The Saint Paul globe., 1897-10-22
ENGINEERS THEMSELVES DIVIDED
AS TO WHAT ARE MOST
DESIRABLE.
THE NEW STRUCTURE IDEA
HAS FOUND WEIGHT IN THE
MINDS OF SOME OF
THEM.
PRESENT BUILDING IN BAD SHAPE.
No Place for the Engines, While the
Walls Are Beginning to Bulge
in Some Places.

The exposition, made yesterday in
the G o e, of the facts in connection
with the proposed alterations and re-
pairs to the union depot and the pros
pect of new union depot, resulted in a
wide discussion of the whole matter
through the city, and some additional
gossip which must be of interest to the
public generally as affecting the city.
First of all it appears that the COM
mittee of engineers from the different
roads in the union depot company, ap-
pointed over month ago to draw up
plans for what changes and improve
ments were deemed necessary, have
submitted a report which is by no
means unanimous, and which offers
what plans are contained, as useful,
if the depot company does not decide
that adding to and repairing the pres
ent structure is the second best plan.
The committee consisted of Messrs.
Loweth, the union depot consulting en-
gineer; johnson, of the Omaha; Bates,
of the Milwaukee; Stevens, Of the
Great Northern; Purdy, of the Burling-
ton; Miller, of the ST. Paul & Duluth,
and McHenry, of the Northern Pacific.
SGNGEdl
rnittee of three or four was named and
visited and examined the present struc-
ture for the purpose of securing an
idea of what was best to be done. After
some work set of plans was submit
ted to the general committee, but OBJ
jections were sent up to this feature,
or to that detail, the representative of
nearly every road having his own
views on the subject.
When it was seen that plan salts
factory to all or nearly all of the en-
gineers was thing out of the question,
a meeting Of the general committee
was held, and the matter became, If
possible, more involved. 1t is said some
of the engineers were not in favor of
any, save the actually necessary
changes Three meetings were called
and at the end, it was decided to at
tempt to get together as nearly as pos
sible by correspondence on the por-
tions of the plans where there was a
difference of opinion, and when that
had been done Engineer Loweth SUBJ
mitted to President A. B. Plough, Of
the depot company, the result. 1t is
in the shape of a set of plans and sew
81
is signed by five engineers out Of the
eight, no very direct intimation is
made Of the well understood feeling on
their part that it will be unwise to
spend a very large sum of money on
the old building, when it cannot be
made much longer to fill the needs of
the constantly increasing travelling
public as a new structure would. AL
though no meeting has yet been called
to take action on the plans, it is under
stood that the five engineers on the
main report are Messrs. Loweth, john
son, Bates, Stevens and Purdy.
1t is conceded on all hands that, at
all events, no improvements nor
changes will. be made this winter. On
the other reports are the names of the
other engineers who either favor plans
which differ from those submitted or
else who believe that no puttering
should be done to the old building.
President Plough, seen, declined to
discuss the proposed plans or the re-
ports which accompanied them until
such time as the meeting had been
held and some action taken.
The proposed alterations and I'M
provements contemplated in the plans
sent in to the depot company call for
the expenditure of between 200 and
$50, 900. AS suggested in the G b e
Yesterday, the necessity for increased
trackage facilities beneath the train
shed will at no very distant date make
it impossible to retain the long pag-
gage department where it now is. In
this structure, where the baggage
rooms are, is also located the engines
and other machinery from which are
generated the power to light and heat
the building In any plans, as stated
in the GTob e, the baggage room will
have to be put further front, in what is
now the mems waiting room, While the
engines are to be put down in the
basement of the building. The latter
feature, practical men who have looked
over the ground, say is not to be
thought of, for the very good reason
that each spring the depot cellar is
flooded with water from the river, it
being below the high water level.
For over a month the officials of the
interested roads have visited and ex-
arnined the building, and only yester-
day a close examination made by the
executive of one line, showed numer-
Gus places where the walls were badly
bulged or cracked. The plans for the
proposed improvements have been
made by Cass Gilbert and are with
the president of the depot company.
According to the plans submitted for
patching up the present structure, the
building of an additional forty feet the