Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-02-15


| This noble plan contemplated such boule-
| ward exists nowhere else in the world,
j which was intended to be thanked on the
4 north and south sides by public buildings,
| and has already been almost irreparably
| injured by permitting the Pennsylvania
| railroad to run its tracks north on 9th
street to its present station. The admis-
| sion Of the railroad to the MALI is the
| main cause OF the fact that the superb
possibilities of the public park in the center
| OF the city and south of the Executive
| Mansion have never been realized 1t is
| readily perceived that the presence of loco
| motives and trains of cars right across the
middle of an area prevents its use for the
| purposes of stately, highly improved,
| fashionable ard famous boulevard.
| Considering that this park was specially
| reserved in the formation of the city by
our immortal President Washington. it
does seem unpatriotic and even irreverant
that Washington's ideas should not be car
| ried out, particularly no local interests
| would be seriously damaged by keeping
| this area for the park it intended to
/ be; and the national interests-for this is
| not merely a town of local interest, but
one which is the pride of our great nation
Will be very much improved and advanced
| in the estimation of the entire country by
| keeping this free from commercial
encroa chment. Further argument on this
point is deemed unnecessary, a simple
| inspection Of the map carries its own ar
gIment.
Garfield Park also is one of the seven
teen original reservat ions laid aside by
President Washington and the early Com
missioners for the ornamentation of the
| national capital. This park has been named
after Il President whose tragic death
stirred the hearts of the entire world. 1t
is in my humble Judgment. the national
interests and the interests of this city
the capital of cur great nation-and not
merely the local commercial interests
which should govern the consideration of
this entire question of railroad terminals
within the District The question of abol-
ishing the grade crossings of railroads in
the District of Columbia is a very serious
and important one. and has been very ably
discussed. and solved to the satisfaction at
least of those to whom the beauty of the
national capital is the main question.
THE report by the District Commission
ers made on Senate bill No. 1902, Fifty
fourth Congress. first session, under date of
February 9. 1897. is in the minds of I'M
prejudiced readers, conclusive; the whole
subject of grade crossings in the District
is deliberately discussed and the conclusions
therein reached are those which will meet
the approval of the entire country. The re-
port OF the Commissioners above mention
ed not only Celebrates the points which
have been made above, but discusses
number of other vital points at stake in the
settlement of this question. The plan there
in proposed. and called Plan No. 5. is. in
my humble judgment, the one which should
be adopted.
II am not aware of the facilities needed
by railroad for terminals. but Washing
ton will always be residence city and
never a commercial metropolis. and the To-
cation for the Pennsylvania railroad sta
ton, suggested in Plan No. ) of the Dis
~ ,n;ni Inntia, N"u", ala aa - ~, ~, 10
bjstor;oaT "n,au.', ,arro;t af III da,o, ~
ment and completion of Washington's origi-
nal plan. and, so far as convenience of traf-
10 yine or a fan r,;,s nv. tho styaat raiin.uS
II is earnestly honed that those who have
the decision as TO This matter will take a
broad view of tho case and not nerr,it the
beatuy of our famous civ to he irrenar-
ably injured
bridEe question.
Col. Aliens report on the bridge features
follows He reviews the hill tho history of
~ Ioro h;5ro "a .ho hi,,, 80 ~
e se anu " ' " "
Potomac Park improvements
He then says:
Recurring to the proposed new bridge
or hr;dgas. III. ax;staroa Of +uo br,dges
across tbe potomac river as contemnIated
woniJ he ohioctinnabia fronn a,.ar,, ,,n;nt of
-, So ~, rana,ot MI ~ -;
mental "a navtpatinn The General line nf
bjobH,ar +rayai Sbo,Id ha ,na;n. ainad .nd
tbst Un,,,J hrin,, tba two hr;5.,as niosa "a
petbar There would TING he delay, and
more danger tn vessels in nassinp the two
draws The two bridges being in close
nroxfmitv 10 each other ohiectionahIe feat
nres Of y combined bridpe across the Vir
ginia channel would not he materially les
sened
1.-TWO rows of piers across the stream. in
close proximity to each other. would form
a greater obstruction than would one row
separation of the two bridges Sufficient
to meet the needs of navigation would re-
qulre thal they De distant from each other
- r 1870 - r,,., 1,,;,t; 80,
the present line for vehicuIar traffic but 1t
would also require the traversing of Poto-
mac Park by draught wagons, &c, along
line considerably to the westward or the
present causeway and TO the great detri-
ment of Potomac Park
THE case should be met by the construc-
ton of combined railroad and highway
bridge structure across the Virginia chan
mel the driveway entering Potomac Park
at or about park grade at reasonable dis
lance from the railroad track and connect
ing with the spans and bridge across the
Washington and Virginia channels by suit
able inclines, the lowest part of the por-
ton OF Long bridge across Virginia channel
to afford a clear head room of at least
eighteen feet above mean low tide.
For the present causeway across the
flats Potomac Park Viaduct of steel of
open work and pleasing design should be
substituted, in order to afford carriageway
through it. and also clear view through
it of the park beyond the viaduct, and no
greater width of park should be occupied