The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-01
LARGEST IN THE WORLD
BosToN's $14,OOO,O 900 RAILWAY STA
TION TO BE OPENED TO-DAY.
Covers Thirty-Eive Acres, Shelters
Thirty Miles of Rails and Has Room
for More than 100000 People.

SHtoh Dl0lloH III TINS city, structure WHICH
takes the place of four older and somewhat
widely separated stations in the southern
part of the city, and which has been planned
and built on a scale ample enough to pro-
vide for at least half a century to come,
When all the trains of the roads that will
use the new station are turned into it. which
viii be in few weeks, travellers to and from
Boston will enjoy the advantages that come
from having all the railroad business of
great center done in only two places, there
being now two great union stations in the
city, closely connected by several genuinely
rapid car lines.
The North Union Station was completed
about four years ago, and was then the
largest passenger station in the world, cap
able of handling ], 400 trains day. A West
ern city, year or so later, had a larger
one. To-day Boston again takes the lead
with station capable of receiving and
sending out four thousand trains in a day
of eighteen hours. Here are some facts
about the new station:
1t is the largest one in the world, building,
shed and yards Immediately connected COW
ering thirty-five acres of land The roof of
the shed alone covers 49, acres.
1t has cost about $14, O00 600.
To make room for it more than two hum
dred buildings were torn down, some of
them fine new business structures.
The station itself contains fifteen miles of
tracks and thirty miles of rails.
There are 3A clearing switches and S54
"fouling'' switches.
The train shed will hold 404 ordinary pas
senger coaches at one time.
ROOM FOR 100000 PEOPLE.
Twenty-eight thousand people can take
seats at one time in the cars in the train
shed on the street level, and several thou
sand more in the substation under the other.
The platforms will accommodate more than
100000 people at one time.
Thirty-two express trains can be unloaded
at one time.
The city of Boston gave up streets and
wharf property to the assessed value of
about $4,OOO,OOO, receiving in return two new
1OO-foot wide streets, making the net cost of
the enterprise to the city $12SS, S24.15.
The granite eagle on the top of the front
OF the station was carved from a single
block which weighed twenty tons. 1t took
four granite cutters three months TO do the
work, and the figure now weighs twelve tons.
The clock under @e eagle is the largest
in the world, the dial being fourteen feet in
diameter. 1t is warranted by its makers not
to vary more than one second a month.
The station is the first one in the world 10
provide for a new suburban surface motive
power, such as electricity or compressed air.
1t has taken eighteen months to build the
new South Union Station. The foundations
of the structure are seventy feet below the
level of the streets and land which it covers,
and besides the work necessary to make
room for the main station the tunnel out
of the city TO the southwest, owned by the
Boston q Albany Railroad Company, has
been doubled in width its entire length, ne
ceSsitating the destruction of scores of fine
buildings and the rebuilding of a dozen great
steel bridges where the streets cross the
tunnel.
Three-quarters of mile to the southwest
of the main station is q smaller new union
station, itself larger than most great sta
lions in other large cities, built especially
for the accommodation of people who will
want to leave and enter trains at a point
a little nearer the residential section of the
city proper than is the main station.
The completion of the South Union Sta
ton marks concluding step In the great
work of consolidating the terminal facilities
of Boston, begun some years ago by Presi-
dent Mcleod, of the Boston 81 Maine sys-
tenn who had recently come from the Read
ing Railroad and introduced some ideas here
that were little startling at first.
FATHBRED BY JOSIAH QUINCY.
He found the Boston &c Maine system
doing business in three separate stations,
the Haymarket square of the Boston q
Maine road and the Causeway-street sta
tons of the Boston and Lowell e. Eastern
roads. On Causeway street was also the
station of the Fitchburg road. He pro-
be replaced by one new, large structure ana
that the Fitchburg road also use it. consoli-
dating all the terminals on the north side
OF the city. Other propositions followed
one that all the stations on the south side
of the city be included in the plan. But d
suitable site was impossible to find and the
latter plan was abandoned; The North
Union Station was built on the site of the
former Lowell and Eastern stations, and
as stated, when opened was the largest in
In March, 1896. Mayor josiah Quincy an
nounced plan of having a outh Union Sta
ton to replace the terminals of the New
England Railroad Atlantic avenue, the
Boston & Albany and Old Colony roads on
kneeland street, and the New York, New
Haven q HartfOrd-which now controls the
Old Colony and New England roads-in Park
square.
rhe plan as outlined was to build a sta
ton on the site in part of the New England
station at the foot of Sumner street. Be
tween this point and one near the North
station runs a fine, wide avenue, which
would afford sure means of rapid transit be
tween the two stations There was at once
great opposition to the plan on the part of
South Boston, which, with a population of
100000, alleged that its means of getting to
and from the city proper would be cut off
South Boston is a peninsula attached to the
Dorchester district by narrow neck of
land, and the quickest way to get there
from the city proper is by means of bridges
so long and expensive to build and maintain
that only two have ever been built.
The objection raised was proper one, and
it cost the engineers a good deal of trouble
dred-foot streets and bridges were promised
the district, and the plans were approved.
WORK BEGUN IN JULY. 1897.
The state railroad commissioners gave
their approval of the plans in December,
1895. The Boston Terminal Company was
organized, its stockholders being the New
England. Boston & Albany, Old Colony
Boston & Providence and New York, New
Haven & Hartford Railroad companies.
The special legislation and charter were Sc
cured that winter from the Legislature and
the bills were signed June 10, 1897, by Gov
ernor Wolcott.
In the meantime the terminal company
had sent its engineers and architects to
Europe and 10 Western and Southern cities
to examine existing stations, and work was
begun on the new terminal here about July
l. 1897.
The plans adopted were the result of long
and careful study by board of expert en-
giueers amplified by what they saw in
other cities. When they were first made
public special attention was called to the
track loops that run under the station for
the special accommodation of suburban
traffic. This presents a feature nowhere
else found in connection with steam pas
senger station, and is designed to relieve the
surface trackage of all trains making short
runs.
The front of the main building at the
junction of Sumner and Cove streets is built
on the arc of a circle for a distance of 22S
feet Here is placed the main entrance SO