The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-12-16
OBJECTION TO THE BILL
The Pennsylvania Grade Crossing
Proposition Opposed.
A Minority Report From the House
Committee ON tho Distric: Of Co.
ton of the Mill a. Originally
Vtanned-Great Items az Expense.

Vtanned-Great Items OF Expense
III tar nuuse yesterday Representative
Cowherd submitted from the House Dis
trict Committee :; minority report on The
Pennsylvania Railroad grade crossing
bill. The report. which is signed by MIR.
Ccwherd and Mr. Sims, is as follows:
The proposed bill provides that tn
tracks or this road shall enter the city in
part through tunnel and in part over an
elevated structure. In order 10 obtain the
consent of the company TO this change IA
matter which, We submit, IS not netes-
saryl IL is proposed to give TO the com
paDy fourteen acres out Of the centre Of
the mall, twelve acres off Of the area Of
Garfield Park, and other Government
land. worth in all 81 Cot, Geo.
The District of Columbia and the
United States are to pay all damages to
private property and ali the COST CT build
ing approaches where streets are carried
under or over the right of way, the two
items being estimated at S250,cv0. In ad
dition it is proposed TO appropriate 1858,
Geo for the building of a highway tE.dge,
separated from the Long bridge, wnich
is to be rebuilt by the company. Sum-
ming the cost TO the public of the pro-
posed change, il is rs follows:
Land given, 1884 800; cost and dam
ages borne by District and United States,
100000: appropriation for new bridge,
$685. 00. Total, s2,2l2, 500.
at is claimed that where n railroad is
compelled by municipality to change the
grade Of its tracks TO abolish grade cross
ings equity requires the city to bear a
portion of the cost involved. While this
may be true where j road owns its right
of way and has erected permanent i'm
provements thereon, We respectfully sub
nit IL should not be invoked in the pres
ent instance. The tracks of this road now
in the city of Washington are laid on pub
lie property, its depot is located on
public reservation Il crosses the Potomac
en- bridge furnished it by the Govern
1nent at great cost. The obtaining of suit
able terminals in the great cities is al
ways the most serious and most costly
question involved in railroad building.
Here are the three great items of expense
which any road seeking entrance 10 this
city must meet, all furnished free 10 this
road, the use of which IL has enjoyed for
nearly half century. Under these cir
cumstances We contend il would be no
hardship on the company for Congress TO
withdraw the rights heretofore granted
and compel the company to change the
grade of its tracks.
1T would seem that the bare state
nent Of the foregoing facts in itself
should be sufficient TO defeat the proposed
BILL but the unwarranted bestowal of the
peoples property upon favored cor
poration is the least Objectionable feature
Of the bill.
Stretching from The Capitol to the
Monument. and thence TO the White
House, lies the Mall, the distinctive
feature of WasLington's reservations de-
signed by L'Enfant, and especially re-
served by Washington to be the most
beautiful of all the city system of parks.
This magnificent reservation of 600 acres
In the heart of the city offers possibilities
10 The landscape architect the equal of
which can be found in no other city on
earth.
The reason The permanent improve
mont of the Mall has been SO long neg
1ected is due to the fact that In 1871, just
prior to tie time Congress and the citizens
Of Washington turned their attention to
the work of beautifying the natisn's Capt.
tai, the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad
obtained permission to lay its tracks down
Sixth Street and occupy with its station a
strip of the reservation $50 feet wide.
This prevented, and 1t still prevents, any
permanent improvement of this reserva-
ton. This occupation and the improve
men;s erected are temporary in their ma
ture, but if the proposed bill should be
passed and the fourteen acres out of the
centre of the parks given to the company
and they build thereon, as is proposed,
q terminal station and improvements cost
ing nearly or quite 100000, then We
have surrendered all hope of hereafter
treating this great reservation as Wash
ington intended. and with 1t goes the OPP
portun!ty to make the Nations Capital
the most beautiful of cities.
I'VE respectfully submit this is part
OF The heritage of all the people, and |
should be preserved tcr them.
by act approved June 6, 1900, the chief |
OF engineers was authorized TO report to |
Congress plans for the treatment of this |
and the sum of 81, 600 was ap- |
propriated to secure the services of a |
landscape architect Of conspicuous ability
That report has just been submitted and
recommends the removal Of the present |
1epot and tracks of the company to a
point on the south line Of the reservation.
We quote from the report:
One of the most important features of
he plan will be found in the new site as
signed TO the Pennsylvania Railroad sta
ioA, hon q oSiiOuS OublI " tUe Qc-
'elopment OF the new park. Its present
ocation, II retained, would utterly de-
'troy the harmonious arrangement of the
walls and sunken transverse roads, which
ire the distinguishing characteristics of
he present design. The passage of trains
through a park, whether oval OF under or
N the level. is always 10 be deprecated.
{ destroys the restfulness and isolation
4 the place, and It should be prevented
~ nv ont hat &c be-
nimical to the comfor: and business ne
essities Of the public. A lightning ex-
,ress Is quite incornpa tible with a green
arden and singing birds.
The proposed site for the station. il
vii be seen, is large and commodious.
nd situated directly in front of the trans
'erse road at Seventh Street, which is
made as wide as Pennsylvania Avenue,
nd only ] 800 feet from its nearest Dor
ers. The station as now situated, in the
eart Of the proposed park. would COM
letely destroy the unity OF the park de-
ign: for II stands at the very point where
he loss would be the greatest Under the
lew arrangement proposed every advan-
age in the way Of electric cars and con-
enient and commodious foot and carriage
rays could be secured, as they could all
e brought directly under the roof OF the
tation.
81 dwell thus strongly on the i'm
ortance of a new location for the rail-
Dad station, because l believe if all
arties genuinely and periodically inter-