Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-02-10

BosroN's RAILWAY TRACKS.
An Attempt to Substitute Elevated for Grade
Crossings.
| By A LEeIsLArIvE ooxMTTKE-How THE CITY
AND Suburbs HAVE oRowN-srRiIaHrENrNa
THE CROOKED srRKrrs.
conespordence Of The Evening Star.
BosroS, February 8, 1893
| Boston's chief topic Of interest Just now is
rapid transit. 1t holds first place in the con-
sideration Of the legislature and is the talk of
the day at the clubs and the places of bust
meas. The rapid transit committee Of the legis-
nature have fairly opened the subject by series
Of hearings, and their eviden mt intention to do
| something has stirred up the conservatives.
who mad lulled themselves into indifference by
regarding rapid transit as too vague and re-
mote to be Of any immediate concern.
The rapid transit commissioner report,
which contained SO many radical recommends
lions that the last legislature refused to touch
II and handed it down to this session with pair
OF tongs, is now being candidly and carefully
considered. There has been silent campaign
Of education going on during the last nine
something must be done.
The condition of things in tine congested por-
| ton OF Boston, living between Causeway street
| on the north. Kneeland street on the south and
| bounded by fremont and Court Streets on the
! north, and on the pouth by Federal, Milk and
! kilby streets, the markets, Blackstone and
Charleston streets, is simply intolerable All
| these streets narrow and the map looks like
a piece Of crazy patchwork. they are SO inter-
woven. This is the district where the cows
i Gar vod Nn fhrfF aAkft NM
$50 years ago. 1t is the heart Of commercial
Boston. and its arteries and veins are swollen
almost to bursting with the mounting, tide Of
| business and traffic.
POPULATION OF THE SUBURBS.
Boston is not alone responsible for this state
Of affairs. great as its own growth has BEEN
The still greater proportionate development OF
the twenty-five cities and towns within radius
OF ten miles of Boston complexities the problem
They had population of 396. 238 in 1890. while
Boston itself had AS. AT. Between 1880 and
1880 Boston showed % 6 as its percentage Of in
crease. while its suburbs increased at the rate
of 1876 per cent. On the same ratio of growth
Boston would now have 4S0, 900 and its suburbs
| 4S6, 0O0-the handsome total for metropolitan
Boston Of $4,000. When we add to this the
| transient visitors we have a round million Of
people who are strictly part of Boston for
purposes Of trade and traffic IL they were in
cluded in the city limits. If Boston were
| western city they would be inside the city
boundaries and Boston would move up several
pegs in the list Of the big cities OF the country
There is little doubt that il Boston wore to
annex ''ail that jined her" to the extent Chicago
has done che would have as many inhabitants
This 10 said in no encouragement Of this young
giant Of the west, which will in the end be the
| second largest not the very largest, city in
the country
But the refusal of old cities like Cambridge.
whose history began when Boston's did and
whose boundaries have stood for 200 years. to
| surrender its name and be merged in the New
England metropolis doesn't alter the fact that
all its people come to Bos ton to do business.
RAPID TRANSIT FROM THE SUBURBS.
The anxiety to get into Boston easily is none
the less strong, because, as the suburbanites
say, they rush to get out again as soon as posi-
BILE. They want rapid transit in either case.
But they cannot get 1t without reforms SO
radical that the mere suggestion OF them horri-
fes those estimable citizens who have been
reared to believe that to change Boston is to
try to paint the lily.
FREIGHT CARRIED ACROSS TOWN.
Asmatters stand today Boston has three de-
pots at the extreme north of the congested dis
trict and three more at the extreme south. All
transfer OF passengers, baggage or express mat
ter going north or coming south must be made
across the city and through this tangle of mar
row StTeets All tue IIelBut teamlDR connected
with the business OF the city is done in the same
crowded territory. The Union freight railroad.
which is operated through certain streets at
night, helps the delivery of freight in a measure,
but is in itself Objectionable on account of its
obstruction Of the highways.
More than this, four of these railroads, one at
the south and the others at the north enter Bos-
ton over drawbridges, subject TO much inevitable
delay thereby. In the north the railroads have
! found themselves pinched for room on the
south side Of the Charles river, and have little
by little extended their territory by building
out over the water on piles, until they have
narrowed the stream to little more than the
| bare width of the draws. The United States
engineers have declared that all these struc-
lures impeded the flow OF the tide in and out
OF the Charles and hindered the proper scour-
| ing of the harbor.
They were once declared nuisances by the
| government, but that mandate has been some
| what softened, SO that reform may be substi-
| tuted for removal.
| LEGISLATIVE ORDER IGNORED.
That isn't all The northern railroads enter
Boston by a totally unnecessary crossing of
each others tracks. As long ago as 1887 the
| legislature ordered the roads to agree upon a
union station at the north end and abolish all
| these nuisances. Tbs act was not sufficiently
| mandatory, however, and the roads have man
| aged to find excuses for evading ii. Add to
all these railway difficulties the crying need for
some sort Of surface street transit which will
deserve the name Of rapid transit, and Boston
does indeed need the relief which the wisest
and best legislation can give it.
REMEDIES PROPOSED.
To meet some Of the difficulties the rapid
| transit commission have submitted plans for
| the joining of the railways at the north and
! south ends in union stations, for the widening
of the streets In the business part Of Boston,
for the erection OF elevated drawless bridges over
| the Fort Poilt channel on the south. and over
! the Charles river on the north, and they also
make suggestions for an elevated street rail-
way.
RAILROADS SATISFIED WITH PRESENT CoNDI-
TONS.
The hearings Of the rapid transit committee
Of the legislature have been based on these
| recommendations Of the rapid transit commits
sion. They have found that the various inter-
ests affected by the proposed changes we're gen.
orally In favor Of all the reforms which did not
disturb their present arrangements. They
were all very willing that the other fellow
should he the one to pull up stakes for the
| public good. The proposition to close Fort
| Point channel by drawless bridge met with
| vigorous protest from the owners OF wharf
| privileges above the draw and from the Old
| Colony railroad, which has recently purchased
large freight yards in South Boston and has pro-
| jected = new passenger station corner Of Fed
ersl and Kneelsnd streets Both these improve
II - nAptA .laeA h.