The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-10-23
Abolishing the
Crossings.
CHICAGO HAS A JOB.
Worcester's Difficulty Small
in Comparison.

Worcester is not the only city that
is being agitated by the grade crossing
question. Chicago is up to her neck
in the task of removing her death traps,
but, unlike Worcester, she has already
accomplished something, and it will not
be a great while before the 1900 miles
of railroad tracks inside the Windy
City's limits will be elevated on an av-
erage 10 feet.
Worcester is now in fair way. to ac-
complish something, because those in a
position to know say that the present
commission is inclined to do something
besides talk The members are study
ing the problem carefully, and have
had plans prepared, and it is expected
that they will have something tangi-
BILE to offer the city council when they
are ready to report Just what it is,
no member of the commission will say.
If the commission reports a radical
change from the plan that was submit
ted by the superior court commission a
few years ago. it is only natural to
expect that the railroad companies will
make a vigorous kick and, as they have
the law On lfleT sue, d Way VIII nave
to be found to bring them to the city's
way of thinking. 1t has been suggest
ed that the city do as other cities have
done in getting rid of their grade cross
ingS-pay a little more than the 10 per
cent of the cost of the change-if the
railroads cannot be brought around
any other way, because it will be bet
ter to have good job than to have a
| poor job, even if the latter does cost a
| little less. If the present commission
| is unable to do anything with the rail
road companies, it has been suggested
that the city go to the legislature and
ask for a special act that will compel
the railroad companies to do the right
thing
| Out in Chicago, there was some kick
ing when the plan of abolishing the
crossings was first suggested, but the
city fathers took the belligerent roads
where their hair was short, and soon
brought them to task, with the result
that the work is now progressing fine
! ly.
| The plan adopted in Chicago has been
to elevate the tracks on rock ballast
| ed roadbed that is held in place by
massive retaining walls the cost of the
scheme being estimated at $50, 000,0
The plans of the engineers call for 300
miles of these retaining walls, which
will contain about 100000 cubic yards
| of stone. The sand and dirt that will
be used for the roadbed will be brought
| from the dunes along the shore of Lake
| Michigan, and it is estimated that 300,
100000 cubic yards will be required Al
the work is being done without an in.
| terruption of the traffic on the roads
and when the amount of business done
by the roads running into Chicago is
| considered, it will be seen that the task
is marvellous.
AS a sample of what is being done, il
| is only necessary to tell of the work
| in the yards that extend from South
Park street to a point little north OF
| 63d street, where a new union station
is to be erected. The yards are three
quarters of mile long, and are Sc
| tracks wide in some places. They have
an area of 81 acres, and contain about
| 10, 500, 900 yards of filling. All this is
to be raised on an average 10 feet, and
State and SD streets will pass under
the tracks in a sort of subway
which, including it's approaches, will be
| 1000 feet long. The cost Of this patch
of work alone is $1,000,000.
The policy of forcing the elevation of
the railroad tracks began in Chicago
back in 1892, the first ordinance oblig-
| ing the Illinois Central to raise its
tracks from 47th to list street, a dis
lance of three miles. This was made
necessary on account of the great
amount of travel that was a result OF
the worlds fair, and it cost the railroad
company $2,000,000 but it got rid of IL
| bad grade crossings.
The Lake Shore and Rock Island
roads have finished about 10 miles of
their elevation, and expect to have the
whole job done some time in November,
doing away with Al grade crossings at
a cost of S1,5OO,OO0
| The Galena division of the Chicago
and Northwestern road has wiped out
| six crossings at a cost of $780, 900, and
| 20 crossings on its Milwaukee division
at a cost of 100000. In the first case,
| it was found necessary to elevate ~
| miles of track, while on the Milwau-
kee division, Az miles were elevated.
A very strong effort is being made to
have the grades on the south side of
| the city established before the cold
weather sets in, and thousands of men
are being employed, and just now the
greatest activity is being shown at the
| 10th street crossing, along the st.
| Charles air line from Charles street to
| the Illinois Central grade, and at the
63d street subway In the Clark street
network of tracks running up and
down in all directions from the central
crossing, 1t keeps the observer OF the
work guessing all the time as to which
way he should jump in order to get
out Of the way of COW catchers or
bumpers. Everybody is on tension
lest he be taken unawares by tramp
! or special train Every one of the 16
rights of way at the crossing is guard
ed by Waterman with red flag, and
on the bridges it is necessary at times
for the men who are embracing frogs
to pause in their work for 10 minutes
TO allow trains to pass. In spite of all
this hustle it is a remarkable fact that
none of the men employed on the work
has been fatally injured by being hit
by passing train
In addition to the regular passenger
and freight trains, 70 trains loaded with
dirt for the subways pass over the
tracks every day, and here the work is
going on for "A hours a day, rain or
shine, at night the men being given
liot,f NV 1,,aa11e Of 1apfprnc and colo