Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-06-24
NEW UNION STATION
Engineering Features of Both
Sites Set Forth.
CAPTAIN NEWCOMER
HIS REPORT SUBMITTED TO
CHAIRMAN BABcocK TODAY.
Relative Merits of Massachusetts, Av-
enue and Street Locations
Set Forth.
CAPTAIN NEWCOMER

features of both the Massachusetts, avenue
and street sites for the union station was
submitted to Chairman Babcock today by
Acting Engineer Commissioner Newcomer.
This report will be submitted to the COM
mittee at its meeting Thursday. together
with the redrafted bill. 1t is expected that
final committee action will be taken on the
measure at that time.
Captain Newcomer says:
In response to your request / have the
honor to submit for the information of the
committee the following statement concern
ing the proposed alternative locations for
the union station on Massachusetts avenue
and on c street:
The location on Massachusetts, avenue
necessarily involves heavy fills, with result
ing damages to private property, around the
front of the terminal station. as well as
changes of grade at all streets passing un-
der the viaduct. The estimated cost of
grading and repaving the streets affected
amounts to about SJO0.00O, of which about
100000 would be required at III street and
to the northward thereof. and about $4,000
for the streets leading to the front of the
station. The damages to private property
resulting from these changes of grade are
roughly estimated at about 100000. The
estimated cost of necessary land to form
the proposed plaza and additional streets
leading thereto has been reported as about
10000, but later revised estimates make
this about $4,000. If the plaza is omit.
ted the cost of changes required is esti.
mated to be about 81 900 900
The necessity for these changes of grade
arises from the nature of the site. The
high ground beyond Florida avenue. over
which the railroads must pass, prevents
lowering their grade sufficiently within the
city to allow the streets to be carried over
them, unless the streets are raised to a
very Objectionable extent. On the other
hand, to bring the railroads over the streets
without unduly depressing the latter, the
railroads must be placed on a viaduct
which must terminate in hill. either nat
ural or artificial, under which the southern
tracks can enter the station. These tracks
are twenty feet lower than the others at
the line of humping blocks in the proposed
station. and climb steadily from this point
until they reach the same level at X street.
They are still about ten feet lower at II
street At this point, therefore, the grade
of the street must be fixed with reference
to the lower tracks, if the street is carried
under, and with reference to the upper, if
1t Is carried over. The difference of grade
between street and railroad must be at
least seventeen feet when the street is car
ried under, or twenty feet when over to
provide necessary head room for vehicles
or cars in the two cases, respectively At
H street, therefore, the street grade must
be either seventeen feet below the south
ern tracks or thirty feet above them in order
to clear the other tracks. To change the
street from underneath to overhead would
therefore, raise it at least forty-seven feet
the tracks remaining fixed. The streets
from H to Florida avenue have Slready
been lowered in the proposed plan as much
as Is admissible, and to improve their situ-
alton the railroad tracks should be raised
but. on the other hand this would increase
the fills and resulting expense at the plaza
To lower the plaza as far as maximum
railroad gradients would permit and carry
the streets overhead would hurt these
streets more than would be offset by the
gain at the plaza. 1t is believed that in the
proposed plan the mutually incompatible
interests of the plaza and the streets to the
northward are compromised in the most
satisfactory manner possible for this site.
The C Street Site.
Turning to the street site, it is found
to be almost ideally adapted to a salts
factory solution of the question of grades
Here the terminal station would end in
natural NIL, requiring comparatively slight
If any, changes of grade in it's front The
elevation of the tracks at the humping
blocks would be higher than at the of her
site, thus permitting them 10 be carr ID
northward in such manner as to pass all
streets under them without any changes
except minor ones possibly at NJ street and
Florida avenue, whose cost is estimated
not to exceed $4,000. We have here a NAT
ural Typographical situation that must be
arti1cially created at the other site at an
expense of about 100000, emitting for
the present the plaza feature which ;S
not involved in the question of grades but
is an entirely distinct proposition. to be
judged wholly on its own merits 1t should
be noted, however. that c street is about
twenty feet lower at North CaDitoI street
than it is at LIST street east and while M
change of grade along street was nro-
posed in connection with the comparatiyeiv
small station building of the Baltimore
and Ohio railroad. planned under the law
of February II, 1901, and, while 1t is prac-
ucable and possibly preferable to avoid
such change if the union station is located
here, yet 1t may be found advisable TO
change the grade of and its intersectinr
streets in order to better accommodates The
much larger building planned for the union
station The expense of this change. if
maze, would not exceed about $4,000 In
view of the increased length and height of
the Viaduct for the street site IL is nrob
able that the total cost to the railroad
would not be reduced on account of better
natural foundations for the station building.
While 1t is shown above that the Massa-
chusettS avenue site involves a very CON-
siderable expenditure that would almost
wholly be avoided at the c street site, 1t
should be noted that the location now
chosen will doubtless be a permanent one
and In question of such great Importance
affecting generations to come, the matter
OF expense. at least to the extent involved
In this case, should not be allowed to weigh
unless other considerations fail to indicate
pronounced superiority for one of the
sites. 1t will place the matter in truer
perspective to think of the situation as 1t
will appear say twenty-five years from
now.
Omitting the consideration of cost. IN.
Guiding the veXatious question of damages
and the difficulties attending the execution
Of the work at the Massachusetts, avenue
site, the relative merits of the two sites
may be briefly summarized as follows:
Relative Merits of the Two Sites.
The c street site is nearer Pennsylvania
avenue, which is the principal thorough
fare of the city. 1t is directly on the line
of the principal street railways, which
would have to make more or less inconven-
lent detours to reach the other site. The
closer proximity to the Capitol may appeal
to some as desirable in view of the monu-
mental character of the proposed station
building, and on account of the greater mt
preston to be thus made on the countless
visitors who enter the city through this
gateway; while to others 1t may appear
Objectionable as introducing an element
not worthy of being placed in such near
relation to the national Capitol The plaza
feature may be introduced here by the puT.
chase Of the two squares lying between IL
and c, North Capitol and LIST streets at
an estimated cost of about $4,000.