The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-06-17
tho situation, to which attention is in
vited.
Advantages Which Would Be
Afforded

vited.
Advantages Which Would BE
Afforded
The advantages that might be ar
forded are those resulting first from
passenger operations. second from freight
operations Before considering however.
what such advantages might be. and
what new construction. il any. would be
necessary in order To bring into better
use such advantages as already exist.
II is proper TO review the topography of
RICHMOND IN order To see what is
prac,lcal ana what may not be so.
Typographical Features.
Richmond proper is exceedingly
unfortunately situated from the point OF
view OF the transportation operator.
Those very features which give rise to its
great natural beauty and sanitary ser
Vice. from their nature create obstacles
To transportation operations. Thus on
one side. there Is Il great river. frequently
changing into raging torrent, at many
places half-inilc vide. and in some
places with low-lyng lands for banks
while In others there are prccipitous
bluffs. Next, there is high ridge from
80 feet 10 200 feet above The river
which. starting from Fulton Hill and
extending wcstwardly. reaches TO great
distance beyond the western city limits
bottom by creeks whose valleys form ii
wide cNpanSe between tho hills In going
from the river 10 the crest Of the ridge.
distance ~ the ship locks OF only 500
yards, as much elevation has TO be over
come ~ there is between the ocean n,
Cape Henry aud thi. same point. a dis
tance Of about 100 miles
II IS truc that advantage has been
taken by the Southern railway to run its
t,ta - 49,
and thus get upon the back bone divide
between the Chlckahominy and the
James river by means Of a fairly good
trade, Will" the Chesapeake and ohio
railway utilities another valley 10 get upon
the backbone ~ the same divide but ~ a
grade which forms a serious handicap.
The Scaboard Air Line also uses another
valley To get up from the river level n,
tidewater to the great peatcaus AT tho
present head or Broad street. Notwith-
standing the fact that some use has been
made Of these valleys, yet IL remains
trUe today that there IS no single street
either in north ana south direction or in
AN east and west direction. that is fitted
by nature As great highwat with grade
small enough 10 be Sufficient for great
transportation purposes. II follows from
the above that the final location Of great
terminals should be selected with tho
all the requirements both OF the present
ami ~ the probable future
Advantages Derived from Passenger
transportation.
All are agreed that the best results
nb'ainahc from passenger transpor,a>
ton is had, when tho facili,ie, and
methods OF q union passenger station can
be procured and adopted Therefore. If a
ST" satisfactory 10 all parties can bc OBJ
tanned for union passenger station. the
utilization Of that Site and that method
Will solve this problem
1T is not necessary perhaps. to re-
peat To You. The requisites which such a
site should possess bu, i, is wcll 10 bear
them in mind - see if the site proposed
nlfills these requirement.,
These are a. lol.owSt
Requisites for Union Passenger
Station.
First Requisite: IN easy acccssto
and csres> from the proposed site hy AN
the railroads i'll all directions
Second Requisite: \ free. easy and
unrestricted access 10 the site from all di-
rectuns for foot and vehicle borne pas
ScnscrS
Third Requisite: Plenty Of standing
room around the station for carriages
automobiles. baggage wagons etc
Fourth Requisite: Proximity to the
street car llncs railnting throughout the
city or TO a. many ~ them a. possible
Fifth Requisite: Capability for fu-
turc expansion that is. the land in the
immediate neiehborhood should not be
80 hgh-priced but that if il were desired
TO secure more room, such land as was
necessary could be obtained without hay-
Ing To pay eyhortant prices for il.
Sixth Requisite: y location as near
the center of the city As practical.
Site Proposed.
There is one site and but one site
which, owing 10 the peculiar topographic
cal features OF Richmond. fulfills all
these conditions, and that is, the site
as present occupied as a passenger station
10y the Chesapeake and Ohio and Sea-
board Air Line railroads. viz. Seventeenth
and Main streets.
Fulfiment of Requisites.
1t IS proper at this point to make ex-
animation into the particulars OF the
various requisites to see 10 what extent
this site fulfiS the above mentioned re-
quiremcnts The first one is that OF 'ac-
cess To and egrcsS from IL by the various
railroads AS the Chesapeake and Ohio
and Scaboard Air Line railroad, now
makes use of il. only the routes to the
from the other roads need discussion.
Taking them in their order. and be-
ginning AT the north and going around
the circle from left to right. i. e.. clock
wise, tho first road is the Richmond
Fredericksburg and Potomac. AS this
road is already connected with tile Sea
board Air Line tracks AT .,0ra. all it
would have To do would be To use the
Scaboard Air Line rails from this con
nection to the station. This would be
for a distance Of about four miles and
on down grade of $50 as a maximum.
OF course TO get out, all il would have TO
do would be To reverse.
The next road is the Southern, as it
comes in from West Point The South
crn connects with the Chesapeake and
Ohio line through its tunnel along the
edge OF ChimboraZo hill. Therefore all
the Southern would have to do. would
be to run up this connection which is
now | 1aGo grade, (but easily reducible