Evening star., 1913-04-20
yEFEM RAILROADS HELD VASNGSTOyS PARKS AND STREETS

faith of the railroad The concluding
paragraph of the report is that:
1t is stated on apparently good authority
that the Baltimore and Potomac railroad in view
Long bridge which developed in the Senate
District committee, the Commissioners of the
District and in the public press. has Expressed
a willingness to reconstruct the bridge sub
stantially in the manner desired as part OF a a
general improyement OF its washington termlma,
Of the Senate District committee. on the basis
of the roads agreement with him; Is framing a
grade crossings in the city and elevate or de-
press the tracks In crossing the Mall.
In the foregoing is the significant init
nation that Senator Mcmillan had al
ready begun the work of aiding The
vania railroad to realization of it's long
wrongdoing and that the senator was
entering upon that career which. under
the railroad presidency of Mr.. Cassatt.
resulted in correcting all the abuses
from which Washington suffered, and in
restoring harmony and good feeling be-
tween the people of Washington and the
Pennsylvania railroad.
By 1896 the unflinching and unceasing
attacks of The Star, the more and more
inflamed state of the public mind and
the increasing pressure Of public opinion
expressed through citizens associations
in Northeast and Southwest Washington
began to make an impression on the con-
gressional conscience and on the railroad
mana cement. The Board Of Trade report
for that year tells of a conference with
the District Commissioners, and con-
tinues:
At the very moment of the conference. how
ever. the chairman of the subcommittee rail-
road fpr Nc intr .3,.sa5
looking TO the depression of the tracks of the
PENNSYLVANIA railroad from the Virginia avenue
Your committee invited to meet the Penn
sylvana railroad officials at their Offices in Phil
terview by remarking that while the Baltimore
and Potomac railroad was very poor corpora
tion. yet the Pennsylvania road was perfectly
willing to aid your committee in accomplishing
the removal Of grade crossings. and for the pur
pose Of arriving at definite conclusion would
have the engineer Of the PENNSYLVANIA road
ted to this committee and TO the District Com
missioners.
In the report of the president of the
Board of Trade for 1899 is this:
The committee on railroads reports assurances
from the District Commissioners that bills Will
be submitted to Congress soon as that body
meets providing for the abolition Of grade
ings and for proper terminal facilities for both
the Baltimore and Ohio and the Baltimore AMI
Potomac roads; that an agreement upon the en-
gineering features of these projects has been
reached by the COMMISSIONERS ana the
officials but that there is yet agreement
to the apportionment Of the expense OF the im
provements.
The final agreement of the railroad
companies and government authorities on
the elimination of grade crossings, the
removal of railroad tracks from the Mall,
the building Of bridges in place Of Long
bridge, the elevation of the tracks across
Potomac Park and the construction of
union station of great size and splendor,
oil of which due very largely to the
high public spirit and foresight as to fu-
ture needs. of President Cassatt of the
Pennsylvania railroad is history too re-
cent to require review.