The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-12-09
THE CORRESPONDENTS.
Letters That Have Passed Between
City and Railway officials.

Letters That Have Passed Between
City and Railway officials.
The impending negotiations for the set
Element of the Embarrassing question are
the direct result of a demand on the part
of the city that the Virginia-avenue via
duct be repaired. Acting for Mayor Book
walter, City Attorney Joss sent a notice
to Baker & Daniels, attorneys for the
Union Railway Company. in October last.
demanding that the company make repairs
to the viaduct. This letter was forwarded
James McCrea, at Pittsburg. who sent the
following reply on Oct. Is:
your letter of Oct q. addressed to the
attorneys of the Indianapolis Union Rail-
way Company, relative to repairing the
Virginia avenue viaduct. has been handed
to me for answer.
In making this reply | speak not only
as the president of the Indianapolis Union
Railway Company. with respect to the
tracks of that company, but also as the
authorized representative of each of the
proprietary and constituent railway COM
panies of said Union Railway Company:
with respect to the individual tracks of
all said companies, in the city OF lndianap-
oils.
Waving criticism as to the extent of
city civil engineer, shown in your letter
1 note that such contemplated repairs will
require an immediate expenditure of many
thousands of dollars; and, waving obtec-
ton TO the validity of your contention that
the Indianapolis Union Railway Company
is under legal obligation to keep the Vir-
ginia avenue viaduct in repair, L call at
tention to the fact that-if your city's So
called track elevation ordinance Involved
in the mandamus action which your city
has appealed to the Supreme CourD shall
ms fnlx Aho11 htrf ha Of Cf
Resort, and surface tracks shall be ordered
to be changed to elevated tracks-this via
duct Will be torn down and thrown into
the scrap pile, and ii would be unbusiness-
like to spend any more money on this via
duct.
THE facts here intimated force upon your
city administration and upon the railway
companies having tracks in Indianapolis
this very large question. namely: What is
the best thing to be done with reference to
steam railway street crossings in Indianap-
oils? On behalf of all the railway COM
panies interested L authorized to say
to the Indianapolis city government and
do now say that 1t is neither the wish nor
the purpose of any one of these railway
companies TO evade this question or post
pone its answer. 1t is my opinion-in which
the officers of all the above mentioned
companies concur-that the question stated
can be best answered by a commission of
not more than five persons; accordingly 1
suggest that all of the matters involved in
and incident to that question be in due and
explicit form submitted to a commission
of not more than five persons, who shall
devise plan to be carried out by the city
of indianapolis and the railway companies
Trusting that this suggestion will receive
the careful consideration of Mayor Book
walter and his official advisers, 1 re-
main, ETC."
CITY ATTORNEYS LETTER.
Mr.. Joss wrote to Mr.. McCrea as follows:
II have been in receipt of your favor of
the 18th ult. for some time, but other mat
tiers have engrossed my attention.
II note the broad and liberal manner In
which you approach the general question
Will submit your communication to the
mayor, and possible will reply
to your very pertinent suggestion"
The letter of Mr.. McCrea was in the
mayors hands until last Saturday. when
he sent the following letter:
Your favor of Oct. IS. addressed to the
city attorney was submitted by him to me,
and the same has been carefully considered
by myself and my official advisers.
Your very pertinent suggestion, look
Ing toward settlement of the whole mat
ter of grade crossings in the city of Indian
apolis, is accepted the first evidence on
the part Of the railway companies of their
appreciation of the situation and the i'm
mediate necessity for action; and We are
glad to receive your assurances that there
is no desire on the part of the railway COM
panies to evade this question or postpone
it's solution. believing that, in view of the
present complicated condition of the ele-
waited track question, only joint action can
result in material benefit to the city for
years to come.
"In regard to the appointment of COM
mission of five dsinterested citizens of In
dianapolis to determine what is most nee
essary and practicable to secure the protec-
ton of our citizens at these crossings, we
are of opinion that if commission of a
proper character can be secured, while
sion legally binding, its decision will have
great weight in settling this mooted ques-
ton for years to come. In considering the
appointment of this commission; we nave e
membership of five, to include citizens who
represent all phases of the question as we
would like, and therefore ii seems wiser to
us to have commission of seven members.
I'VE hope to hear from you as to the
number and character of the commission
as expeditiousy as possible, and will imme-
diately proceed with the appointment of
the commission upon receipt of your reply.
This is the only correspondence on the
subject, except some letters personal In
their character.
MEETING IN CINCINNATI.
About three weeks ago, at the suggestion
of the mayor, a meeting of the representa-
tives of the systems entering Indianapolis
was held in the office of President ingalls,
at Cincinnati. There were present at this
meeting President NJ. E. Ingalls,, of the
| Big Four; President McCrea, of the Union
Railway Company; President Woodford, OF
the c., III. & D.: Second Vice President
| Wood and Third Vice President Turner, OF
the Pennsylvania: Judge z. c. Field, with
| full power to act for President w. II. Nc
| Doel, of the Monon Volney Il. Malott, re-
ceiver of the Vandalia: John B. Cockrum
| general counsel of the Lake Erie & West
| ern, and the chief engineers and legal rep
4 reSentativeS of the c., II. & D., Pennsyl-
| vania and Big Four roads and Mayor
/ Bookwalter and City Attorney Joss. The
| mayor presented the question of grade
/ crossing relief duty of the railroads
to- Indianapolis. He said he thought the
people had right TO expect relief and that
| The officials said they were ready to meet
with the Board of Public Works or such
| other authority was provided and dis
cusS the question. Mr. Ingalls, said he haC
| personal interest in the question as one
! of the heaviest taxpayers in indianapolis
that the city the most profitable point
on the Big Four system, and that he want
| ed TO 60 all that was reasonable TO provide
| complete safety.
| President McCrea said that he was in full
accord with Mr.. Ingalls,. The others al
| expressed the same sentiment.
WOULD DO ITS DUTY.
The Pennsylvania representatives sale
that while Indianapolis was not the mos
profitable point of the system 1T was on,
of the most profitable, and that the road
was ready TO do its full duty. But withou
making any captious criticism of wha
the city asked the representatives all saiC
that their engineers regarded the plan o
| elava tic, reouired nv he citv ordinance a,