Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-11-25

Over twenty years ago Congress authorized
the Baltimore ard Potomac railroad to EXTEND
its liz. across the Long bridge. and to make
the necessary changes in the bridge to accom-
plish this extension. The railroad acted upon
this authority, occupied. changed and used the
bridge. This structure with its solid cause
way. its numerous piers across the main chan
mel surrounded by mountains Of stone hcaped
there by the railroad to prevent foods from
sweeping away the rotting woodwork, has
proved to be gigantic dam, turning
the food water of the Potomac in
upon the lower sections Of Washington
including Pennsylvania avenue. The city
demands that the dam give way to bridge,
that q viaduct under which both floods and
people may pass take the place OF the solid,
obstructive causewsy. that the chain Of rocky
mountains which the railroad has created at the
bottom Of the river, reducing the available room
for the passage Of water By at least a third, be
removed. and that high bridge with few piers
be substituted for the present lo~-lying
structure. The railroad seeks to retain the
bridge as il Is. Worse than this it's plan
Is to broaden and heighten the structure,
including the causeway. and to run an
additional track across it. thus aggravating
the nuisance and menace OF the Long bridge
dam 1t asked Congress at the last session for
permission to carry out its plan, ard Congress
failed to grant it. 1t attempted to obtain the
assent of the engineer officers in charge of the
fats improvements. but these officers have ever |
been mindful OF the public interests and the
law. and it failed in that quarter. Then it sp- |
pealed to Secretary Elkins, who q railroad
magnate might be supposed to have q SYM
pathetic fellow feeling. and it obtained what it
desired The theory Of the railroad and Sec |
Rotary Elkins is that the grant to the road of the
privilege of altering the bridge to extend |
tracks across it in 1870 lasts for all time, |
and that the railroad can without any addi- |
tionai assent Of Congress, fifty q hundred |
years after the original legislation. make such |
changes in the bridge it pleases for the pur- |
pose Of track extension, even though these
changes involve an occupation of additional
public property by broadening of the cause
war. The railroad in effect confessed that it |
had no such right by applying to the present |
Congress for permission to do this very thing. |
Secretary Elkins is apparently alone in his legal
position. reversing the sound policy Of his |
engineer subordinstes. The whole spirit of |
the Supreme Court decision printed in full |
recently in HE STAR, is opposed to any such |
that the city instead Of getting rid |
Of the nuisance and obstruction Of Long |
Bridge is threatened by dam which has within |
short time been broadened and heightened |
and the additional ground necessary for this |
purpose has been unlawfully appropriated from
a public park, which it is the duty Of the Sec
Rotary OF War to protect against all trespass- /
ers, whether great or small, whether lime or
a = 81
workers in the railroad business.
IL may be that Secretary Elkins has been i'm
posed upon. and that his consent to the reilroad |
70 occupy additional public property on the /
fats, not one inch of which is lawfully at his
disposal for such use, may be Withdrawn when
he knows the facts.
The people Of Washington mean that Long
Bridge dam which has caused great damage in
the pas. and which periodically threatens life
and millions Of property shall go. The courts
and Congress will be appealed to for redress \
against unlawful acts which aggravate and tend |
TO perpetuate the obstructive nuisance.
The law which gave to the railroad the use Of |
the bridge required il to maintain the structure
in good condition for ordinary travel. and pro-
vides for forfeiture of the right to use il this
requirement is dis-egarded. In the bill which
IL framed and presented TO Congress at the last
session the railroad admitted the obvious fact
that said bridge is unsafe for ordinar-
travel" The right TO use the bridge has been l
forfeited The bridge should be removed. as AMI
obstruction TO navigation. under the statutes, il
the danger to eood-th-estened Washington is
entirely disregarded- And finally in recently
occupying and using for railroad purposes a 1
long strip of the fats in broadening the cause-l
way without authority of Congress the railroad
l. as much subject to the criraina! proceedings
against tresrassers the small lime and cement
dealers whom Secretary Elkins has valiantlyI
elected