The Washington herald., 1907-10-06
BY FREDERIC j. HAsKIN.

For centuries the world looked upon
Rome as that city where mans genius
and mUnifcence has reached the limit OF
magnifiCcnce I'm buildings for the pleas
ure and convenience Of the people Yet
all OF the gold in the kingdom OF Italy
to-day would not pay for the two new
railway stations In the city Of New York
with their approaches and yards. The
architect has decreed that the exterior
OF the new Manhattan station of the
Pennsylvania Railroad shall initiate the
splendOrs OF an ancient Roman pile, but
the achievement marked by that build
ing Is as far beyond the dreams Of the
architect or engineer Of Rome, as the
Roman acqueducts were beyond the
Britons whom Caesar met
a railway station is clearing house
for humanity. Everybody, almost. soon
er or later takes a railway journey He
must needs board his train and leave his
train at a station. In the country vii
lage where the railroad runs through
the main and only street and the sta
tion is the meeting place, at train time
Of all the village worthless, the problems
presented i'm station building are exceed
ingIy simple A house is built alongside
the track and the thing is done But
when the village grows the problem be
comes more and more complex, and when
II has reached the dignity Of city the
wits Of man and the treasury Of the rail-
roads are heavily taxed 20 solve It,
The Pennsylvania is perhaps the great
est railway system in the world. It's
greatest business comes from New York
City, which # connects with the great
West and South. This particular cor
poratiOn bought a bit Of railroad which
brought it to the Jersey shore Of the
Hudson River in 1871. There it stopped.
as all other railroads had stopped, end
have stopped. New York was the goal
but the great North River rolled between
the railroads and their city. There was
much talk Of a great bridge but the
cost would have been so enormous, and
the difficulties so great, that the rail
roads could not agree on plan of CO.
operation, so the idea fell through.
Then the Pennsylvania decided to go
under the river. It has tunneled under
the North River, under Manhattan ISL
and, under East River, and soon its
trains viii be running under water and
under ground from New Jersey to Long
Island It viii have a great passenger
station in Manhattan, and great freight
terminals on Long Island. 1t will have
the greatest system Of terminals in the
world, and the most expensive. fo- when
the bills are all paid il viii have ex-
pended more than S90.G000O0 on this po-
ject Of getting into New York
The New York Central. which came
down from the North, and has always
had a Manhattan terminal is spend. Ing
over S500O0,000 in the Improvement Of the
Grand Central Station. the enlargement
Of its yards. and the electrifcation of its
suburban service. This work has been
more expensive proportionately than the
Pennsylvania work, because the Cen
trail had TO make its improvements with
out interfering with the operation Of
trains. The Pennsylvania was breaking
new ground and had no traffic burdens
TO bear.
The railroads entering Washington,
with some assistance from Congress. are
completing the new terminals which rep
resent an expenditure of almost $200OO,-
600 10 improve the condition of the pas
senger or box OF freight which IS un-
loaded in the National Capital St Louis,
Philadelphia, Boston, and other Ameri-
can cities already have great stations
and terminals, which represent an invest
ment Of many millions. Yet the financial
question Is not the greatest cOnsidera-
ton to the railroads. The peculiar re-
Guirements Of the traffic at each partic-