The Washington herald., 1910-04-03

surface and containing the grand wait
ing room. wherein are located the tick
ct offices, baggage checking windows.
telephones and telegraph Offices and
other adjuncts. arranged so convenient
ly that no retracing OF steps is neces-
sary. On the west, adjoining the gen.
eral waiting room, are two subsidiary
waiting rooms, each IS by 100 feet, one
for men and one for women. Each Of
these opens into retiring rooms.
The main baggage room, with $50
feet frontage, is on the same level
This large frontage Is for the transfer
wagons. It is directly beneath the ar
cade and the restaurant spaces on the
level above. Baggage is taken in and
brought out through a special subway
Motor trucks and elevators deliver
trunks to the tracks below. On this
level motor cabs will be stationed.
The concourse, connecting by a wide
thOroughfare with the main waiting
room, is a covered assembling place
200 feet wide and extending the entire
width Of the station and out under the
adjoining streets. The concourse is
the vestibule to the tracks on the third
and lowest level. Stairs descend TO
each of the train platforms There are
also direct approaches TO the concourse
from the two side streets Between
the main concourse and the tracks is
the exit concourse, to be used for
egress purposes only. This is eighteen
feet above the track level, with stair
ways and elevator conveniences. Stair
cases and gradual inclines lead direct
ly TO the side streets.
Into the north side OF the station.
extending along Thirty-third street.
will run trains from all points on Long
Island by way of the East river tun-
nels. This traffic can be handled Inde-
pendently Of the general through traf-
nc and the local traffic from the west
ern approach. The train platforms are
about thirty-six feet below street level.
Terminal Area Twenty eight Acres.
To give some idea as to the magni-
tude of the station and its adjoining
area OF track approaches II may be
stated that twenty-eight acres of land
are included in the scheme, the station
walls themselves inclosing eight acres.
The first stone of the masonry WORK
on the building was laid June IS. 1908,
the task being completed July 81, 1909
The exterior walls, nearly half a mile
altogether, required 490,0 cubic feet
OF pink granite Inside the concourse
$4,000 cubic feet OF stone were used.
This total Of $50, 900 cubic feet of gran
lite required 1,140 freight cars to trans
port 1t from Milford, Mass, where It
was quarried. In the construction OF
the building were used $4,000 tons of
steel. Fifteen million bricks were set
in place. The Roman Doric style of
architecture was employed. The sta
ton covers the entire area bounded by
Seventh and Eighth avenues and Thir-
ty-first and Thirty-third streets. The
building is Of the dimensions of
great exposition palace, being 7S4 by
40 feet. The structure Is described as
really monumental bridge over the
tracks. with entrances on four sides"
CeIonnades on Each Side.
The Seventh avenue facade, compos-
ed principally OF a Roman Doric colon
made, was conceived especially to ex-
press in the largest possible fashion
monumental gateway. It has been COM
pared TO the Brancanhurg gate in Ber-
In. through which passes so much Of
the traffic Of the German capital.
though the New York gateway is much
larger. The main body Of the building
reaches seventy-six feet above street
level There are coionnades along the
Eighth avenue and the Thirty-first and
Thirty-third street facades similar to !