Evening star., 1903-10-24
RAILROAD TERMINAL
Construction Causes Great
Changes in Topography.
CLEARING THE GROUND
MAGNITUDE OF TASK CONFRONT
ING THE ENGINEERS
Union Station and Approaches to Be
Ready for Use by March
4, 1905.

The few weeks of preparation for the
work of constructing the great railroad
terminal which is to be completed by March
4. 1905, in this city. have wrought some
wonderful changes in the topography of the
section of the city which will be most af-
fected An earthquake or a cyclone could
rot have created greater havoc with the
buildings along the line of the new viaducts
and tunnels and. but for the presence of
hundreds of busy workmen and putting
steam engines. the appearance of the long
stretch of debris covered territory would
lead the visitor to believe that some great
natural convulsion was responsible for the
conditions that exist.
Out Of the chaos that now reigns order
will be brought within the space of a very
few months. however, and stone by stone
the handsome railroad station and its ap-
proaches will be bulded, fast man
and machinery can build them.
The magnitude of the task before the
engineers who will suIerintend the work
can hardly appeal to persons unfamiliar
with the aspect of the section in which the
improvements will be made, unless they
look at the conditions that exist now and
then turn to the map that shows what it
is proposed to do. Street after street is to
be depressed, the grade changed and the
roadway sent unL~r the railroad tracks
Thousands of fee, tunnel are to be eX-
cavated and acres of houses are to be
cleared away. All the way from the Long
bridge on the west and the Eastern branch
on the east along tie line of the present
tracks of the Pennsylvania railroad to a
point opposite 1st street east and north
from the Capitol grounds all the way to
Langdon. Md, the face of the country is
to be changed. Millions of square feet of
earth must be cared away. High hills
must be leveled and deep depressons filed
The tunnel by means of which the trains
from the south will enter the new Union
station will run beneath the Capitol
grounds. And all this work is to be fin
ished and trains are to be running into the
new station on Idarch 4, 1893
The Work Begun.
Work has been commenced over all sec
tions of the line at once Five hundred men
are at work on the line north of the Capt.
tol building and as many more are laboring
to the south. Out beyond the city limits
steam shovels, with a capacity of 100
square yards Of earth per day, are re-
moving the hills. and south of the Capitol
building, on Virginia avenue southeast
huge engines are beirg 1T in place which
will force a hole : trough the eaSth beneath
Capitol hill by means of pneumatic power.
The work of preparation. which is the
hardest part of he task. is progre ssing
rapidly. In a few weeks the actual work
OF construction will commence.
The centerS of activity in the city at
present are at the Intersection of 1st street,
Delaware avenue and New Jersey avenue
with Virginia avenue, and around the site
of the Union station near the intersections
Of 1St street, Massachusetts avenue. L and
F streets and Delaware avenue. The sta
ton and its train sheds will extend from
about E street to H street. a stretch OF
over 900 feet. On each side will be high
stone walls to support the railroad tracks
Part of the stone for these walls is now
on the ground near the place where the
work will begin
The contractors at this particular SPOT
err This will be completed within the
course of the next two weeks. it is believed
and then the construction of the walls to
support the viaduct will begin.
When the work of clearing the site was
commenced it was found that a sewer
passed almost directly beneath the site of
the new station. 1t was not considered de-
sirable to build over the sewer so a new
section built around the station site
and this is almost completed. there being
only a few yards more of the sewer to be
constructed. The progress on this section
has been remarkably rapid and the men
employed in the building have accomplished
a great deal Five steam derricks have ar
rived on the scene and will be placed in po-
sition as soon the remainder of tie equip
ment for them arrives.
Progress on the Tunnel.
The work of digging the tunnel on the
south of the Capitol has been progressing
rapidly. Four huge boilers have been set
in place and four more are on the ground
csiy to be placed to begin the work of
forcing the air into the machinery which
viii make the tunnel. These boilers have tai
stacks and have been set in brick founda-
tion constructed especially fer them
steam shovel has been employed for several
weeks cutting away the earth from the
entrance to the tunnel and preparing for
the underground portion of the trackage,
which will run east to the present navy
yard tunnel of the Pennsylvania railroad
A network of railroad tracks covers the
ground where the tunnel is being construct
ed the tracks having been constructed by
the contractors to bring in trains to remove
the dirt. The engine attached to one of
these trains ran off the track yesterday
morning. and delayed work until 1t could
be restored to its place. The trains are
brought in from the main track of the
PENNSYLVANIA railroad. and the earth is car
ried out by them In a very rapid manner
The streets leading to the scene of these
operations have all been closed and Il high
fence surrounds the place where the work
is going on. Grouped about the site of the
tunnel are numerous temporary board
structures erected by the contractors for
Offices machine shops. etc. The stone for
the yiaduct and tunnel work in the south
ern section of the city is being received and
is being piled up along the places where 1t
is to be used. From ~. to I'd streets west,
a stretch of two long blocks tn, walls for
part of the viaduct have already been erect
ed with wide open spaces between that are
to be filed with earth soon as the proper
time arrives
Just when the actual work of digging the
tunnel will begin nobody connected with
the works can say. but 1t is believed that il
will be started within very short time.
Much of the construction will have to go
over until next spring and summer, as it is
not believed the cold weather is the proper
time to do such work All the excavations