The Washington times., 1903-09-09
SMALL ARMY WORKS
ON LINES AND SITES
FOR UNION STATION

ten feet high. and around the fence are
great piles of all kinds of materials.
Inside. in addition to the abutments.
long brick foundations are being put
down, and gangs of men are digging
deep excavations for other foundations.
II is going 10 be many months before
the work here assumes much shape. The
engineers are of the opinion that more
than two years are going to elapse be-
fore the freight trains OF the keystone
system are resting in the new yards up
in the Washington air. There is nothing
striking or pretty to be seen around the
place now. Only the size OF the
impresses.
From Magruder in to Washington the
men are building the railroad track bed
ding, like that seen from one end of the
country TO the other.
Powerful Steam Shovels.
In Virginia Avenue, from where the
trains are 10 dive under the hill into
the Union Station. large hole has been
excavated, and a small railroad is being
built to haul away the dirt to places
where IT is needed. Not many men are
at work here yet. Engineer Farnham
said today, however. that a powerful
steam shovel is to be engaged on the
work Saturday or Monday. One shovel
is said TO move as much dirt in a day
as a hundred men, so il is certain that
the hole is going to be enlarged rapidly
When it is possible more of the shovels
are TO be put to work.
On the Potomac River bridge. all of
the old stone scows have been fitted
with derricks, and these are being utiI-
lied to get the big Orders on the draw
into place. Of this work. however. not
much can be done until the big derrick
from Richmond is on the river. Gangs
of men are busy on the flats putting
down a temporary railroad, and it is
said that a big freight yard for the
storing of carloads of material is going
to be in working order at this end OF
the bridge in less than two weeks.
Stored on the flats now is nearly all of
the material needed for the preliminary
work on the bridge.
Leveling the Hills.
While the Penns Nvania engineers are
busy on this end of the work, the Bal
I
miles of track in from Langdon to Eek
ington and the Union Station site. A
huge cut has been made into the hills
on the old Patterson estate at Brent
wood. where a steam shovel is digging
UP the gravel as fast as a small railroad
can get it out of the way. At Chicago
Street the excavation for the viaduct
has begun, and another steam shovel
is at work there. 1t is said that five of
these shoyels are to be digging for the
Baltimore and Ohio before the end of
next week.
Another steam shovel is engaged in
! depressing K and L Streets, which are
now being cut down into the hills over
which they formerly passed. Still
another shovel is engaged in cutting
away the high ground between NJ and
n Streets The dirt is carted away on
the railroad and dumped into hollows
along the proposed routes Of the lines
into the city, or 1t is distributed about
the sites Of the structures in the city
in wagons. scores OF the latter being en-
gagged on the work
A Gigantic Task.
One of the Baltimore and Ohio en-
gineers. in speaking of the work to be
done, said yesterday that more than
three million cubic yards of material
would have TO be moved by his line. The
Pennsylvania will have to move more
than this. and the terminal company
must do the same. This gives an idea
OF the gigantic proportions OF the task
-,
It is not going to be necessary, how
ever. to remove all of this before the
building begins. One OF the Baltimore
and Ohio men said that foundations
would go down and walls go up just as
fast as the engineers leveled the ground
They could not get the ground to level.
however, until the old dwellings had
been removed
The delay in the condemnation pro-
ceedings. and the failure Of the District
Commissioners TO Issue the permits for
certain parts OF the work. plans for which
have been in the hands OF the Commits
sioners for weeks, are the causes as
signed by the engineers for the work
not going ahead faster than 1t is. They
say, however, that as they are now on
the ground TO remain matters can be
forced TO an issue with greater faciI-
ity when delay threatens than here
tofore. which means that the construc-
ton from now on is 10 be much more
rapid than in the past, and that in the
next few days there are TO be many
developments.
TROOPS ON WAY EAST
EDnM GAM CDEMNICNn