The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1892-01-09
THOSE MILWAUKEE, TRACKS.

interested at present in the lowering of
the Milwaukee railroad tracks, or their
removal to the river bank, If such q
change were feasible. But the Milwau-
kee officials, while they pretend to be
solicitous for the peoples interests, have
so far failed to present any reasonable
plan whereby the present dangers to
life and limb may be eliminated. The
company was asked what it thought of
the change to the river bank, and, as
was to be expected, said that such a
change was impractlcable. Another
proposition looking to the fencing in of
the tracks, together with bell signals at
all crossings which should be used on
the approach OF trains, met with a eimi-
lar reply to the one transferring the line
to the river bank. The company does
not say SO, but it looks as if it would
like to see all the south.town crossings
tunneled as was done few years ago on
Washington and Eighth avenues south
The people of South Minneapolis, who
are more directly interested in getting
those crossings put IN safe condition, are
very much opposed to this plan, and
naturally enough they would be. 1t
was bad move when that tunnel on the
Eighth avenue south was begun, and
still worse when it was allowed to be
completed. 1t spoiled the appearance
of Washington avenue at that place; be-
sides it did much injury to adjoining
property, and established bad prece-
dent in solving the dangers that threaten
people on the other crossings. The
proposition TO raise the tracks is still
more foolish, and will, we. hope, not be
considered for moment. The people
of Minneapolis are friendly to the Mil"
wauke road and have done much for 1t,
but they will not favor the tunnelling OF
the south-town crossings as was done on
Eighth avenue; neither will they per-
mt the company to raise their tracks as
favored by the city engineer, for they
are wisely opposed to having q barrier
between them and the city proper. The
only solution for this problem is that
the tracks go down as was done on
Fourth avenue north, or transferred to
the river bank where they will hurt no
one. We know that the Milwaukee
road can be compelled to lower its
tracks, but the compulsory process is 9
long and tedious enc to adopt, and TO,
that reason the city is anxious to sur.
mount the difficulties in this regard by
some other process than the courts
They are not asking too much wher
they say that rhe road should not objec
to doing what the Great Northern anC
ST. Louis roads are now doing along
Fourth avenue north. The friends Of
the road say that to lower the tracks
would work great hardship to number
of machine shops along it's tracks, bu
they fail to consider that one human life
is worth more than all the machine
shops in question. These dangerou'
CROSSINGS have already Witnessed the
sacrifice of many lives, and more viii
surely follow if something is not done
to make these crossings safer. Passen
ger and other trains run over these
crossings every day many miles pei
hour faster than is allowed by law, but
the people Of Minneapolis do not wan'
to injure the road, and SO they allow il
to do as it pleases in this particular
The question Of lowering these tracks il
now before committe Of the council
and We hope this committee will not lei
up until they have made some satisfac
tory arrangement with the company.
The Review of Reviews for January