Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-25


through the city rim, think, over masonry
viaducts Of the Berlin plan, with all the
space under the y tracks except at the
menfed, and with distinct tracks for long
distance travel. short-distance travel and
freight service. The station. though in the
heart of the city, would have nothing in
It's approaches to- threaten life and limb,
to reduce the valtle Of property or to OBJ
struct street traffic and travel. 1t would be
like the Cannon street and other great sta
tions in London, the impressive railroad
structures of Parts. the Friedrich Strasse
and Alexander Platz stations on the Stadt-
balm in Berlin, or the wonderful structure
| at -the-Main. In contemplate
| ing these buildings the Washingtonian feels
| profoundly ashamed when he thinks of the
| local stations at home. The foreign cities
| teach us a lesson both as to the avoidance
of grade crossings and as to the construc-
| zion and arrangement of stations.
The American in Europe, while finding
| less complete provision for comfort in long
| distance railroad travel than in America,
| frequently inadequate toilet facilities. less
| expensive upholstery and less display of
| hard woods and glass in the cars, and a
| system of compartments arrangement
| which insures privacy at the expense of an
| unsociable confinement often irksome. also
notes the most elaborate and painstaking
precautions for the safety, both of the
traveller and of the people of the country
| traversed by the road. and an astonishing
| superiority in the appearance and arrange
ment Of the stations. Our roads devote too
| much attention to fine rolling stock, too lit
tie to roadhed and devices for the safety
of passengers, and hardly any except what
the law compels to the safety of the nom
travelling public. Mr.. Samuel Rea. an en-
gineer connected with with Pennsylvania
railroad, in a work on 1.-The Railways Ter
rlinating in London" printed by the En-
gineering News, in noting the points of
European superiority, says: Railways and
highways are not allowed to cross on the
same level in cities. nor elsewhere if much
frnty n1n1 (.f hos 1ny,f font rae
are gradually being adopted by our more
advanced companies notably the block sig
nal system and the avoidance of grade
crossings in the cities and important towns
of our states. In the matter of city ter
minal stations. which are conspicuous
part of every railway, English roads are
unsurpassed, and far in advance of our
railroads"
Hints for Uncle Sans Railways.
In looking down for the first time from
st. Paurs one foggy morning upon the
notable buildings of London. the structures
which first caught my eye and about which
first inquired turned out to be some of
Londons immense railroad stations, lofty
buildings CT pleasing and imposing architec-
tufe, containing huge modern hotels of the
firSt-clasS
The Cannon street, Charing Cross and
st. Pancras stations may be specially men
toned. They are referred to by Samuel
Rea as fit types of modern city terminal
stations. The first mentioned station stands
back from Cannon street some 80 feet
leaving broad area in front of the build
ing for an entrance to the underground
railway station, a cab stand and sitting
down platform. This forecourt is partially
nciosed with a heavy balustrade, and a
fine approach at the west side leads up to
the hotel and station. The depth through
the ticket offices is bout 30 feet and the
train hail is over 60 feet in length. The
Charing Cross station much resembles it.
- pl ic
Imposing facade, thanked at the eastern
corner with a high clock tower The head
house-a large and imposing BUILDINGS
connected with the railroads hotel. The
span and is $50 feet in length Some of
the stations in Paris are equally impress
slVe In Berlin and other German cities
extensive improvements have been made
ana large sums Of money recently expended
~ Inc railroad management to bring the
city terminal stations up to an ideal
standard. /. ~
The station at Frankfort-on-the Main
now claims to be the finest in the world
The Engineering Record pronounces the
station "a model structure of its kind. com
blning enormous size with a thoroughly
We'll worked out plan, to meet the demands
Of great traffic" The station hall proner
not iiciudlng the passenger waiting rooms
Is about SOL feet wide and 600 feet long.
It's total cost was about s., $4,000.
Application of European Hints to
Washington.
The idea of a central union station in
washington, approached by masonry via.
duct or tunnel lines from the different
points of the compass, cannot now per-
haps be realized. The two roads intrenched
here have agreed that they do not want
union station, and apparently Congress will
not force them into unwilling partnership
Assuming that they are to be treated in
dependently, there Is still the need and op-
portunity Of applying European teachings
10 the Improvement of terminal facilities
DOLE Tor the passenger and freight service
the 5etterment of stations and the removal
of grade crossings
The present terminal conditions are in
furious and disgraceful to the capital of the
American republic. The stations, COM
pared with similar structures in Europe
are inadequate in size, awkwardy ar
ranged and ugly. However liberal and pro-
gressiVe the roads serving Washington may
De In other localities, here they have been
shcrt-stShted and stingy. For freight pur-
poses, instead of purchasing ample ground
when they could secure it cheaply, they
have preferred to do this business still less
extensively, though Illegally. on the public
streets and reservations, and now they are
pitifully cramped.. The rush of delayed
freight business after knights Templar
conclave Causes a blockade that paraiyzes
the business community. A like blockade is
threatened this winter in handling the
naturally growing business without any &C.
currence like the conclave to furnish an
excuse.
The situation in regard to grade crossings
is equally discreditable. Both roads sus-
tain series Of death traps at which losses
or life and injuries 10 limb periodically oc-
cur and each one of these crossings is a
direct business injury and inconvenience
and cause Of financial loss to the city
through the obstruction to traffic and trav-
ell which occurs at them. At single one
of the Pennsylvania railroads crossings
last year the delay incident to the lowering
and raising of the gates was experienced
by the public 116 times within the daylight
hours of a single day. and nearly 5000
pedestrians and considerably over 1000
vehicles passed and were exposed to the
chance of danger and these delays. Though
the use Of this part of the road for shifting
cars or making up trains is illegal, shift
ing engines engaged in this illegal work
INSTRUCTED this crossing fifty-one times on
the same day. The Baltimore and Ohio
surface tracks isolate East Washington
and throttle its prosperity. The Pennsyl-
vania railroad tracks perform similar
service for South Washington and the
river front.
What One Road VIII Do.
The Baltimore and Ohio has shown re-
in6i tfr 81