The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-06-18
UNION STATION IS !:
/ UNDESIRABLE, SAYS
| PRESIDENT WHITE
EVery Few Other Cities in this
OF Other Countries
Have One
1T MEANS HARDSHIPS
FOR CITY MERCHANTS
Consuling Engineer Scarbor-
ough Reports on lnadvisi-
bility Of Main Street
Location


Il That \ union station for all roads
|hntnr1uk and passing through IL pos
|loenpod by but few o4tiss: that union
| aseeton Ia Of benefit only to through
trnfno and not to tho Inhabitants OF
the city where located. and that II the
| people Of Richmond are determined
to have q union station In spite OF
these things the West End 10 the most
| convenient and most central place for
| III establishment are tho chief fea-
| tugee OF q StAtomcnt to the puohc
|imade through the Virginian this
||mornang by President White. OF the
/ Richmond. Fredericksburg and Poto'
mac
Accompan yfng President Whites
statement In q list OF the large cities
OF the country having no union station
and q report from Consulting En-
xinser y. w. Scarborough.
Complca Question.
/, President White declares in open
ing that the question Ia complex
one "involving large financial con-
siderations. perplexing engineering
problems. existing contract obligations
on the part OF the city and some OF
the railroads: the convenience or
lsrre number of cisizens--woTnen md
children as well as men and
merchants" and above all tho prob
.lam, Involves a thoughtful vision Of
the future growth and development
Of Richmond
Speaking OF the practice and ex-
perience OF other cities, President
White says;
Taxing counsel of the experience
OF other cities OF the United States
having a population OF 100000 and
over, we find that there are but ten
that have unicn station serving all
the roads entering these cities They
.nre Albany. Columbus. Dayton Dem
yer. Indianapolis. 81. Louis. st. Paul.
Toledo. washington and Worcester
The others, such az New York. Chi
ca4c. Boston. Cleveland. Cincinnati,
Detroit. Memphis. Louisville. Charles
ton, Mobile, Ptttsburg. New Orleans,
Birmingham. Atlanta, and others too
numerous to mention. do not have
one. Nost. II net all OF those which
ids have union stations have some
Inpccial conditions or circumstances
(which have logically led 10 the estab-
NShment Of single station: as. for
example. ST. Louis. which Is approach
sad from the east by the only bridge
over the Mississippi river permitted
lily the general government, which Is
owned BY terminal company. which
taisc owns the station to which the
bridge leads. Washington IL another
example. There the general govern
s1nsnt rules. and It ordained that the
only VITO roads entering the city: viz,
tire Pennsylvania and the Ba.t,n orc
and Ohio. should use the site selected
by the government. but II contributed
three millions of dollars to the enter
prtse."
Engineering Problems.
or tho engineering problems in
VOWED and OF the location for a
junior station. If such is to be had.
the statement saws:
ssEor Richmond. with it's peculiar
topography on the north, the precipi-
touD bank of James, and its seven
hills. engineering difficulties have to
Be considered. which. in turn. neces-
,sar1ly include the financial problems.
with the Chesapeake and Ohio and
sths 6eAboard Air Line. and possibly
>thA Southern railway. located at much
soxponse In the eastern part OF the
city. It 10 most naurai that they should
prefer TO remain where they are, but
] am informed that they hive no IA
oilities In excess OF their own needs,
and no room for the other railroads
except Mt an expense almost. If not
k0uIL9, pfOutpIIoTy. III u WOFut those
roads are located where they can best
serve their own needs and those of
the public, whereas the destiny OF the
Atlantic Coast Line and the Rich
t,nond. Fredericksburg and Potomac
railroad is inevitably in the western
part Of the city. the part in which the
center of population already is, and IL
rapidly augmenting. More OF the pop
fulation Of Richmond travel north and
haV tn, nth dSronffnn The
business OF the community determines
this trend OF travel. This is DEM
onstrated by the fact that when, Eliza
station was established on West Broad
street, II was outside Of the city lin
it's and intended as only sub. or
suburban station. with Byrd-Street
station as the main station. Now II
is reversed, and twice az many of our
passengers use Elba station as Byrd
Street station. while the recent com.
pletion OF the viaduct to Church Hill
makes West Broad street highly con-
'venient TO the people OF that part OF
the city"
The directors Of the company. SAYS
Mr.. White. have not passed finally
upon the matter and urges the special
council committee ITO deal with this
subject al patiently, considerably and
with the future In view. as sincerely
as the officials Of the railroads have
and are now doing"
Scarborough's Report.
The report Of Engineer Scarborough
follows:
Richmond, Va, June II, 1919.
Mr.. w. H. white. President.
Richmond. Fredericksburg and Po-
tomac Railroad Company.
Richmond, Va.
Dear Etr.-ffuvfrg- read recent ar
ticles IN the papers In regard to the
new depot location, desire to call
your attention to some facts that pos
sibE you have overlooked.
am certain that the parties adv0-
eating = union station at Fifteenth