The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-06-22
A TRACK-TALK DINNER
Col. ELL LILLY ENTERTAINS THE
ELEVATED TRACKS CONFUSION.
Educational Lines "a BE Followed at
First-Trend of the General
Discussion. :

The nrst meeting OF the Commercial Club
elevated railroad commission was held last
night. 1t was the occasion of a compli-
mentary dinner by the chairman. Col. Ell
Lilly. The Members of the commission
who were present were Messrs. Alex. c.
Ayres, H. Bamberger, Allan w. Conduit.
Thomas c. Day, ID. p. Erwin, William
Fortune. c. c. Foster. Louis H. Gibson.
A. P. Hendrickson. DR.. J. w. Hervey,
John II. Holiday. w. j. Holiday, Albert
Lieber, Charles Mcguire, A. l. Mason,
Frank A. Maus. A. NJ. Ogle, John r. Pear
son and L. N. Richie. ]. +. Pratt, who is
in the East taking his summer vacation,
was the only absent member The decora--
tons were exceptionally pretty. A feature
of the table decoration was a fountain sur
rounded at the base by electric lights.
The menu consisted of fourteen courses.
and the service was faultless.
Following the dinner the plans of work
to be pursued by the commission were dis
cussed and the methods of procedure were
outlined. Each member of the commission
was called upon for an expression of view
and for suggestions. One OF the first steps
will be TO make a thorough inquiry into
the existing laws for the purpose or as
pertaining If the municipality has adequate
power to bring about the elevation or IL
further legislation viii be required. An
early conference with the Mayor and the
Council committee will probably be held.
and the work of the, commission will be
advanced as expeditiously as seems prac-
ticable. 1t is expected that much time
will be required TO fully accomplish the
desired object.
The subject under consideration was in
troduced by Colonel Lilly, with brief re-
marks OF a general nature. in (which he
outlined what the work Of the commission
would probably be and how II might ex-
pect to accomplish it. He was followed by
John H. Holiday. Mr.. Holiday suggested
that the proper sphere of the work of the
commission was largely educational; that
the principal efforts Of the Commercial
Club representatives should be TO demon
strate to the people the practcaDiity or the
pare their minds for the reception OF such
plans as might be formulated for its ac-
complishment. The agitation being COM
paratively new, IL was necessary that this
sort of educational work shcald be carried
on by some agency and he thought the
commission the proper one TO do IL and as
this was the primary step 10 be taken the
commission could not accomplish much till
il was done. 1t would be necessary to dem
onstrate to the public that the elevation OF
the tracks was the cheapest as well as the
safest and most complete way OF solving
the question of the railroad crossings. He
thought 1t was the only satisfactory plan
to be adopted and was. likewise. the cheap
est. He said its cost, as compared with
the erection of viaductS was very much
less The cost of erecting a few viaducts
would exceed the total cost of elevating all
OF the roads and then only a few of the
crossings were made safe, while a large
number of them were still left as a menace
TO persons who were compelled TO cross the
tracks.
DR.. ]. ". Hervey said he had watched the
progress OF the city for fifty years. He had
coo0 III yf.our from a villa % IN IFS OrpSQnr
size, and he thought there should be no
delay in taking active steps TO secure the
elevation of the tracks. The city, SHOULD no
longer grant extensions OF tracks on sur.
face, but should insist that all railroad
crossings be made safe. He was likewise
Of the opinion that the only way TO accom-
plfsh this was by an elevation or The
tracks.
d. p. Erwin expressed himself as favoring
thought entirely practical, though II might
at first blush seem a little Utopian and
visionary. He thought all of sae prG6lezns
tied IL a earnest effort was made. he
touched upon the Indianapolis. D~ogansport
& Chicago Railroad Company's petition for
a right of way into the city without men
tioning the road by name. He said while
he favored the elevation of the tracks. he
was not sure that he would forbid the en-
try Of all roads at the surface until they
were elevated.
Louis r.. Gibson said he thought the COM
mission ought not 10 confine itself solely
to Investigations into the proposition 10 es-
tablish elevated tracks and ignore the 9TH
ers. He was of the opinion that the only
satisfactory solution Of the question OF pro-
viding safe crossings was by the elevation
of the tracks, and he thought the most
practical way TO demonstrate this 10 The
people was TO have the commisson go into
all the systems of vIaducts elevation and
any other proposed plan and show that
the elevation was cheapest safest and best
He went into the history Of the railroads
Of the city. taking. up first those that en-
their various points Of entry TO the city
they crossed a large number OF streets.
] but all finally came together at Tennessee
1 street and entered the Union Station over
three tracks. He also showed how the
roads on the east side gradually con-
verged and entered the station over a few.
tracks. He thought the people, IL they
| really desired the tracks elevated, should
begin TO insist that the railroads either
provide these or build viaducts- The ele-
building Of viaducts. and II the railroad
companies found that the people were de-
termined 10 have one or the other they
would gladly elevate the tracks If the
| people demanded elevated tracks ne pre-
sumed the companies would favor viaducts
In order to secure delay. He referred 10 the
petition OF the L.. i. & g. railroad for the
eratuitous grant of a franchise worth
s 1000 900, and said If IL was the policy OF
the present administration 10 grant fran
chises for tracks at surface IT meant that
of securing their elevation until after an
other election. L. -. Richie. a. L. Mason
and others also spoke briefly.