The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1908-08-21

of all the terminals In the United
States have been looked over In de.
TAIL ana their capacity multiplied up.
on. There will be mems attendants,
women's maids, mems baths, wo.
mems baths, and every imaginable
feature that viii add to the comfort
of Northwestern patrons.
The entire structure Is absolutely
fire-proof. All floors will be of mar.
BILE or of marble tile the interior finish
Of waiting rooms and Hobbies will be
OF marble and the exterior OF the
building will be of light gray gran.
tie.
The Train SheS.
One OF the most impol iant features,
from an architects point of view, is
the treatment OF the train shed. This
structure will he $40 feet long, ex.
tending over three city squares, but
1t will not have the usual long black
eXpanse of sooty roof that offonds
the eye.
On the contrary, the facade run.
ming north and south along Canal
street and Clinton street will be n
| finished and artistic curtain wall of
brick and granite, rorty-eight feet
high, and including in its length the
fine portal of the Washington street
subway. The train shed roof will not
be visible. The sixteen long tracks
which will occupy the shed will be
covered by what is known as the Bush
roof" in which the graceful curve
of the roof over each pair of tracks is
| broken by a concrete slot or duct
running the length of each track and
so placed that the locomotive fun
mel will discharge through 1t into the
open air. The roof will be of con.
crete, covered with water proofing ma.
terial. Skylights VIII be of wire
glass and sufficient in extent to light
every part of the train shed In this,
as in track elevation and various
other transportation improvements,
the Northwestern has taken the lead
and acted in its we'll known capacity
as the pioneer line.
Nothing of the kind has ever be-
fore been tried in Chicago, and it is
said to be marked Improvement in
| TIL obstruction of railway terminals.
The train shed concourse has also
received in the architects plans a
treatment far superior to that usually
seen. Instead of being an open
space, fenced off from the train shed
proper by wire or open work, it Is
as a matter of fact, simply a great
waiting room, completely enclosed in
glass and metal, with a glass and
metal roof, making an airy, bright,
clean room, 31S feet by 60 feet. At
either end of the concourse great stair
ways communicate directly with the
street, and cab stands are reached
| without going through the station.
| There is also a stairway to the street
| floor of the station proper. These
broad stairways between the street
level and The train he'd level of the
terminal are of such extent that
placed side by side they would form
a stairway over 100 feet broad.
The Architectural Effect.
Regarding the exterior of the new
terminal too much cannot be said in
commentator. Messrs. Frost and
Granger, the architects of the La
Sale street station, have had charge
of the design and have visited and
studied the worlds principal railroad
terminals, at London, Liverpool, Paris,
Vienna and Edinburgh, in search for
suggestions that would help make
this new terminal at Chicago the best
that money would build, not only as
to general architectural effect, but
particularly with a view to making 1t
most nearly perfect for the practical
use to which it is to be devoted, viz,
portal of entrance through which
the patrons of the Northwestern may
most expeditiously and comfortably
transact the business of entering or
leaving Chicago. And, in this con-
nection, it should be borne in mind
the entire structure is devoted to this
one business. 1t is not an office build
ing nor a railroad headquarters; but
it is, on the contrary, to be devoted
wholly to the uses or the public.
1t will, with one exception, be the
largest railway terminal in the United
States, and will involve and estimated
expenditure of $20,O00,000 Many
plans have been investigated, 7tudied,
exhausted and discarded, but when
completed, this may be said to be an
improvement upon anything ever built
by any railway.
More than 500 trains aday now use
the Wells street station for arrival
and departure, and in order that the
natural increase in this number may
be provided for, the train capacity
of the new terminal will be five or
six times that of the present station
Railroad Notes.
Bonesteel News: The officials of the
Northwestern were in Bonesteel snd
completed the contract with the city
g. 4, . III l.