The Washington times., 1903-09-09
Excavations Begun for Vir-
GINA Avenue and Capitol
Hill Tunnels and GradingS
for Additional Tracks.
PREPARING FOR BIG
B. & O. FREIGHT YARDS
Huge Stone Abutments Co
ing Up for Pennsylvania
Elevated Yards-Potomac
Bridge Orders in Place.


tomac bridge were put in place this
morning. About the same time the first
Of the real excavating for the Virginia
Avenue tunnel was begun and the razing
OF the first structure to make way for
the other tunnel, which is 10 run under
Capitol Hill between the Capitol and the
Library, was completed.
The activity is due to the arrival in
the city of all OF the field engineers of
the Pennsylvania and Baltimore and
Ohio, who are TO have charge of the i'm
provements. From now on the work is
to be rushed. and each day the curious
citizen is going TO be able to see the
progress made in a way which is likely
20 impress upon him the magnitude of
the undertakings.
Railroad Engineer Stats.
The last of the engineers TO reach
Washington is c. R. Wird. of the Balti-
more and Ohio. He came in Yesterday.
and he expects to remain here until the
operations have been completed. His ar
rival makes nine engineers the Balti-
more and Ohio has on the ground The
others are: Chief in charge. W. F.
Strouse, Assistants Charles Spencer,
Thomas Strouse, E. J. Chenowith. George
Miller. August Miller, Hall Irving and
Chester Parks The Pennsylvania engi-
neers are: Chief F. J. Stuart. r. Farm
ham, c. X. Allen, Stuart Purcell. S. ].
Brackin. T. F. Roche, p B. Boude. S. D..
Caldwell and H. D. Campbell. In addi-
ton TO the engineers and assistants
there are more than a score of helpers
and clerks
The STATS have been arriving for the
last three days. Many however. have
been in Washington at intervals since
June as business required. Offices have
been established near the more import
ant works, and these, when visited by a
reporter for The Times yesterday. prov
ed TO be busy places. The Pennsylvania
staff is located in New Jersey Avenue in
building which has been reserved from
destruction since spring, and the BaIti-
more and Ohio men are in Delaware
Avenue in a similar structure Both
buildings are old dwellings which ulti-
mately must make way for the tunnels
and union station.
Contracting Companies.
In addition to the railroad companies
some OF the largest contracting COM
panies in the United States are at work
upon the sites and routes, and are mt
ting their engineers on duty. Therefore
it can be said truthfully there are more
engineers engaged in the National Capt.
tai today than at any one time since the
civil war.
The contracting companies which
have begun work are Stewart & VIII
moth, of Westminster. Nd; McMuIIen
& McDermott, of New York: the Hoff-
man Engineering and Contracting Com
pany, of Philadelphia, and Ryan &
Burke, of New York. These firms, OF
course. represent only a small number
Of all TO be engaged on the operations,
when they have progressed further. The
companies at present are simply grad
ing Some are digging deep into the
ground with steam shovels. and small
armies Of men are filling in hollows
Others are building the track beds.
Counting Pennsylvania. Baltimore and
Ohio. and contract gangs, nearly two
thousand laborers and mechanics are
now at work
B. & o. Freight Yard and Viaduct
The engineers of the Baltimore and
Ohio are giving attention principally to
the freight terminals at lexington and
10 the, viaduct, the freight yards being
needed before the union station. The
Pennsylvania men are grading in from
Magruder for the additional tracks, ex-
cavating for the tunnel at Virginia Ave-
rue and New Jersey Avenue. building
the walls for the elevated freight yards
at Four-and-a-haIf Street and Virginia
Avenue, clearing away the houses for
the First Street tunnel and hurrying
ahead the construction of the new
bridge across the Potomac
The contracting companies are at
work on the coal and freight yard for
the Baltimore and Ohio at New York
Avenue and First Street. are cutting
away the hill bounded by NJ and y ana
First and Second Streets for the depot
proper, and are cutting and L Streets
down to the proposed level OF the sta
ton and tracks
In addition. the people 10 whom Auc-
tioneer Radcliffe sold the houses on the
ground condemned for the use Of the
railroads. are tearing down these struc-
lures as fast as possible.
Something Great on Foot.
The result OF all this IS that the ter
ritory in which the operations are going
on Is rapidly assuming a ragged appear
enee Except this. however, nothing yet
suggests the great buildings which are
10 occupy the land. A trip over the
desoIated territory simply indicates that
something great is on foot; that is all
At ouT-and-a-half Street, where the
elevated yards OF the Pennsylvania are
TO be. huge gray stone abutments are
growing up into the air on the four
square block size, which has been pro-
.ected on all sides with a fence about