. more or less expensive. bnt not
ceedingly generous when it made the railroad
n present Of the bridge. and the amount annu-
ally expended IN repairs on the wagon-way is
INFINITE inlal when compared with the benefits
received But half the bridge is not enough.
Business has increased 80 that additional tracks
necessary, and instead Of building such
structure the traffic demands the company
eooIly insists that the entire structure lie
tgrned over to it and that either the United
States or the District Of Columbia shall build
another bridge TO accommodate the wagon and
foot travel. Briefly. the company proposes
that in consideration OF its dong what for its
own selfish interests il wants 10 do-viz double
track the bridge-it be relieved from all
obligation to maintain the highway without
which obligation il could never have run a car
on the bridge. IL asks that IL be required to
take = third Of what II covets. and in cOnsidera-
tion thereof receive as gift the other two
thirds. The sbSurdity Of the proposition j.
further intensified by the fact that before long
the company viii establish freigh, wards on the
Virginia side and that some of the freight con-
signed 20 local merchants sill have 10 be hauled
therefrom- II the company successfuly re-
Pudntes IT. contract and secures complete pos
session Of tie Long bridge wagon-hauIs
will not be possible over it. 1t is,
therefore. evident that the company wants
either the United States or the District to build
bridge over winch the eompany's freight may
he hauled into the city. There should be but
one bridge across The Potomac at the foot of
lith street. II should be new. from the fler
Foundations up; should De 80 constructed a. to
permit the free fcw Of water aud the passage
OF ice, removing the menace TO Washington Of
the present structure; should be OF sufficient
size 20 accommodate all railroads running TO or
from the south. and should have an ample high
way for wagons and pedestrians. If On the same
level a. the tracks then separated therefrom by
a solid partition.