Evening star., 1900-12-17
Favorable Action of House District
Committee on B, and 0. Bill.
ROUND HOUSE LOCATED WITHIN THE "
Memorandum Of Costs Submitted
by Attorneys.
PROTEST FROM ECKINGTON


Ohio railroad embarrassing bill. The at
torneys of the railroad submitted, in re-
sponse to the committees demand, the fol-
lowing memorandum as to estimate of cost
attributable to the proposed improvements
of the pending bill:
"A. Cutoff from Montello to Florida ave,
nue..
Item /. Right of way and property, fifty
acres, at 5000 per acre, including damages,
$25O,cG9: fortyfour acres, at $500. includ-
ing damages, s11o,0O0.' These estimates of
cost of right of way and land damages in
clude simply the right of way of the same
width as the present right of way of the
Washington branch, to wit: sixty-six
feet. with necessary widening in cuts and
fills, from The connection with the present
Washington branch tracks at Montello to
the north side of Florida avenue.
THE number of acres mentioned is not
the actual number of acres occupied and
included within the right of way lines, but
is the number Of acres which it was esti-
mated would be taken or SO damaged as to
make it cheaper to purchase at the prices
mentioned than to condemn the land act
uaIly necessary and pay damages.
The item of fifty acres at 5000 was an
estimate of what 1t would cost for the right
Of way, above described, from the north
the Washington branch connection crosses
the east line of the Patterson estate, known
as Brentwood.
THE second item of forty-four acres at
s. 500 was an estimate of what it-~would
cost TO obtain such right of way from the
east line of the Patterson estate to the
connection at Montello. Much of the land
within the last mentioned right OF way has
been divided into building lots, at Fairview
and Montello some of the lots within the
limits Of the right of way having been i'm
proved; and these facts We're considered in
estimating the cost of the right of way.
The railroad line runs by means of heavy
cutting practically midway between New
York avenue extended and a street line
drawn parallel Herewith and 400 feet north
westerly therefrom The lots as laid out in
FarvieW and MOntelo run at an angie
with New York avenue extended so tnat
the construction of the road in deep cuts
through soft and slippery material there
existing, will practically make it cheaper,
if it could be done, to purchase all the
lots and improvements in this strip 400 feet
wide, between the streets mentioned. at the
price of $3.50 an acre. rather than seek to
support or protect the lots on either side
Of the roadway. The company has found
it practically impossible to purchase this
land at $2,JtD per acre, and will be com
PEELED to condemn the greater part of it,
I'm order to secure the roadway for this
the east line of the Patterson estate and
Washington branch connection between
the north line of New York avenue, the
company has purchased from the trustees
of that estate all the land of the estate
lying north of the north line of New York
avenue, namely, fifty-two and iifty-Gve
hundredths acres, at the price Of s2o7 ,JSJ.74
"At the lowest price now ruling (even
putting in the portion of square twelve in
lexington, at the price at which 1t was
purchased by the company in 1899, the
roadway for the Washington branch con-
nectiou from the north side of New York
avenue to the north side Of Florida avenue
will cost not less that $500 exclusive of
damages to other parts of the property
taken.
1T is now possible to test the approXi
ma te accuracy of the estimate of $2JD,1OJ for
the right of way and property, including
damages, between the north side of florida
avenue and the east line Of the Patterson
estate. The company has already paid, or
agreed to pay $297 JS5.I4 to the north side
of New York avenue. and it will have to
pay not less than $o7 500 between the north
side Of New York avenue and the north
side of Florida avenue a total of $3.50,
OS574; of this total sum exceeding 800 900
is already at interest, and If this bill
should pass at the present session, at least
five years interest on the whole $'ooVoO
must be added to ascertain the real cost
of the property acquired, which at per
cent would be over $1,000. AT the end Of
five years, therefore, this property will
stand the company $4,000. Against this
there will be an offset. by way of salvage,
of the value of the land acquired in addi-
would have had to condemn If it had not
purchased.
1.-The area which the company must have
condemned is approximately twenty-five
acres so that it will have, say. thirty acres
at a cost over the estimate Of $l16,3O2, or
nearly 5000 per acre.
I'VE submit that the estimate of $2o000o
was an underestimate, rather than an over
estimate.
Cost of Excavation.
zoo >so1 Dr1c
at 80 cents-$71 ,92o.'
1.-THE excavation here estimated is made
I'D from the Typographical map of the
United States government, and Is for
double track roadway thirty-fve feet at
base in cuts, the embankments thirty feet
wide, with one and half to one slopes in
cuts and fills. 1t is extremely doubtful
whether the nature of the material on this
line would permit slopes Of one and a half
to one. After these estimates were made
the engineers of the company determined
that the cuts and embankments both
should be two to one The estimate OF
2g5, 500 yards is therefore an estimate Of
the minimum excavation required for this
line.
Item 5. We understand that the other
items of estimate for this cutoff from
Montello to Florida avenue require no eX-
PLANTATION, they are the result of mathe-
matical calculations capable of eXamna-
ton and confirmation on an examination
OF the plans.
B-MetrOpOIitan Hranch Conn cotton.
Item 1. 'Embankment, $1,000 cubic
yards at 81 cents-$10,5o0.'
1.-The embankment here estimated may be
represented by a wedge thirty feet wide,
5000 feet long, eighteen feet thick at one
end and running to zero at the other. me
estimate includes slopes. which If in
ciuded would add 1900 yards at one and a
half to one. The eighteen feet thickness
Of hA rnIe ante hnh liDrbt Nft
elevation of the new Metropolitan branch
track at Florida ayenne bridge above the
height of the present Metropolitan branch
this elevation of the Metropolitan branch
track being required to reach the elevated
viaduct which the company is required to
build under this act.
C-EckinEtOn Yard.
Item Filling 100000 cubic yards. at 50
cents, $94.500.
1.-The filing here estimated Is the amount
reqtfired to raise the lexington yard from
the level at which it could and would be
used in connection with the present Met
ropolitan Branch track. to the level at
which 1t must be used In connection with
the elevated Metropolitan Branch track as
established by this BILL revision Of this
Continued on Second Page)