Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1908-02-29
A RAILWAY IN THE
NATIONAL CAPITOL
All Underground, But Only for
Members Of the Senate
and House.
From the Washington star.

'Al aboard for the Senate limited!
This way for the House accommods-
ton! Step lively, please"
II is two minutes 10 12 o'clock noon
and there is a crowd in the waiting
room underground. The trains of two
cars each. the cars about ten feet long
and without roofs fill rapidly. There
is a sharp Clang OF the bells; more
cries OF AN aboard ring out. the
gates of the cars swing shut, and al
most simultaneously the two electric
trains dash off around the curves OF the
brightly lighted tunnels. A dozen SEN
ators reach the Senate chamber, and
several score representatives reach the
House just half a minute before the
respective gavels of the vice president
and the speaker pound their desks.
II is the midday express OF the Con-
solidated Capitol railroad, which never
sees the light Of day, but whose trains
wind through Capitol hill like moles
scurrying through their holes
IL is the United States governments
first experience in q government owned
and operated railroad.
A Star reporter was conducted
through the tunnels from the capitol 10
the House and Senate office buildings
by a representative OF Superintendent
Elliott Woods, OF the capitol, so that
he could see that everything is ready
10 install the railroad systems. and that
sometL 'ng like the foregoing will be
more man dream in the very near
future Ii lis understood to be part OF
the plan 10 ultimately extend the tun-
mel system across the front of the
capitol beneath the plaza 10 connect
the two office buildings
II is pretty generally conceded that
Mr.. Woods can be elected president OF
tho load if ne wants the job. AS mat
ter of fact, Mr. Woods does want the
job on one condition. He wants TO
be the real president of the road with
the power of employment and dismissal
Of subordinates, and unless he can be
the real thing IL is understood that
he does not want to be anything.
Various plans for making the subway
attractive have been presented TO MT.
Woods who has charge OF the con-
struction, now practically complete, bu.
no sordid details have yet been def
nitely determined one glorious scheme
provides for a sort OF Bishop Potter
tavern as halfway house but
while this is said to have met with all
most universal approval around the
capitol, IL is not apparent that IL viii
be provided
Nice Concrete Promenades.
There are nice concrete promenadgs
from the capitol to the Office buildings.
| They wind gracefully, following the
| curves Of the tunnels, and with the
| brilliant glare OF many electric lights
and "A summer breeze furnished by up
to date methods at all seasons of the
year, they ought 10 be very attractive
for an afternoons stroll Hanging gar
dens, an occasional fountain. and per-
haps some statuary or an appropriate
panorama, are some of the things that
have been suggested to enhance the
natural beauty of the passages.
Whatever may be done 10 the tunnels
no matter whether they are left in
their present condition OF simple
though severe attractiveness or turned
into Arabian Nights corridors-ons
thing is certain which is that they and
the railroad they will contain are likely
to play a prominent part in the nations
al politics OF the future,