The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-09-05
TRACK BUILT AT NIGHT
THIS NEW SWITCH CROSSES SOUTH
PENNSYLVANIA STREET AT GRADE.
Mayor Taggart Claims II II Merely
sn Old Switch Rebuilt for Cold
Storage Plant.

Many people in the past few days have
heen OF the opinion that the Union Rail-
way Company stole march on the city
last Friday night. but. while the city adj
ministratien claims the step was not one
Of stealth. yet another grade crossing has
been put down. The new crossing is on
Pennsylvania street into the cold storage
house, which stands on the west side Of
the street, just north of the tracks. The
new track, which will be put into active
use, crosses the street from just east of the
sidewalk on the east side OF the street
1t has not yet been connected. as the frog
which was brought on for that purpose
did not At.
The night season was selected for the
work, probably with the remembrance of the
attempt year ago to prevent the laying
OF tracks in the same neighborhood fresh in
the mind, and last Friday night large
force of men tore up the track which
crossed the street at that place. The track
had been disconnected and not used for
more than year. The new track was laid
that night and almost all rails put in were
new ones. The street has not yet been
filled in and boards have been laid so that
vehicles can cross. The switch is in place.
but the north rail has not yet been cut and
will not be until the proper sized frog ar
rives.
Mayor Taggart was notified of the work
yesterday morning and sent the city en-
gineer and street commissioner to investi-
gate. Last evening the mayor said: Il
was told that a new track had been laid
and so had the investigation made. The
engineer reported 10 me that the track laid
was merely an extension of an old track.
and that it is a track which is on the plat
and that the company had the right to
lay. do not know any more about 1t
How about the controversy of year or
two ago regarding the laying OF track
| there?"
THAT controversy was the result of a
| misunderstanding" replied the mayor. 1T
was not the intention of the railroad COM
| panies to put new tracks in at that time.
They were building new bridge over
| Pogue's run near the gas house and they
| merely intended to move their tracks over
for temporary use. The whole thing was a
Engineer Jeup last evening reiterated his
| report TO the mayor. He said the track
the doa 5 an oS ha j! is on1
| done TO 1t the other night" said he, was
| to raise 1t to the street grade. IL you will
Vom will in see that II has bee1 worn down
| and that the track has been there for years.
| L know that the track has been there for
Il q lOnS tlIne, because Wnen Il was lnNeStl-
| eating the question of track elevation
saw car standing on that track. The
| street has not been torn up nor has the
| track been laid far north the curb
line 1t is merely an old track raised to
| the street grade"
| Superintendent Zion, of the Union Rail-
\ way Company, said he did not know who
laid the new track. THAT track has been
| there for years" said he. 1T has been there
| ever since have been in Indianapolis and,
| TO my personal knowledge 1t has been there
/ for twenty-five years. 1t was originally
| the track which ran into a coal yard which
! occupied the ground where the cold-storage
/ building is now located. Afterwards the
! Nandalia people leased the ground and used
| storage people got 1t. The track has not
| been connected with any other for over
| year. Just about year ago we changed
| the tracks a little so as to ease the sharp
| curve east of the station, and this switch
| was disconnected at that time. The track
| was below the street grade. Within the
| past two or three days some people have
l raised the track TO the street elevation and
| have prepared TO connect 1t. / do not
| know who did the work, for We did not.
| do know that the cold storage people
| have been wanting 10 have a spur in their
| plant There is track alongside their
| building which they used in the shipment
| they cannot use in handling their goods
| They would have to have track into the
| building. 1t is certainly not a new track
| and it is legally all right for 1t to be raised
| to the street level and put in use"
1t will probably be not more than day
| or two until the new track is put into use
/ and another actively used track will he on a
| grade crossing. and the Democratic admins
| tration has nothing TO say, except in the
| platform.