The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-12-25
ANOTHER PLAN
FOR 4 TERMINAL
A Scheme Suggested Some
Years Ago Revived.
In EIGHTEENTH STREET SFh4IOH.
Purchase OF Thirteen Squares of
Land and the Building Of a Fun-
mel Under Thomas Circle In
cluded-Other Features.

Recent discussion of railroad terminal
| plans looking to the establishment of a
union station revIves q scheme to accom-
Plish the same purpose, worked out by
s. Herbert Gjesy, of this city Mr. Giesy
developed his plan several years ago and
presented it TO the Board of Trade, OF
which he is a member, and it was there
! thoroughly discussed and approved by the
majority of the members of the Railroad
/ Committee Fer reasons then mere or
/ less urgent the matter was never formally
/ presented to Congress or to the District
/ Commissioners.
! Mr. Giesy's plan IS in brief TO bring the
/ railroads from the north into the city
over the Washington branch Of the Bal
! timoTe and Ohio Railroad and by means Of
i a cut and tunnel reaching a point on
/ Eighteenth Street northwest where the
/ station would be located There the
route would pass to the valley Of Rock
+ Greek and thence to the bank OF the Po-
tomac opposite the Three Sisters, where
the river would be bridged to carry the
trains across and to bring into the sta
ton the trains Of the southern road
/ Near Centre Of Population.
BY this plan the union station would
be placed near the centre of population OF
the District. would remove depots and
tracks from the vicinity Of the Capitol,
and would afford a direct and convenient
route Of railway traffic through the city.
The plan involves the crossing OF but enc
street at grade and would not close a
single thoFcughfare. The cose Of the con-
struction necessary Cor the execution OF
the plan, as Mr. Giesy has figured it out
is within the cost Of the proposed termin-
ais, and he thinks that the advantages Of
his plan over that Of tunneling under the
Capitol grounds are sufficient to give II
precedence.
approaching from the northeast the
route OF the tracks in Mr. Giesy's plan
cross Florida Avenue below grade and
pass into 4 deep cut between L and n
streets. and extending to Fourth Street
west For the purpose Of this cut the
plan involves the purchase by the railroad
COMPANIES Of al the land lying between L
and N Streets comprised within thirteen
squares. The tracks would lie in cut Of
the average depth of about eighteen feet.
Details OF the Plan.
According to the plan outlined, the
space between L and II Street is SUI
HfeIent 10 permit Of TIE erection OF freight
sheds, warehouses, wholesale places. and
cc2I yarCs On earu sue W the cut, thus
eHectaaIy hiding the railroad behind
them. The location would permit Of
loaded cars being run into the basement
and Unloaded there Mr. Ciesy holds that
the advantages Of such an arrangement
would recommend themselves to a large
number Of men. and he would expect 10
see both sides OF the cut filed with build
iBss OF one kind and another soon after
the completion Of the line The cross
streets would pass over the cut On spe-
ciaIly constructed bridges and street traf-
&c would not be iHterfeTed with By the
railroad
At Filth Street west, where il crosses
New York Avenue. tunnel would begfn.
about thirty feet below grade. The tunnel
would extend under New York Avenue 70
L Street. following the lire OF L Street
TO Massachusetts Avenue. and under this
20 Thomas Circle. and thence under II
Street 20 Eighteenth Street at its inter
section with Connecticut Avenue. near the |
head Of Rhode Island Avenue. This would
be the end OF the tunnel. which would be
Few feet over a mile IL length
Fronting upon Eighteenth Street the /
proposed station would stand. an impos-
ing ediRee, occupying the whole Of square |
40 Trains from the tunnel would emerge /
On the n Street side on a level with the /
lower foor Of the depot. By means of !
broad staIrways and elevators passengers ]
would 90 Up to the second story on the !
level CT Eighteenth Street Train sheds |
would extend westward from Nineteenth |
to Twentieth Street, the cross streets be- /
ing bridged to allow the passing OF traffic. !
The route Of the tracks extends westward
to Rock Greek, across that stream and /
along the west. hank to the Potomac.
Turning westward the tracks would pass |
along Water Street at grade to point
opposite the Three Sisters and thence |
over a bridge as state above
Freight Sheds in q Cut.
Along the cut west Of the station Mr..
Giesy claims another opportunity would /
be presented for the erection Of freight /
sheds and warehouses, the railroad com
panies being required to purchase the /
land between L and j Streets for the Dur
pose Of constructing the cut. Mr. Ciesy |
states that the site Of the Eighteenth /
Street station and the cut westward is I
along the bed OF a former stream, which /
has been filled up since the time Of the
civil war and occupied by a comparatively
cheap class of improvements.
Accessory to the plan Mr. Giesy shows
that the Metropolitan branch Of the Bal
timoFe and Ohio would be DETECTED 10 the
Of its present location and
would enter the main cut below grade Al
a point between Sixth and Seventh Streets
northeast Another spur track Is pro-1
posed east OF Florida Avenue to Benniug
TO connect with the yards OF the Penn
sylvauia Railroad there, and to form the
necessary link in a belt line around the
city into South Washington 10 depots and
freight yards located there. All these
tracks would be for the most part below
grade and hridged fur the cross streets.
Long bridge Removal.
ar 'Giesy refers to the fact IN the de-
tails Of the plan. that when the report
upon the reconstruction OF the Long
Bridge was submitted TO Congress BIZ the
War Department II contained a recon-
nendation that the present site OF the
bridge be abandoned and that It be built
higher up the river, preferably in the
vicinity OF the Three Sisters 8Ir- Gfesv
points out that a bridge erected at that
point could be planned as q double
-.-fkI al