Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-01-24
THE GRADE CROSSING BILL
Conferences to Be Held With Railroad
officials.
To Determine Details Of the Plan
What the Com m ssiOners Say of
Mr.. McMillan's Bill.

Mr.. McMfllans Bill.
The District committee of the Senate ex-
poets to proceed at an early date to the con-
sideration of Senator McMillan's grade
crossing bill, which was published in The
Star yesterday, with view of completing
all the details of the proposed measure
While the general outline of the bill has
been prepared, it will be, necessary to agree
upon some technical matters, and to do this
conferences with the District Commission
ers and the railroad authorities will be re-
quired. Senator Mcmillan. hopes to have
officials of the railroad companies who are
in authority to appear before the commit
tee, as well as the District Commissioners,
and to thus settle upon a definite plan to
carry out the provisions of the bill. The pro-
files of the proposed cuts have not yet been
prepared, although they are to form por-
ton of the grade-crossng bill when it is
finally presented to the Senate for action.
This is a portion of the work to be done at
the conferences between the railroad Off
Gals, the District Commissioners and the
Senate District committee.
1t is probable that considerable time will
be consumed in completing the bill, but the
work will be pushed with all possible speed
by the District committee.
What the CoInInfssionecs Say.
None of the Commissioners has mad time
as yet to study the Mcmillan bill, intro
duced yesterday, to abolish grade crossings
in the city of Washington, although all of
them are heartily in favor Of the general
proposition. - e.
Commissioner Truesdell said to a Star re-
porter today:
1T has been impossible up to this time
for me to give this bill any consideration
beyond a hurried perusal. You may say
however, that l am in favor of abolishing
grade crossings in the District after a GER
tam length of time, say, within four years "
Commissioner Ross said:
we are all in favor Of aboiisning grade
crossings in the city. The present bill has
not been studied by me carefully. but I can
say that l am opposed to grade crossings
under all conditions. The adjustment Of
them within the city has got to cone''
Engineer Commissioner Powell said:
The present bill, from the hurried De-
rusal 1 have been able to give it, is sub
stantially like the one proposed in the
F1fty-second Congress. Yes am in favor
of abolish1ng all grade crossings. They
should not only be prohibited in the city
but in the District"
MIR. Church's Ideas,
Mr.. Charles B. Church, who has taken
an active interest in this subject for many
years past, and is one of the well-known
residents in the southwestern section of the
city, said to Star reporter today, in regard
to the Mcmillan bill: II am very glad to
know that Senator Mcmillan has recognized
the necessity of making such changes in his
former bill as to meet the approval of citi-
zens, not only in the southwestern section
of the city, but throughout the entire city,
namely, in providing foE the bridging of
9th, 10th, 11th and 18th streets at grade, as
these streets are the Oldest business
thoroughfares in the southwest section and
lead directly to the river Also by putting
a tWelve-foot-Wide foot bridge at Sth street
and widening the Maryland avenue bridge
SO as TO give ample room for footways on
each side. In regard toathei section of the
city west of 9th street can see no reason
why there she uld be any valid objection to
the bill.
LAS far as the proposed bridge in place of
the Long bridge is concerned, I believe that
dollars and cents should not be the main
point OF dlfhcuity in completing the whole
pr0Ject 1or lives are considered of more
value than money.
'As to the section of the city east Of 9th
street, prefer to make no suggestions
Il believe the citizens of the entire Dis
trlct Wouid much prefer to have an elevated
track running directly from the Long bridge
through the center of the squares lying he
tween and E streets southwest to the in
tersection of Virginia avenue at Sd street,
ana nence following the present line to such
point east as would be most convenient for
the company'S freight yards. At Virginia
avenue curve from the east and west to
the north, running through the Mall on the
west side of 9th street to the main station,
to front Pennsylvania avenue. This would
be the least expensive plan for the District,
as there would be no approaches to be paid
for at any of the crossings, and all freight
to the north and south would have straight
line through.
While believe this would be the best
plan for all time, I am of the opinion that
the railroad company should have it's choice
between eleVating or depressing its tracks,
one or the other plan must be carried out.
l consider that some action is impera tive"
Mr.. Hume's Views.
Mr.. Frank Hume, the chairman of the
committee on railroads of the board of
trade, said: Il feel well disposed toward any
measure which is in line with what we are
all aiming at, namely, the lowering or ele-
waiting of the tracks, and thus putting a stop
to the terrible loss of life occasioned by city
grade crossings. The board of trade COM
mittee on railroads has made a special ef-
fort to remove all opposition to carrying out
one or other Of these plans. What we want
is to get rid of grade crossings, and the Nc
MILAN bill proposes to accomplish that. We
don't propose to put any onerous burden on
railroads, but we must irssistton their adopt
ing modern methods of entering a city,