The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-12-31
The Exercises
in Boston.
NEW TERMINAL
Is Now at the Service of the
Public.

ton yesterday. The vast depot which
lis to accommodate all railroads enter
ing from the south was thrown open
to invited guests for inspection. Five
thousand guests awaited themselves of
the invitation to be present, and
thronged the vast waiting room to
listen to the speeches of Mayor Josiah
Quincy and President Charles P. Clark
of the New York, New Haven and
Hartford and the Terminal Company.
Today the big structure will be thrown
open to the public at large, giving all
who wish an opportunity to satisfy their
curiosity before trains commence to
run in on the first of the new year
A temporary platform was construct
ed at one side of the waiting room for
the accommodation of the speakers.
Mayor Quincy's arrival was greeted
with loud cheering. He was escorted
to the platform and assigned a seat
next to Col. Nathaniel Greenleaf Rob
lnson. Other prominent citizens on
the platform We're: Gen. w. A. Ban
croft, vice president elevated railroad;
Railroad Commissioners Goodwin and
division Boston and Maine; Vice Pres
ldent Charles F. ChOate New York,
New Haven and Hartford; Gen. Sam
uel c. Lawrence, a director of the Bos-
ton and Maine railroad; Mayor Quin-
cy, Private Secretary N G. Robinson.
General Manager Sanborn and Engin-
Ger George r. Francis If the Terminal
Company.
President Clark opened the exercises.
nd in -b
der the history of the construction of
the station, giving Mayor Quincy the
credit of beng the"frst to suggest the
plan. Mayor Quincy, he said had. be-
fore his installation, touched upon the
need of a terminal station for all roads
entering from the south, in a CONVEX
sation with himself He therefore had
( thought it fitting TO ask Mr. Quincy to
make the principal address on the oc-
casion which witnessed the fruition of
his plans for the bctterment of Bos-
ton.
The speaker then introduced Mayor
! Quincy who said in part This build
ing, although under corporate owner
ship, is essentially of Il public charac-
ter and dedicated to the service of the
people. 1t is appropriate for this rea-
son as well as on account of her nee
essary connection with the undertake
ing from its very Inception and of her
financial contribution to the street
changes which made 1t possible. that
the city of Boston should be represent
ed at these brief exercises. 1t is no
small satisfaction to me both person
ally and officially that l am able to
see today the substantial completion
/ of the project of a southern union sta
| uon, which I advocated on assuming
once three years ago, with small ex-
| pectation, to tell the truth, that con-
/ ditons would permit its ACCOMPLISH
ment-and to show to the citizens of
/ Boston the great tangible result of the
somewhat unusual official responsible
/ ties l have had to bear as their rep
resentatiVe in connection with the plan
| nlng and carrying cut Of this great
work.
/ The progress of civilization itself
mas been based largely upon improve
/ lnents IN transportation, and the stage
| OF development a community has
reached can be closely measured bv the
facilities it offers for the movement
4 OF passengers and goods. Within the
! century just drawing to a close. Boston
mas deVeloped from a small town with
! a stage line ending a a tavern to a
great municipal community the center
/ OF one OF the most populous districts
OF the world contained within a radius
{
to serve as a terminus to travel.
The opening of such structure as
! TINS Will raise to a distinctly higher
/ level the impression which Boston will
| hereafter make uDon the traveller who
visits our city to compare it with
/ others. And the impression will be
created upon his mind from the moment
OF his arrival that it must be no mean
| city which receives the stranger in
such ample and dignified surroundings.
IF this undertaking, now largely
completed for use, is not wholly a Bos-
! ton or even a Massachusetts one. il
at any rate belongs distinctively to New
! England. To my mind it will stand as
I a conspicuous monument of many of
/ the qualities characteristic of New
( Englanders. This terminal station NAV
we'll be regarded as a striking example
of the great results gained by co-opera-
! ton. 1t represents, first, the co-opera-
! ton of five distinct corporations, and
I then cooperation between them as an
association and the public represented
/ by the city and the state"
! The following facts about the termin-
al station, in addition to what was
/ printed yesterday, may prove of in
/ terest. The total cost is estimated at
$l4000,00O. 1t is the largest depot on
earth, and is double decker" that is. it
4 has trains entering and leaving a two
4 levels. The suburban is separated from
the through traffic. all the former ser
/ vice being transacted ON the lower
I floor.
The suburban service will be dis
! tinguished especially for two things
/ the loop system of tracks, instead of
/ the ordinary stub tracks, and the sub
/ stitution of either electricity or com
/ pressed air as a motive power. This
I sep will be taken as Il means of COM
peting better with the street railroad
companies, whose competition is yearly
growing more formidable. The popula-
7 ton contained in the New York 30
mile limit is 4,754,000; that within Bos-
! tons, ., 1872 900
The total area of the terminal land is
/ 81 acres. The total area covered by
buildings, - acres; maximum width Of
main station, 725 feet; maximum
/ length, $50 feet; height on main build
| ing, 13j feet; total length of tracks. Is
miles: total number of tracks entering
station, go; tracks on main floor rs;
tracks in loop, 4; number of trains to
use station daily, 10; number of 65-foot
! passenger cars that can be set on main
floor, 344; total capacity for cars, 613:
number of arc lights, 1885, incandescent
lights 5000. The station contains rs
electric elevators; 209 water closets: 2j5
office rooms; 36 ticket windows; 50 bag
gage room doors.
The material required amounted to
$4,000 spruce piles, 15,1O0,OO0 common
brick, $4,000 medium brick, SAG. 900 en-
ameled brick, $4,000 cubic yards of stone
masonry. $4,000 tons of steel 200 900
cubic feet of cut stone 100000 pounds
sheet copper, 10000 pounds solder. 10
acres of gravel roofing. 100000 square
feet of glass and 20 tons of putty to set
| the same.
If all the painting on the structure
was reduced to one coat it would make
200 acres. The clock dial is II feet in
diameter. The granite eagle at the top