Richmond daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1876-1904, 1899-11-24
RAILROAD MEETING
OF COUNCIL LAST NIGHT
-IMPORTANT POINTS
Brought Out in the Meeting
Railroad Company Makes PROPOSE
tion for Barter in Real Estate
Giving the CITY More Area Than
They Ask in Return.

The city council met in a com
mittee of the whole last night with
Messrs. Clawson and Dobbins absent.
The meeting was held in the clerk 5
Office and Mayor Zimmerman pre-
sided. The railroad company was
represented by Superintendent May
and Assistant Engineer Bland, who
had with them the blue prints of the
new proposed change of Fort Wayne
avenae crossing. The meeting last
night had no other matter under
consideration and nothing else was
discussed.
The present conditions at that
CROSSING are not desirable from a
stand point of sightliness, taste or
safety. There is more territory
taken up in the crossing than is re-
garded consistent with ideas of
economy, of spaCe or safety. There
is too much territory taken up, ac-
cording to the opinion of the railroad
company and according to the views
expressed by those of the councilmen
who took occasion to express their
views last night. All took hand in
the discussion, which was very free
and in the best of spirit on bot.i
sides The two streets, north eigiI n
running north, and Fort Wayne ave
nue. running northeast, concentrate
at that point to cross the tracks.
Washington avenue also starts at the
south side of the railroad tracks at
the confluence of the two streets
hitherto mentioned, and helps to
widen the already too wide crossing
This gives a large number of gates
to watch and render safe Yet the
three wide crossings have no mate
rial advantage as it is very seldom
that more than one is used When
the gates are down and the traffic is
blocked one is raised at time. The
throng of vehicles and pedestrians
rush for the first one raised, so most
of the time one roadway is made to do
the work of the entire number of
convergent roadways.
WHAT THE COMPANY ASKS.
The railroad company now pro-
poses to do away with the Ft. Wayne
avenue crossing that runs to the
northeast making long angle across
the tracks, and also with Washington
avenue making similar long angle
in another direction, to the north
west. Instead they propose to have
one wide roadway sufficient to ac-
all the traffic from north
f street, Ft. Wayne avenue and
north eighth street, and have this
new roadway run straight across
the tracks of the Pennsylvania where
eighth street now crosses The pres
ent width of the roadway of north
eighth street is thirty eight feet be-
tween the curbs. The width of the
new roadway across the
tracks is sixty feet with tenfoot
sidewalks on each side, making the
total width of the roadway and side
walks eighty feet This is the width
of north \ street or Broadway, and
also the width of Richmond avenue,
the widest two streets in the city. The
maintains that this will
accommodate all the traffic from
the three streets that converge
there. They ask that the space oc-
cupied by the two avenues in
angling across the tracks be vacated
by legal precedings. They ask this
for economy of space and also that
they may be able to run their train
sheds to the west all the same length
and not of different lengths as the
angling of the avenue would compel
them to do if the streets remain as
they are. In answer to the objec-
ton that the sheds would cut off the
view north and south from either
side, they state that the sheds. hav-
ing to be high enough to clear a
passenger coach, would not obstruct
the view from a person on foot, in a
carriage or even on a load of hay.
WHAT THEY OFFER
The railroad company offers in ex-
change for the REIMBURSEMENT of this
space asked for, to deed to the city a
semi-circular piece of real estate
north of the tracks, the space offered
in exchange being larger and more
extensive than that asked by the
company in exchange. The proper
ty they propose to give is that occu-
pied by certain buildings, such as the
Clendenen hide house, the livery sta
BILE and the building of the National
Church Furniture company. Options
are had on these pieces of property
tItiC w tAi AC ptehNNt
from the city in the way of a trans
fer of any interests until after the
deeds for the property to be given in
exchange are all in shape and turned
over to the city. The stone tower
house built on the north side of the
tracks will be torn down and the
gates will be operated with great
deal more precision and safety than
now.
OBJECTIONS MADE.
The councilmen who were present
1t HE.,