The semi-weekly messenger., 1905-08-25


Feet Long
The double track on the suburban
line comes nearer and nearer to being
a certainty and it will be definitely de-
cided upon within the next few weeks.
The Consolidated Company has realiz-
ed that the enormous travel over their
line cannot be handled quickly and
safely with single track. Up to this
season the crowd could easily be han
died with car every 80 minutes, but
this year it has required double head
ers during the greater part Of the time.
Estimates have been made showing
what it would cost to double track the
remainder of the line from Front street
to Wrightsville sound. At the present
time there is 2 IL miles of double
track and the distance from the Prin-
cess street junction to WrightsvilIe
sound is 8 1-2 miles and to Lum:na
IL 38-100 miles. The company would
only double track to the sound which
would mean that they would have to
double track miles.
To put dOWl the double track ard
use heavy rails would be very expen-
siye, but the greatest part of the ex-
pense would be the filling in of Brad
ley's Creek The Consolidated Com
pany has decided if they do build The
double track that instead of building
a new trestle across BradIey's Creek,
they will fill in a roadbed wide enough
Tor the double trackage. At a mere
glance one would not think that the
Bradley's Creek trestle is $50 feet long,
but such is the case. The trestle over
Bradley's Creek is from II to Is feet
nigh and it would require a large
amount Of labor to fill in a roadbed
wide enough for a double track. A
space 80 feet wide will be left for the
flow of the tide and thus the ''fill' will
not affect the flowing of the tide above
the railway
If the company decides to build tie
double track, work will be begun at
once and be finished during the winter.
Much of the distance from Wilmington
TO Wrightsville sound is over a perfect
1y level section Of country and the
grading could be done very easily. The
company is at a loss to know which IS
the pest way to enter the city and they
would be governed in this matter by
the aldermen. To have a double, track
to the edge of the city and have to en-
ter the city by means of d single track
road over which city and suburban
cars pass would be great hindrance.
Princess street is rather narrow and it
is considered extremely doubtful about
the aldermen allowing double track
to be put down on the street. Barring
the use of Princess street the Cons n!i
dated would have to turn to use either
Chestnut or Market street for the sub
urban line. Of these streets they would
probably prefer Market, as that street
is one of the widest in Wilmington. If
the aldermen should see fit to grant
permission to put car line on Market
street double track would be
laid along the center of the
plazas as is done in many places
in Washington City where the car
pIaZas. The trees on the plazas would
not be moIested and the track where
it passes along the plazas would be
turfed so that very little of it would
be visible. In case of the cars being
run down Market street the junction
for the suburban cars would be at
Market and Front. There is very litc.e
doubt about the suburban line being
double tracked all the way to the
sound, and as soon as the CONSOLIDATED
Company decides upon this the alder
men may expect to consider the matter
of either allowing the company to put
double track on Princess street or put
down a track on Chestnut or Market
street.
Market street would be used only for
suburban cars.
When the plans of the Consolidated
Company are perfected cars will run
from Wilmington to the hammocks
without having to pass over a trestie:
This will not be done during the lax
year nor possibly within the next few
years, but it is the intention of tie
Consolidated Company to ultimately
fill in a roadbed over Wrightsv'ile
sound and leave spaces 100 feet Wide
at different places for the flowing OF
the tides. The irestle across the sound
is nearly one mile in length and il
would be a matter of enormous ex'
pense to fill in a roadbed, but in time
it would pay for the expense each year
in repairing the trestle is far more thar
one would realize. This expense is no
due to the natural decay Of the tim
bers but in southern waters, that l:
salt water, there is small insect ina
bores into the timbers that are undel
the water and perforates them into, {
perfect honeycomb. This can be pre-
-xroatnI 70 q larrr nix