Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-01-15
RICHMOND AND MANCHESTER.

There ought 10 be no Manchester. ii
ought all 10 be Richmond. The two
cities should be one. Until they are
united never will either reach the high
est stage of developn ent Of which IL Is
capable. Instead of working together as
we should do, now we often pun III uli-
ferent directions, and We must expect
this non-concuTence TO continue more
or less until Richmond and Manchester
are united into one corporation.
Al this very moment Manchester IS
standing in the way Of a great public
,r,nrovement on this side of the river.
And why? Because she honestly thinks
she is called upon TO make sacrifice
without any prospect Of benefit.
The passenger and freight depots Of
the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Com
pany here have for several decades been
eyesores TO .he con munity and TO the
travelling public. That this is fact
the company itself has recognized. and,
accordingly, it has perfected plans for
building a passenger depot and COM
many Offices On Main street. The loca~
ton selected is ar admirable one, and
# Is thought that the depot would do
much TO improve the value OF property
I'm a section Of our city where values
have been declining for many years.
The depot building proposed would be
the tallest house in Richmond. From the
surface Of the earth to its apex it would
be as high as st. Paurs steeple is above
the ground upon which the church
stands. But 10 reach this towering and
spacious depot with the tracks of both
its lines, the company must build con-
nectlon tracks and viaducts at great
cost. The main cost involved would be
in bringing the tracks of the Allegheny
road across Main street. TO do this the
pompany wishes TO build connection
track, which would leave the Allegheny
railroad track just west OF Hollywood
Cemetery and run down the river to
point near Haxalrs Mills. upon trestle
erected in the river. This trestle would
be of iron erected upon stone piers,
planted upon the rocks in the bed of the
river. and would pass over the Tredegar
bridge and under the Petersburg railroad
bridge and over the Free bridge.
would be about 100000. In the building
of the trestle there would be vast deal
of work that would have 10 be done by
uuarrymen, stone-cutters, stone-masons,
and workers in iron, &c Upon the de-
bodybuilding there would be work for ex-
cayators. stone-masons. briek-masons,
iron workers. carpenters painters,
plumbers, &c. And, in the nature OF
things. most of the money that would
have to be spent upon these improve
ments would stay here in Richmond and
Manchester. Certainly, in the matter of
stone and stone-work and brick ana
brIck-work, no other community could
compete with our two. And it happens
that Manchester and Chesterfield are
distinguished for the number and import
arce Of their granite and brick indus
tries. That Manchester would therefore
receive a very considerable share of the
expenditure in question hardly admits
OF doubt.
Yet progress i'm the matter of arranging
for the work has been brought to a
stands.ll by Manchester Why? Be-
cause Manchester is an equal owner with
Richmond in the Free bridge, and has
so far failed TO give her consent 10 the
making Of such changes in the grade Of
the Free bridge as the plans OF the com
pany require.
The desired grade for the connection
track cannot be obtained unless the Fret
bridge is lowered at the Richmond end
lowered so that loaded wagons anC
street-cars may pass safely under The
viaduct without striking it. To lowel
the bridge thus will cost large sum O
money: but this the company Is Willing
70 pay If the permit they ask Is giyei
them. Their plans contemplate the re
movaI Of seven OF the spans OF th'
bridge and the replacing OF them will
seven new spans With the new spans
in place the floor OF the bridge woul'
incline downwards until a suitable clear
ance was gained under the connection
track Our Manchester friends thinl
that this arrangement would dlsiigur'
the bridge very much and make an OBJ
7 3ectionable grade upon H. and they sug
kest that the company ,youie besiel