The St. Louis Republic., 1904-09-01
.AE ST. LOUIS UNION STATION.

-AE ST. LOUIS UNION STATION.
Ten years ago to-day the Union Station was
opened with elaborate ceremonies witnessed by
thousands Of our people. 1t marked an epoch in
the history Of ST. Louis Just the opening of the
Eads bridge did on July f. 1874. Indeed. the two
are, historically financially and commercially, so
closely connected that the reflections which
this beginning Of n decade OF the st. Louis
Union Station carry back to thirty years ago
when the bridge also was opened and dedicated to
the public amidst the boom Of cannon, civic process
sions and acclamatons OF the whole population of
the city welcoming the whistle Of the first locomo-
tive to cross the Mississippi on its own wheels.
The men who courageousy and stubbornly,
against fearful odds and after struggling painfully
for seven years finally turned this magnificent strnc
ture over to the people OF ST. Louis-James i. Eads
Charles X. Dickson. William ". Mcpherson, Gerard
B. Allen. George and John Knapp. Carlos S. Greeley,
John r. Lonberger and others-are lying in their
graves remembered by but few Of the present gen.
Grafton as among the makers Of st. Louis.
Yet these men foresaw what would be the natural
outcome OF their enterprise. Upon examining the
files Of The Republic Of those dates find in the
prospectuses in the reports in the public addresses
to the Chamber Of Commerce and to the City Coun-
c the exact future of the great terminals that
to follow In the wake Of the bridge, outlined as
though with a prophetic spirit With the exception
OF one Of their number-Doctor William Taussig. to
whose lot 1t fell to carry out these aspirations to
their legitimate outcome-none Of them lived to see
the rounding up Of these huge undertakings. from
the opening Of the bridge July 1874 to the open
ing Of the Union Station September i. 1894. II
these two constructive works that transformed St
Louis from provincial town to metropolitan city.
1t is the work OF the twenty years intervening be
tween these two periods that created our magnih-
cent terminals and made St Louis one Of the largest
railroad centers in the country.
Many were the obstacles that had to be met by
those who planned the new station. Some Of the
best-known railroad men pronounced It extravagant
in size. a waste Of money and Of more than double
the capacity needed for St Louis When the plans
submitted to the late Jay Could he stood
aghast at what he called its abnormal size and e1-
pense and denounced and opposed the project He
advocated the retention and reitting Of the old
Twelfth street she'd As he controlled the votes OF
three Of the six directors Of the Terminal Railroad
Association Gfissouri Pacific. Iron Mountain and
Wabash) the project would have failed had It not
been for the courage and uninching convictions Of
Charles Hays then general manager Of the wabash,
who in the face Of the wishes Of his principal stead
lily and consistently supported It. To him and to the
farsghtedness and lberality Of the three other d.
rectors NJ E. ingalls, Of the Big -Four. N. II. Smith
Of the Louisville and Nashville and Barnard Of the
Ohio and Mississippi. St Louis owes debt Of graft
tude which, we believe, is now for the first time
corded. Thus the anomaly was presented that out
Of the six lines which then formed and controlled
the Terminal Association the owners Of the three
Eastern lines favored and those Of three st. Louis
lines opposed an enterprise vital to the In
terests OF st. Louis. We are told that when Mr..
Depew then president Of the New York Central. with
Mr. Vanderbilt. came to st. Louis to examine the
structure a few months before its completion. they
admired 1t very much but thought that 1t was twen
ty years ahead Of its needs Mr. Laying president of
the West Shore and the late Mr.. Blackstone. presi
dent Of the Chicago and Alton expressed the opinion
that the traffic, present and expected, did not war
rant such a huge structure and also stated that it
was a grave mistake to have made It end station
instead Of a through station, like the old one.
These were professional oppositions, but there
were others. Downtown merchants opposed 1t be
It was located too far uptown. and some cti-
interested in property near the old depot used
their influence with members Of the Council agains.
It. The ordinance which was introduced for the
purpose Of enabling the structure to be erected on
the proposed site was hung up in the City Council,
and weeks passed before It was even considered.
Hints of Doodle arose in political quarters but
any such attempt failed before the positive deter
mnation OF the management not to be blackmailed
for the permission to spend millions to benefit the
CITY, With the assistance Of prominent members Of
the Council and that Of the Mayor Of the city. the
ordinance, after q most obstinate fight was finally
passed.
This was In the summer Of 1891, and then the
work Of construction commenced
Do our readers remember what stood on the site
Of present station? On the corner Of Eighteenth
and Market stood the immense winkelmeyer brewery,
with the ne residence Of its owner. Where stood the
deep-vaulted cooling cellars Of the brewery, filled
with hogsheads containing the brown liquid, now in
the east waitng-r room the emigrant takes his rest
and drinks his small glass Of beer. Where hundreds
Of horses were in their stables and the Missouri Rail-
road Company had its vast car sheds and stables,
now the motley crowd Of passengers move about in
the large waiting-rooms Where the Terminal Hotel
stands large nour min was situated Where the
train shed abuts on Clark avenue there stood the
large works and sasometr of ths LAclede Gas Com