Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1893-03-04
ROADS MUST ELEVATE,
chieago's Council Orders All Tracks Above
thu Surface

CHICAGO, Feb. 21.-With scarcely q
word Of discussion comprehensive or.
1inance providing for elevation OF
steam railway tracks was passed by
the city council. 1t has the sanction
of fifty-seven votes in the affirmative
and none in the negative. The measure
is that introduced by Alderman O'Neill.
Since then il has been revised by the
corporation counsel, ami bears the
stamp of his approval.
~ ,rha ordinance rsaaairas. the rsmoval
all railroad tracks before January /,
1895, from the surface of all highways
within the following described dis.
trict:
Commencing at "a point on Lake Michi-
gan where the south line OF Park row
produced ntersects the same, thence west
to the east line of Michigan avenue,
thence south to the south line of Twelfth
street thence west 10 the east bank OF
the south branch Of the Chicago river,
thence north along the bank of the river
to point 40J feet south of the south line
of Taylor street, thence Dortheasterly to
the south line OF Harrison street, thence
west TO the east bank of the south branch
intersection of the north and south
branches of the Chicago river, thence east
along the main branch OF the river TO
Lake Michigan. thence south to the place
of beginning. :
BY January /, 1897, all surface rail-
way tracks must be removed from
streets in the second district, which
embraces territory bounded by Lake
Michigan, Sixty-seventh street, Halsted
street, Thirty-ninth street, KedZie ave-
nue. and Diversev avenue. BY January
| !. 1899 all surface railway tracks must
! he removed from the streets of the
! third district, which embraces territory
bounded by Twenty-first street, Kedzie
avenue. the Illinois and Michigan canal,
south branch Of the Chicago river and
Halsted street. Provision is made that
no part of the girders on the super,
structure shall be less than sixteen feet
above the established grade of the
street. The work of constructing ele
waited tracks must begin In the first dis
trict not later than July !, 1898; in the
second, not later than July !. 1898: in
the third. not later than July !, 1897
Railroad men are loath to express
their views on the ordinance. Presi
dent Marvin Hughitt, of the Chicag,
and Northwestern, however, said thai
IL would be impossible To tell what
steps his road would take until after
the meeting of the directors.
"Will an effort be made to contest the
measure on the ground that it is uncon
stitutional?"
THAT | cannot say. presume, how
ever, that grounds could be found upon
which to base contest. But this
much can say: There is no power or
earth which can compel us to elevate
our tracks. This matter has been con
sidered in all its phases by the
managers of the different road'
AMI the opinions of the best lawyer
wv the country have been obtained
The conclusion is that the city canno
legally enforce the ordinance. The en-
forcement of il means ruin to the rail
road business of Chicago. We canno
elevate our tracks and maintain the
same relation 10 commerce as tina
which now exists. There are NOR,
than 1000 miles of track within tht
city limits and it will cost on an aver
age of $4,000 mile for elevation
That means an expenditure of 5000.
100000, which Is an absurdity. w
might he able to comply with the or
dinance in the outlying district, bu
we cannot raise our tracks to a heigh
of eighteen feet in the center of th'
CITY,"