Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-12
BOULEVARD INSPECTED.
Tour of Highway Commission Over
Proposed Highway Route.

+ HiATTSVILLE. May 12.-Dr. Ira Rem
sen. president of the Johns Hopkins Uni
versity, Baltimore; Capt. Richard w. Sill
vester. president of the Maryland Agricul-
tural College, two members of the state
highway commission, and Mr. W. w.
Crosby. chief engineer. made an inspec-
ton of the Westinghouse Baltimore boule-
ward yesterday. concluding their tour at
Hyattsville, where they met large dele
cation of citizens from Bladensburg. Riv-
erdale and Hyattsville and discussed de-
tails of the completion of the boulevard
between Hyattsville and Washington.
The party came over the route from
Baltimore in large automobile and were
entertained at luncheon by President Sill
tons Of the completed sections of the bou-
levard in need of repairs especially that
section running from Johnson avenue,
Hyattsville. to the northern boundary line
of the corporation. There were several
bad depreSsionS in this section, which will
be repaired Immediately.
When the party reached Hyattsvilla
they were met by Mayor Owens, several
members of the town council. Town Com
missioner Marion Duckett of Bladensburg
and large number of other citizens,
Upon the invitation of Harry w. Shep-
herd, cashier of the First National Bank
of Hyattsville, the crowd adjourned to the
bank building, where Mayor Owens in
troduced the citizens and opened the
meeting. The mayor spoke in favor of
continuing the boulevard on the line of
the old turnpike through Hyattsville and
Bladensburg. He spoke of the great ex-
pense incident to the extension of the
boulevard from Johnson avenue south
ward to the District Of Columbia line. to
the west of and paralleling the City and
Suburban Electric railway. He contend
ed that much valuable property in Hy-
attsville would have to be condemned and
that the cost of the necessary right of
way and the building of a bridge over the
northwest branch and the construction of
a long causeYay would far exceed the to-
tai amount or money appropriated by the
legislature for continuing the work
Town Commissioner Duckett of Bla-
densburg declared that most of the truck
erS in this section were compelled to use
the present turnpike through Bladens-
burg. He submitted that it would take
at least 100000 to get through Hyatts-
vile by the electric railway route, and
also referred to the cost of the necessary
bridge work. He also commended that the
railway bridge at lexington would be a
serious obstacle to any finely constructed
boulevard, assuming, of course, that
Rhode Island avenue would be the contin-
uation of the boulevard into Washington
He declared that the boulevard over the
old turnpike would lead directly to the
capital of the country via Maryland ave.
nue.. while the other route would termi-
nate In a less desirable section of Wash
ington.
Town Councilman William A. Brooks
William P. Magruder and Joseph A.
Mudd, Clerk of the County Circuit Court
B. D. Stephen. F. A Tillman, Francis S.
Carmody and DR.. Charles w Birdsall all
favored the old turnpike route. Capt
Wallace A. Bartlett of Brentwood spoke
in favor of the route along the electric
railway. He declared this route to be the
most direct to Washington. and would
serve a greater incentive to the mate
rial advancement of the property lying
contiguous to the District of Columbia
than would the boulevard constructed
over the old turnpike.
Mr. Charles Benedict Calvert stated that
he was present in the interest of large
property owners near the District of Co
lumbia line and that, in his opinion the
electric railway route would be much
more beneficial in the future than would
the boulevard over the old turnpike
The commission listened attentively to
the arguments. but gave no intimation of
what action would be taken
The only reason assigned by officials of
the highway commission for constructing
the boulevard from HyattsvAe to WASH
ington over another route than the pres
ent turnpike was to escape the necessity
for using the present railway crossing at
Johnson and Maryland avenues in Hyatts-
Vile