Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-04-09
DELAYED FIVE YEARS
South Washington Waiting for
a Railway Station.
COMMISSIONERS BLAMED
Mr.. Carlin Says They Selected Site
on Government Land.
ACTION BY CONGRESS NEEDED
Apparent Local Indifference to the
Convenience of Commuters From
Adjacent Places in Virginia.

. Where is the railway station for South
Washington that was provided for in the
! Union station act of 1903? Why hasn't the
site been selected. and why. after five
| long years isn't some effort being made
! by the proper authorities to secure the
| immediate construction of this station? :?
/ Why have the District Commissioners rec
ommended that the station be construct
| ed on government land valued at nearly
| 800. 900. located on 14th street where
passengers coming into South Washing
ton would have poor street railway ia
| cilties. when the citizens of Washington
want to see the station erected at 1th
street and Maryland avenue. on land now
owned by the railroads. where the street
railway facilities would be of the best?
These are n few of the questions that
Senator Martin and Representative Carlin
| of Virginia are seeking to have answered.
AS yet. according to Mr.. Carlin. they have
sought in vain. Both of these members
of Congress ire determined to make a
| fight for the location of the station on the
7th street and Maryland avenue site. The
/ Virginia patrons of the railroads entering
Washington regard the proposed 14th
street locati about as inconvenlent
as could we'll be selected. The Virginia
commuters have appealed TO Senator Mar
tin and Representative Cari1n ana a1ter
an investigation of the facts in the case
and an inspection of all the proposed sites
they are understood to be agreed that the
7ta street location. aside from the fact
that the railroad owns the land, is essen
tial in reaching the heart of the city
promptly and without the payment OF tWo
fares
Apparent Indifference.
penresentat;ye Car.in this morning dis
cussed the matter at some length with
Star reporter.
he
The people of Washington have apparently
been so Indifferent to the fact that Con-
gross in the act of 1893. provided that
Wa ashington should not only have one
large handsome and modern union rail-
way station. but should also have rail-
wav station i'm the southern par OF the
citv somewhere north o. the Long bridge
The Commissioners are authorized 10 ue
termine the location of this station. ana
despite the fact that Congress appropr1-
ated as a contribution 10 the proposed
railway improvement the sum o l:oU'-
UW. and provided that the work should DE
completed by February. 1905. nothing has
been done toward the construction OF the
station north of the bridge.
Recently when the question OF Turn
:ng over to the railroad company TINS 81 :
5O9.GD was being considered by the COM
missioners il was learned that the rea-
son for the delay in beginning construc-
ton OF the station north of the bridge was
due. 10 the fact that the Commissioners
rad selected as site for the station
piece Of property belong ng to the Cnlted
States government and that Congress was
to be asked by the railroad company TO
make the urther donation of this particu-
lar site.
1t was argued before the Commission
ers that Congress might never make the
dona ton and as consequence the arbi-
trary act of the Commissioners In select
ing the site in question might forever pre-
vent the building of the additional station
Stipulation of Railway Act.
THE act of 1903 solemny determined
that the city of Washington should have
two railroad stations. but, despite this
and the fact that five years have elapsed
since the passage of this act, Washington
has only one station-even that not com
pleted-and no immediate prospect of the
other.
"A bill was introduced by me a the
very beginning OF the session requiring
the construction and completion of the
South Washington station within six
months from the passage of the measure
At the same time | also introduced a
resolution requesting the District Com
missioners to inform Congress why this
station had not been erected. The Com
miSsioners replied, in effect. that the sta
ton would he erected in the near future
But they did not disclose the fact that
the site selected was government prop
erty. and that delay was due to the fail
ure OF Congress To make this additional
contribution of land.
Il understand that plans have been ap-
proved for station TO cost $SU.WU. Wash
ington is entitled to this station and the
whole southern travel that comes into
and goes out of Washington could be ac-
commoda.ed thereby. There is no reason
why the Commissioners should recon-
| mend the erection of the station on a
site owned by the government, as at eth
street and Maryland avenue-the south
east corner-there is a splendid site for
the station on railroad-owned land. which
| is Immediately upon the Ith street car
line where passengers could easily be
distributed to any part Of the city.
THE site selected by the Commissioners
| at tha foot of 18th street has no street
car service except the Mount Vernon
! railroad car line which has twenty
minute service and which does not trans
! fer To the intersectiTS linz at the avenue.
! This site proposed by the Commissioners Is
! the mos, inconvenient. by reason of this
| lack Of street car facilities. that could be
| selected
| The citizens Of South Washington OBJ
! jected to the proposed site at Sth street
! because that also contemplated the taking
| OF government property. The citizens of
South Washington have assured me.
| through the president of their association.
| MIR. Johnson. that they would be- very
! glad TO have a station erected on the
! companEs property near the Ith street
! line. Senator Martin and ! recently in
| spected the various sites proposed and
J determined to prevent the erection of the
station at 1ith street II possible and to
/ compel its immediate erection at 7th
street if ii is in our power to"bring this
! about.
Rests With CommissionerS-
| The Commissioners have the power 10
Immediately secure this additional station
| for the people of Washington and the
| people of the south who come to Wash
| ington simply by changing their opinion
/ as to the 14th street location and direct
| ing the railroad authOritipS n construct