The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-02-19
NO TRACKS ELEVATION
HOUSE COMMITTEE PROMPTLY KILLS
COMMERCIAL CLUB SCHEME.
City OmciaIs Claim Snap Judgment
Was Taken-PrOminent Mer-
chants Appear.

Council relative to requiring railroad tracks
to be elevated when it was learned that the
House committee on affairs of the city of
Indianapolis at it's meeting in the afternoon
decided to kill the amendment, without Civ
ing the city officials, they claim, an oppor-
tunity to be heard. City Attorney Kern,
who prepared the amendment at the request
of the Indianapolis Common Council, in
conjunction with a committee of that body,
last night expressed considerable impa-
tience at what he spoke Of as unfair treat
ment. He said he had repeatedly inquired
when the committee would consider the
amendment, and was assured that he would
be given hearing. Many opponents of the
measure were at the meeting, including rail-
road attorneys factory owners and bust
ness men, all of whom were heard in special
pleadings against the amendment
The opponents of the measure, 1t Is
claimed, even took advantage of the alb
sence of South Side residents as evidence
that no one in that quarter was interested
in track elevation. Mr. Kern said last night
that if the South Siders had known that the
subject was to have been considered many
of them would have appeared. For a long
time the Commercial Club has been work
ing to have tracks elevated, and recently
urged the administration to take steps in
that direction. The Council asked Mr..
Kern for an opinion as to its powers. He
pointed out difficulties, saying that while it
appeared to have the power, it was not ex-
pressed in broad enough terms and an
amendment was desirable. Neither the
Council, city attorney nor representatives
of the Commercial Club Elevated Tracks
Commission knew that the subject was to
be discussed yesterday, they say although
it appeared that ample notification has been
gwen to the opposition 1t was asserted
last night by the city attorney that he
would insist on being heard before the COM
mittee reports on the bill
The committee unanimously decided
against the amendment. 1t had not been
formally offered, but was placed with the
committee to be reported as a rider, and
yesterday afternoon an open meeting was
held to hear those Interested The commit
tee room was filled with manufacturers and
wholesale men of the city, and Judge Hack
ney first spoke against The proposition. He
appeared in behalf of the railroad companies
and had a carefully prepared statement He
referred to the great expense of elevating
lhe tracks, ana SAID that should this be
done 1t will make it necessary for from 400
to- 500 manufacturing establishments to
elevate their side tracks He said that if
the tracks should be elevated the Big Four
would be compelled to go to the outskirts of
IN city, and this would make great in
crease IN cost to the merchants by reason
of the increase in the cost of drayage In
nearly all other cities, he said, the passen-
ger TRACKS only are elevated. He did not
think the railroad companies should pay all
the cost OF track elevation, if the committee
6 oent mat II should be DONE but that the
property benefited should pay its share He
read from the opinion of City Attorney
Kern that the City Council has the
power 10 compel the railroads to raise the
tracks, but that it must be within reason
ableneSs. That opinion was based on the
present law, and now said Judge Hackney
the Legislature is asked to pass a law to re-
move that reaSonableneSs, In case the COM
mttee should decide that the amendment
like to have two amendments made The
hrst provided that the city should repay to
pended in the building of viaducts and tun-
nels. The second amendment provided that
the cost Of elevating the tracks should be
equally shared by the city and the rail-
THE PENNSYLVANIA SPEAKS.
Mr.. S. Q. Pickens, representing the Penn
sylvania lines, said that no city in the coun-
try owes so much to the railroads as does
indianapolis, for it has been because Of the
facilities for transportation that the city
has grown so much. He said that from
White river to State street are many small
factories which would be abolished if the
tracks should be elevated, and the property
would be unfit for business, railroad and
residence purposes. He said that the only
two cities in the country where the railroad
companies paid all the cost of elevating the
tracks were Rochester and Jersey City, and
In each case the city abandoned a street
and gave it to the railroad company In
this way the railroad company got two more
tracks in each city, and in Rochester il
enabled them to avoid a grade which had
been expensive to them, and thus they saved
about 100000 a year. He thought this is
not, the time to talk track elevation, and if
It should be decided to take this action that
the railroads should not be required to pay
II. F. Stevens, OF the INDIANAPOLIS Cold
storage Company, said his company is now
putting up building that will cost nearly
$lVpVSV, ana 10 elevate the tracks will in
Jufe the company materially. H was OD-
posed 10 the amendment but should it be
embodied in the bill he wanted to see some
property. AS the bill is drawn. he stated
there was no such provision, and for one
ms company would come in for damages
I Iels t9 y building would be rendered use
less II the tracks should be raised twenty
feet, as contemplated. w. II. Noble of the
same company, said that if this action was
taken they would have to abandon the lower
moor, or an area of three-fourths of an acre
The building is arranged, he stated so as
70 run ears in on the ground floor. and if
the tracks should be elevated it would make
1t necessary to lower all the freight for dis
trlbutOn, as the plans of the building con-
template distributing it from the ground
Judge Harvey urged the committee to re-
member that many of the manufacturing
institutions do not own the buildings or the
grounds in which and on which they are
located. and that it will be almost impossible
to fix fair damages on such concerns
The Hitz Baking Company protested
against raising the tracks at all and urged
that an amendment be made providing for
damages. It's building, it was said was so
situated on the viaduct that if the tracks
should be raised and the viaduct taken down
1t will leave the company high in the air
and it would wish damages.
Mr.. I. S. Gordon said that he thought this
proposition was remarkable. He has been i'm
business on South Meridian street over TWEEN
~ years, and he never saw the street so con-
gested as to make the elevation of the
tracks necessary. In his opinion times were
nothing else to do, so it stirred this matter
up. He said that on two days notice he
could bring five hundred business men be-
fore the committee who were opposed TO
this, and he was satisfied that three-ffths
of the members of the Commercial Club are
opposed to it, He knew one member of the
commission who was violently opposed to it
and had never regarded it seriously. He
thought the time might come when track
elevation would be necessary, but it is not
now, the city is not big enough and con-
gested enough for 1t.
c. +. SMITH FOR 1T
Mr.. c. f. Smith was the only man to
raise his voice for the amendment, and he
thought the Cold Storage Company should
have put up its buildings with this change
in view as it was talked about at the time.
in his opinion, there was no time to make
the change like the present. New buildings
will go up to take the places Of those torn
down, and he thought the large number Of
people 10 be benefited should be considered.
William KOthe opposed the amendment.