The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-02-06
TIME TO CALL A HALT.

Yesterday the board of public works
prevented the Erie from laying double
track across Conkey avenue and in
doing this insisted upon their right to
grant or refuse to grant a railroad
the privilege of crossing the public
thoroughfares
1t was wise action and the board
should receive the commentator of
all of the citizens of Hammond for
their prompt action. If there is any
one thing above all others that the
present city administration should re-
ceive credit for, it is the manner in
which 1t has curbed the aggressiveness
of the railroads which run through
this city.
Hammond has now reached a stage
OF development when 1t is a serious
question as to whether the railroads
should be encouraged to help them
selves to what they want or be re-
stricted in their activities While
many cities are eager for additional
railroads and are willing to grant al
most any concession to secure them,
Hammond already has all it wants of a
good thing and is In position to demand
concessions from the railroads instead.
A study of the map Of Hammond is
enough to convince any man that the
situation now is almost a hopeless one
and to permit the city to be further
minced by tracks would be a great
mistake.
The Michigan Central railroad eff
fectually divides the territory between
it and the river from the territory to
the south. the Monon and Erie rail-
roads Is responsible for the fact that
the southern portion has been rent
asunder.
The Nickel Plate railroad simply
cuts the intervening territory into d
shapeless lot of plats the streets of
which lead nowhere except smack up
against the right Of way Of one rail-
road or another.
On the north side the situation is
even more hopeless. There the rail-
roads have cut the territory into such
unacceptable scraps that the idea OF
plating certain portions of 1t is out OF
the question. There IS the Wabash the
Chicago & Calumet Terminal, the Elgin
Joliet & Eastern, the East Chicago belt
railway and innumerable unnamed
switches and sidetracks that make the
town look as though it was covered
with a spiders web Of steel
These railroads have done much fo1
Hammond so far but they viii not bt
of much use IN the future # its citizens
can't find space enough between the
tracks upon which to build house.
A year or two ago the Michigan
Central was granted the right to build
its yards at Gibson and another grea
barrier was placed to the east of towr
that Will eventually be as much Of al
obstruction as the Erie yards, but mos
people conceded at the time that al
though the city was making a sacri
fee, perhaps it was the best thing 70
all concerned.
When the Chicago, Cincinnati {
Louisville railroad secured its right o
way through the southern portion o
the city just south of the residenc
district, there was a still louder pro
test but again it was thought advis
able to make the sacrifice and tn
franchise was granted.
The time has come however. whe
the people should call a halt and in
stead of having to cross a railroad a
every turn an effort should be mad
to conhne the roads which now ru
through the city within certain limits
Hammond may be a manufacturing
town. but there is no sense in maxim
roundhouses out of school houses, per
hitting trains to screech past the doc
Of every home, or allowing switch en-
gines to back freight cars into on
church yards.