The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1912-09-03
THE BLOCKING OF CROSSINGS.

IdE bLOChlNG OE ChOoclNdo.
One of the first things that the
Hammond Chamber OF Commerce
should do this winter is to start
war on the railroads which block
crossings in the business district of
Hammond.
The effect of such an agitation
would be two-fold. 1t would make 1t
apparent to the Erie and Monon rail-
roads that yards inside the city limits
are decidedly Objectionable from the
public point of view and 1t will hast
en- the day when track elevation in
Hammond will be fact.
There is hardly day when long
Erie drag does not hold up $50 to 200
people, eight or ten automobiles. Ave
or six wagons and a street car or two.
And these blockades are common.
They occur at all times of the day.
They are made more aggravating by
the fact that the lack of switch ten
der delays the entrance to the yards
and the proximity of the yards to the
Michigan Cenral crossing results in
block" delays.
Time and again an Erie train will
pull up over the State street and Hob
man street crossings only to find that
it is impossible to cross the Michigan
Central and Indiana Harbor belt
railroad tracks.
1t Is true that the railroad train
men are more careful than they were
about blocking the crossings. They
cut their trains at the crossings more
than they did and they avoid as much
delay as possible.
But the layout Is wrong. The
Erie and Monon yards have no place
in the heart of a large and growing
city. So long as those yards remain
where they are just SO long will there
be trouble.
Just as certainly as fate the block
ing of these crossings is going to lead
to a strenuous agitation before the
Legislature in favor of track elevation
in Hammond
Looking at the matter from the
point of view of the growth of the
city. In five years State street will
have far out-distanced Holman street
as a business thoroughfare and Calu-
met avenue will have developed into
an important business district.
| Now unless track elevation comes
so that intercommunication between
the Holman street and State street is
J possible and easy it is possible that
/, the present bushes center may sink
| into insignificance and that State
lstreet and Calumet avenue will be in
the ascendency.
| Holman street is now laboring un-
der the tremendous disadvantage OF
having most Of its property held in
estates and under circumstances
which make it's Improvement highly
improbable.
For instances the Holman estate
will not rebuild the southwest corner
of Holman and State streets for ten
years, If at all. The Hammond estate
can not improve the old Heint7
corner until the leases expire five
Years hence. The Rimbach property
will not be improved for years tt
come The Kleigehe estate will prob
lably not rebuild in years. No i'm
Iprovements will be put on the K. II
Bell property during his life.
\ And so five or ten years from now
Holman street will have much the
lsame appearance that it has now. AT
analysis of the situation indicate.
that there will be but little change
i And what has this got to do will
track elevation. 1t simply means tina
If track elevation does not come tina
] Holman street will be cut off from
the live end of the business district
1t may continue as the location TO
!; banks. real estate offices and offic,
Z buildings. But the live part of th,
town will lie east of the Monon, Fri
J and Nickle Plate tracks. The newt
able trend is in that direction