Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-06-29
CANNOT use STATION
Terminal Will Not Be Ready
for Inauguration.
COL, BIDDLE'S VIEWS
TENTATIVE PLANS FOB NEW
UNION DEPOT.
So Much Work Required as to Render
Completion by March 4
Impossible.

Impossible.
'It Is q physical impossibility to get the
new terminal station into such shape as to
make it's use at the inauguration OF the
President next March the most remote prob
ability" This statement was made to re-
porter for The Star this afternoon by As
sistant Engineer w, F. Strouse of the Bal
timore and Ohio. who 10 in charge OF the
work of construction for the railroad COM
pany. TT is also utterly impossible to give
anything like a definite estimate as to the
time when the station can be used for pas
sengers," he said.
The work is such a gigantic one and Of
such great proportions that. according to
the construction engineer the people OF
Washington have no conception of its mag
nitude. The work is, according to these
same officials, being pushed as rapidly as it
is possible to do work Of this kind
1t is also apparent that the District au-
thorities have relinquished the hope that
the new terminal will be used by the fnau-
guration visitors. In support of the proba-
blity Of these surmises is a statement made
today by Col. John Biddle. Engineer Com
missioner, in letter to Mr.. StrOuse.
Col. Biddle mentions that according to
the tentative plans of operations to be con-
Quoted by tine District in connection with
the union station project, only about twen-
ty per cent of the work will have been fin
ished by January /. 1905. These plans, how
ever, as stated, are only tentative, but in
view of the amount Of work to be done. as
outlined by the Engineer Commissioner. 1t
does not seem probable that the Districts
part Of the work can be completed any
more rapidly than is now anticipated Ar
ter the LIST Of January the District alone
will have four-f1fths of the work under Its
contract to complete.
Another circumstance which inclines Of
ficials and citizens to the belief that the
station will not be ready for even tempo
rary use by March 4, is the fact that yes
year from August 10, 1904, the permit for
work to be done in connection with the
union station by the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad Company.
Views Of Officials.
One official In the engineer department
stated to a reporter of The Star today that
he does not believe the station will be
ready for temporary use by the next inau-
guration date.
Another official of the same department,
whose judgment is entitled to a great deal
Of weight, when asked II he thought the
station could be ready for temporary use
by March 4, 1905, said:
IF the station is ready for even tenn
porary use by the next Inauguration, the
contractors and engineers Will nave accom-
pllshed Herculean task"
Colonel Biddle's letter to Assistant Eng1-
neer Strouse is in reply to a communication
from the latter regarding the filling of the
plaza in front of the station, and suggest
ing that steps be taken at once to provide
for taking care of the dirt from the excava-
lions being made in the yards at lexington
The Tentative Plans.
The Engineer Commissioner outlines the
tentative plans of the Districts operations
In connection with the terminal work as
follows:
'First-Begin filling in Delaware ave-
nue. northeast at point about $50 feet
south of the south line of E street, where
the fill will be about % feet, running to ~
feet of fill at D street. This area, nlled as
wide as present conditions permit. Will
contain about 1900 cubic yards and leaves
D street open at present grade.
"Second-Fill Delaware avenue between
c and D streets. between parking lines, VOL
ume of fill estimated at 1900 cubic yards:
..Third-Fill North Capitol street. be-
tween parking lines, from Massachusetts
avenue to G street, leaving Massachusetts
avenue open. This area contains aooue A''
900 cubic yards.
.Fourth-Fill North Capitol street be-
tween E and streets. leaving both r ana
F. streets open the width of I'LL being De-
tween the center line and east parking line
of North Capitol street. holding toe OF
slope feet from east building line by crib
work II feet high, making volume OF NIL
about Is 900 cubic yards. This plan leaves
35 feet of space untitled on tne west s'oe
for use Of the warehouses abuttlng.
''Fffth-Fill North Capitol street from u
to F. streets between parking lines. leaving
D and E streets open, the Voluhe VI IN
being about 20, 600 cubic yards. The volume
of earth deposited to this point Will amount
to IS coo or $1,000 cubic yards. and az least
two months will be occupied with the
work"
Estimate Of Progress.
Col. Biddle then proceeds to estimate the
nrobahle progress on the project, and re-
fars TO the amount of District work that
will have been accomplished by January j,
as follows:
.The temporary Baltimore and Ohio
tracks will have been by that time Installed
and the present Delaware avenue tracks
through the plaza abandoned. Work can
now he continued to complete the fill on the
north end of Delaware avenue, where we
started which was not completed in NO. 1
Operation because of the track arrange
ments Of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad.
"E street between the temporary tracks
of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad and the
south line of Massachusetts avenue can
then be filled, thus disp osing OF about 1Np,-
600 cubic yards. This will probably bring
ia to the 1st of January, 1905, with 20 per
cent of the work done. when the progress
of the 1st street tunnel work and other gov
erning conditions will be indicative of fu-
ture plans of operation.
Provision for More Space.
'If after the next two months 1t Is found
advisable to acquire more space for dump
ing, E street between New Jersey avenue
and North Capitol street might be included,
economically, inasmuch as it will enable
considerable work to be done on North Cap
itol street and increase the available fill
area by about 10000 cubic yards.
This sequence of operations is as definite
as can be fixed at this time, although 1t must
be understood to be tentative only. it Is
practically certain that as work progresses
circumstances will of necessity require con-
siderable modification in the plans The
Office will insist however, that Massachu-
sets avenue shall remain entirely open I'M
til H street is restored to traffic, and that
the present Baltimore and Ohio tracks adj
jacent to Delaware avenue near q will be
removed from interfering with the progress
Of the fill very soon after the new track Is
established along the new street west of the
terminal limits"
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