The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-09-18
APPROVED OF The GRANT
COMMERCIAL BODIES RECOMMkND
UNION DEPOT COMPANY'S RE-
QUEST BE GRANTED
LEvEE FOR RAILWAY USE ONLY
Committee on streets Receive Re-
ports of Many Committees ON
Levee Matters and Then
Defer Decision.

When the assembly committee on
streets got together yesterday afternoon
there was large number Of gentlemen
present who were concerned about the
union depot levee matter and represented
the commercial organizations of the city
A joint committee of the Commercial
club, the Chamber of Commerce, the
Jobbers union. the Northwestern Manu-
facturers' association and the St An
thony Park Manufacturers club have
been investigating the levee matter
through a smaller subcommittee The
report of the subcommittee, which was
approved by the entire committee, was
submitted to the assembly committee
yesterday by c. p. Moves 1t was as fol-
lows:
ST Paul, Mimi, Sept 49, 1900
To the Honora BILE the Committee on
Streets of the Assembly of the Common
Council of the City of ST. Paul, Mimi
The joint committee representing the fol-
lowing different organizations of the
city viz: The Chamber of Commerce,
the Jobbers' union, the Commercial club,
the Northwestern Manufacturers ASSo-
citation. the st. Anthony Park Manufac-
turers' club, would respectfully but most
earnestly recommend TO your committee
mat 1T in turn recommend to the assem-
bly, the granting of the petition of the
Union Depot company. bearing date June
Z, 1900, and upon that day referred by the
assembly to your committee for conSid-
Grafton. This committee would suggest
does so on the condition that the title
to the property conveyed by deed revert
to 1t should it ever be used fer any other
than railroad purposes.
The very existence of this committee
is a proof of the vital Importance of the
subject at issue to all the business in
terests of the whole city; for when it
became known to the community that
the question of charging its track accom-
modations was being considered by the
Union Depot company, the different or
gantzations which this committee repre-
SelltS at once took action npon the mat
ter. The time and care which have been
given to the consideration of the sub
iect have only served to deepen our coz
Viction that no more important one has
been before the city council for a great
many years.
The subject has received at our hands
the closest and most thorough inVeSu-
cation. In making this the committee
has been granted hearty ard cordial CO.
operation not only by the officers of the
Union Depot company, but by those of
the different railroad companies whom 1t
has wished to consult or to whom 1t has
applied for information. The discussion
of the subject has served greatly to deep
en- the feeling that it is of the utmost
Importance to the citys commercial and
pot, in which all the roads entering the
city can unite in handling their traffic,
instead of its being scattered through
several different depots in as many diff =
ferent locations. Of such supreme i'm
portance has this object been considered
In other cities that communities like BoS-
ton and st. Louis have within the past
Few years expended from their municipal
treasures millions of dollars to attain
1t. The fact Of there being a union de-
pot in the city of st. Paul has made it
the transfer point for all through East
ern and Western tickets, thus giving the
city an Importance in the eyes of all
travellers and railroad men throughout
the world which it would not otherwise
have possessed. 1t is, too, of equal i'm
portance that such a depot should be of
a size and possessing track accommoda-
lions commensurate to the city's bust
ness, population and growth
In this connection it is to be noted
that the Improvement contemplated by
the Union Depot company win not only
give the additional tracks now required
for passenger traffic, but will also give
increased Notwithstanding facilitt S. 1t
is a part of the company's plan to put
in two tracks exclusively for the trans
fer of freight through the union depot
grounds, one fer East-boun6 and
the other for West hour:d trains.
AS now arranged, all this business
has to be transacted upon single track
at a cost of much Inconvenience and loss
of time These new tracks will thus
give relief where 1t is most needed; will
give the Omaha system greater facility
for handling it's business between it's
Eastern and Western divisions and will
enable the Chicago & Great Western to
conduct with more ease and conven-
fence its large business with the South
st. Paul stock yards.
During the consideration of the sub
ject, two other collateral questions arose
for discussion, though not directly con-
nected with the petition of the Union
fully considered by the committee in it's
conference with the Union Depot COM
pany and different railroad officials and,
ha1pplly, ADJUSTED to the satisfaction of
all concerned. These two questions were
the fixing of the switching charges at the
Minnesota Transfer at the old rate, ard
the provision for the better accommoda-
ton of the cattle interests centering at
South ST. Paul. Those representing the
latter interest were fully conferred with,
and, while it was found impossible to ar
range everything exactly according to
their preferences, an adjustment salts
factory to them was finally arrived at,
The first request was that two tracks
Immediately adjoining the union depot
grounds, should be set aside for a place
of common delivery of cattle by all the
railroads. After the most patient in
vestigation and frequent meetings with
the railroad officials this was found to
be absolutely impractical BILE because of the
physical condition. The Northern Pa
cific Railroad company, however in the
changes contemplated in their Mississippi
street ydrQS, proposed TO put IN two
tracks for the exclusive use of cattle or
stock trains, which will enable them and
their tenants, the $780, the Minneapo-
lis & st. Louis, the Chicago & Great
Western and the Wisconsin Central, to
have a common point of delivery. So-A
eff the other roads are already satisfied
with their traffic arrangements existing
with the stock yards The action of the
Northern Pacific and the addition of the
two freight tracks through the union
depot grounds, VIII enable the northern
lines to make prompt deliveries and ham
die the stock yards business satisfac-
torily, both to themselves and to the
South St Paul cattle interests
In making this recommends ton to your
committee, and asking that in turn you
recommend to your own body of the COM
mon council, and through it to the COM
mon council as a whole the granting of
the petition of the St. Paul Union Depot
wholly in the interests of the city. #
the matter had never been brought to
your attention by the corporation which
represents in this city the terminal faciI-
tiles of all the railroads entering here,
but if 1t had instead been discovered by
the citizens themselves, that these rail