The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-02-14
pRKsIDEsr cLARxHs rLAS.

The exact length of the present depot
Is 649 feet. The plan of the New York,
Providence and Boston and Old Colony
roads with the train-sh she'd attachments in
wolves length OF 1856 feet, approximat-
ing nearly quarter Of mile, and that OF
the Consolidated measures 500 feet In
length. The sites of the two last named
structures are practically the same, but in
all other essentials the superiority of the
Consolidated's Renaissance conglomera-
tion exists only In its monopolistic i'm
agination. One exception might be noted
and that is the delight open air prome-
made from the station proper to the
outermost track, distance of 20 feet.
rendered doubly gratifying after climbing
up % feet into the waiting room above
tide-water. Now the present width OF
Exchange place is 40 feet and one can
readily estimate the ground TO be covered
in nearly twice that distance, particularly
in suchl suspicious weather - prevailed
yesterday. It Is an elevated station, tits
true, by which grade crossings are elm
mated, but anyone would have to indulge
in dizzy fight of fancy to accuse the
rambling collection OF terra Gotta and
brick structures OF browning the eminence
in stately grandeur. The Terminal COM
pany's design exhibits hand
some tower with illuminated clock
and other embellishments calculated
to give finish and distinction to the
station. Some one has said that the
general grouping OF the buildings Is
simple and In pure classic proportion,
the long and low successive buildings
being we'll suited to it's purpose and situa-
tion. Possibly that is just so, but the
lay mind must be subjected TO the most
rigid education in the art architectural
to arrive at a responsive opinion.
The Consolidated road has expended
large sums of money in the acquirement
of land and building the approaches 10
the proposed depot. In exchange
therefor they have acquired absolute
possession of valuable property,
and IL In in position where
it can build such depot as II may deter
mine, subject, however, to such modifca-
tions as the City Council may direct.
They utilized some OF the features OF tho
Terminal Compsny's plan, but studied
economy in the most vital essential, that
of the comfort and convenience OF the
public by eliminating the train shed ar
rangement. The argument has been
advanced that il the City Council will
approve the eleyation and ground plan,
thus permitting the railroad to execute
its contracts and facilitate the compile
tion of the depot, the corporation
will ultimately supply the train-sheds,
and that the depot is so constructed that
the annexes can be built without
interfering with the structural out
lines of the main building. But
the majority OF the City Council are OF the
opinion that the city should fortify itself
bya reservation To the effect that the
railroad shall build the trains heds as
part OF the plan IL desired. IL has always
been understood that when the City
Council accepted the Terminal Company's
plan, presented in June, 1889, and that
when the charter of the Consolidated
Railroad was amended by the General As.
sembly by its absorption of the railroads
incorporated under the name OF the Term
inal Company, that in assuming its obli-
cations involving the construction OF the
depot ii bound itself to the Terminal
Companys plan In its entirety. But
"a matter of fact, there is
no record of the city's approval OF the
plan, and the charter OF the consolidated
simply refers TO the plans as "presented"
TO the City Ccouncil. Hence that corpora
tion apparently does not hold Itself bound
to the train-shed detail, and there Is rea
son to believe that IL has no Intention of
being involved in an additional expsndi-
ture OF perhaps 100000 Hence the city
should reserve TO itself by its right TO in
sist upon notifications OF the Consoli-
dsteds plan as defined In the charter, and
in the evept of the refusal of that corpor-
alton to comply with its directions, the
city could retaliate by Withholding from
II certain valuable privileges which
Il possesses from which under
present conditions the city derives no in
come whatever. Hence, while the Consoli-
dated might obtain temporary advantage
under the shield OF its absolute title to the
land and the non-acceptance OF the Term
inal Company's plan in toto, yet Its refusal
toadhere to the reservation involving the
construction OF the train sheds could be
more than counter balanced by the with
drawsl OF profitable concessions In the ma