Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-02-16
A subcommittee Of the House committe

A subcommittee Of the House committee
on the District of Columbia yesterday
took up and considered. in part a ques-
ton OF intense interest to Washington
lans-the old yet ever new problem of
grade crossings. This preliminary Skin
mish in a fight which will continue so long
as one of these dangerous distractions to
traffic exists in the city proper was prin-
cipally between the Northeast Citizens
Association and the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad Company. There were no novel
developments in the arguments advanced:
on the one side a display of the railroads
sansuinary record, on the other the same
plea for delay and careful consideration
of plans. which has always been a con-
spicuous feature Of the cooperative pro-
gram. No valid reason can possibly be
given why grade crossings within the city
should not be abolished: even the most
enthusiastic friends of the railroad COM
artiquated and continuously perilous to
these who are unfortunate enough to come
into collision with the company's rolling
stock. In the course of yesterdays hear
ing ii was shown that about four hundred
trains move in and out of the Baltimore
and Ohio depot every twenty-four hours
and as each of these trains crosses many
streets 1t must be apparent TO even the
dullest Of minds that traffic along those
highways must suffer great delay and
costly Inconvenience. 1t Is known and
was made clear to the subcommittee that
since 1873 at least twenty-four persons
have been killed and seventy-line injured
at crossings of the B. and o. inside the
city limits. and in the same period thirty
three persons were killed and one hundred
and one injured at Pennsylvania railroad
crossings in the same territory. That
many more of these preventable accidents,
but Of the minor sort, have never been
chronicled even in the daily press is GER
tain The argument most frequently used
by the railroad company when called upon
to defend itself was again made to do
duty yesterday. One of the eomDany's
representatives called attention to the
charge of procrastinaton and promptly
transferred the blame to the shoulders of
conflicting delegations of citizens. who.
said he, think one year that they want
enc thing and the next year they want
another. He insisted that there is a de-
sire on the part of the Baltimore and Ohio
Company to improve it's terminal facilities
within the District, but declared 1t to be a
serious matter which should be well con-
sidered and never hurried There is
little of fact in the charge made against
citizens and citizens associations. and.
unfortunately, no room to doubt the evil
effects of local disagreement, but it can
truthfully be said that had the railroad
company evinced a reasonably apparent
desire to do something more than talk
the differences of opinion among the af-
fiicted ones would soon have vanished.
The subcommittee was yesterday informed
that the railroad company wishes TO come
before Congress as soon as IL can prepare
it's plans. Two years ago the company's
attorneys assured the Senate District
committee that the plans were then within
a few days Of completion, and this declara-
ton was repeated from week to week
until the Fifty-second Congress went out
Of business. Again and again were en-
fragments made between Senator McAIil-
IAN and his subcommittee on the one hand
and the Baltimore and Ohio Company on
the other; the committee records will show
engagements and that when 1t did make
to report In view of these facts it is
not astonishing that many Washington
ians and more than a few of our national
legislators became possessed of an idea
that the company was inclined to be in
sincere, and that the few plans made by
its draughtsmen were for purposes of dis
play only. II the Baltimore and Ohio
management really desires TO meet the
people of the District of Columbia half
way in this most important matter it must
do much better in the immediate future
than 1t has in the past.