The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-12-20

| eastward the line passes along the edge
/ OF the dock 10 Water street. touching no
| private property or residences or streets
| where retail business Is transacted. on
/, q overhead structure, no part OF which,
| except columns at intervals. Will inter-
| fere with any travel upon the dock, and
underneath which all the business TO
and from vessels Of the dock viii be
| transacted as freely as II IS now handled.
| This elevated overhead structure will
| cross Water street below the ship-lock
and continue along near TO the York
River track 10 the Gas-Works property
OF tho city, crossing some vacant land
belonging 10 the city: thence by an
overhead structure to the line or the
present tracks by crossing all the streets
| I'm Fulton overhead and passing on be-
yond the limits Of the city by TINS eie-
| waited structure. At Nineteenth street
| connection will bc made to the depot on
Main street The depot. train shed, and
tracks viii. extend back over Franklin
street nearly TO the line Of Grace: thence
northward crossing Broad and Marshall
overhead and connecting with the pres
| cnt tracks beyond Clay street. By TINS
| system passenger trains between 'lnclh-
natl and Newport News will come into
the city as they do now. pass INTO TINS
| train shed. and after diSchargng ana
receiving passengers viii 30 dlrectly on
| by this elevated viaduct through fhitoh
| and on to Newport News. me trains
| from Newport News will in like manner
| arrive by way of this elevated struc-
| ,ure. pass into the depot. transact their
| business. and pass on north ana west
| ward by tho present main line. Trans
| OF the James River division coming from
| Tvnchburg will stop at Nineteenth street
and back into the passenger depot trains
leaving for Iynchburg and the west VIA
| the James River division VIII bach OUT
| of the passenger depot TO Nineteenth
street on the main viaduct, whence they
will start westward.
WILL COST TWO MILLIONS.
Tho estimated cost OF this work Is
| nearly 100000 and. according TO 'ho
universal experience. the estimate OF cost
| is likelv 10 be Increased before the work
| is done. The passenger station ana
| train-shed cannot be built, under plans
which have been considered 50 far, Tor
| less probably than 100000. ana are
| Iikelv 10 he more rather than less. Inc
| comnanv has submitted study OF the
! passenger depot to the city council d
print OF which appears in TINS paper
| This plan has not been adopted uen-
nitelv but il is one, and the last OF
many that have been made ana cohSl"-
| cred. and. while the company lh'ehus 10
reserve the right TO change us features
| the purpose at present IN the mihos Oh
the management is that 1t may be apie
IN enlarge ana improve. rather than 10
make il less satisfactory or attractive
| since the line was definitely deter
| mined upon. some two years or more ago
! the company has become involved III 'he
purchase Of property for the depot anu
| right of way for its line, 10 the sum OF
about 5000 600. while much more re-
| mains TO be acquired.
II will be seen. from all that has been
| said. that the railway company has not
been idle. The purpose from the pegin-
ming has been to give Richmond work
| that IL would be satisfied with. ~ mas
not consulted the cheapest and most eco
nomical plan. on the contrary, the esti-
mates on the work. as now outlined, are
nearly double the first estimates that
| were made for these improvements the
| scheme has been enlarged. and\it mas
! been determined to build on the most
| substantial basis, and do q work when
would be lasting. to build for all time
| The earnest Of this purpose - shown, not
only in the vast expenditure OF money
i'm building up great system of railway.
and the absolute necessity for connect
ing the different divisions. but also in
the more immediate and direct local ex-
penditure in surveys and property, which
is wanted only for this one purpose.
OVER ONE BRIDGE: UNDER AN
OTHER.
1t Is impossible to carry out so great
a work without bringing changes in ex-
| isting conditions at various localities.
| one of the most serious difficulties has
been TO pass over and under the bridges
| that now cross James river. The prob
III l.FH
| necessity. from which no deviation could
be considered. of not adopting grades on
| this viaduct i'm excess of the grade on
| the James River Division. the advantages
| of which division and its grades have
been stated abOve-adyantages which
place the Chesapeake and Ohio far ahead
i'm the possibilities OF traffic of any OF
the great trunk lines between the East
and the West. The new line crosses
Belle Isle bridge at the old Tredesar
Works, leaving the least space under
/ meath II that is possible for the safe
handling of cars on that bridge. With
this as the governing point. the maxi
mum grade has been used 10 lower the
track enough to get under the Coast-Line
bridge. al which point the grade of the
| new line IS as low as IL is possible TO
| make it, Being fixed at this point. the
| problem presented itself how TO pass
| the Free Bridge. After the most care
ful consideration by different engineers.
and by experienced persons I'm the city.
| with whom the company consulted il
| was determined that the only solution
| was TO depress the present Free Bridge
to an eXtNt sufficient for the new lin"
to pass over with ample clearance for
the travel underneath vertical clear
! distance which is adopted on the main
| thoroughfares in the best-managed cities
i'm the country. The depression OF the
Free Bridge Is effected by continuing. at
a less rate Of fall. the present grade Of
the wooden trestle at the Richmond end
| of he bridge. and does not involve a
! new and separate grade. nor does II
| bring about conditions which involve an
| increase of burden upon the teams or
| travel across ;he bridge The company
| proposes TO renew all the spans Of this
bridge that are affected by this depres-
| sion, giving the Free Bridge new, heavy
iron or steel spans. in lieu of the CORE
| spending present fiimsy spans. These
spans so rebuilt Will be built under
specifications making no question of trot-
ting speed, but viii be far beyond any
possible criticism az 10 durability and
strength. The bottom of these spans
will be kent at the present level of the
stone piers which the experience of many
foods shows to be safe and secure from
the highest water.
MASSIVE MASONRY PIERS.
All along the viaduct the structure that
has been located i'm the river viii rest on
massive masonry piers so placed in the