The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-06-20
SENTIMENT FAVOn
|. MAIN STREET S|I
FOR union STATlQ ! /
Great Majority Of Those B.
fore Committee Stand
By Chamber
DUKE SAYS MUST
CONSIDER TRAFFIC
Travellers AS Well AS MeT.
chants Interested, He Says.
B1rgwyn Answers Argu-
ment of Scarborough

Sentiment, as expressed last night
before the meeting of the councN
committee on a union station ana IN
terested business and civic organi1a-
tions. was almost entirely in favor
Of the site on Main street, between
Fifteenth and Seventeenth, running
north, as against the proposed site III
the West End, and 1t now seems "a
II community opinion should IL como
to a test, will be nearly unanimous for
the former location.
Not considering the Richmond.
Fredericksburg and Potomac railroad
company, there were only two who
spoke in behalf of the West End site
George Med. Blake and Sam Cohen
/ who appeared, they said for the
Broad street merchants. The Rich
mond, Fredericksburg and Potomac
railroad company was represented BY
Secretary Treasurer W. d. Duke, and
Francis w. Scarborough in the abs
sence of President William Fl. White.
No one appeared for the other rAt1@
way lines concerned.
All Voice Approval
Nearly all of the business ass0cfA-
lions OF the city were represented,
and with one accord they voiced APP
proval of the site on East Main street,
which they argued was the better 10.
cation Of the two suggested. both De-
cause IL was nearer TO the business
and population centers and because
IL was more convenient to those who
use railroads the most--the business
people.
II was pointed out that the location
on East Main street is nearer to tina
State and city offices, the postoniee.
the banks. wholesale mercantile
houses manufacturing centers and
tSr9f H~
will come from South Richmond
when the new Mayo bridge 10 opened
up.
/ The argument that Main street q
too congested and would become al
most impossible, If union depot
were erected on the site of the present
Main street station, was countered
with the argument that the street ID
nearly as wide as that on which the
Grand Central station in New York
is located and that the city trans
portation facilities were large enough
to remove congestion before 1t could
become SO large as altogether to ina
pede traffic.
/ Colonel {. p. f. Burgwyn, con-
sulting engineer. who was employed by
the chamber OF commerce to examine
/ the proposed Main street site an to-
/ the feasibility If constructing a depot
there, said that ii was, from every
Ioint Of view. including an engineer
/ ing standpc int. the only Logical loca-
tIon n the city. and by means OF
map drawn 10 a large scale showed
how the difficulty of grade could be-
met and overcome and how every
other advanced by the opponents OF
the idea could he removed.
! VIII Fight To End.
! r. &. Christian. representing the
I Wholesale Merchants association
merchants who represented S25.000.-
000--said in the course of his argu-
ment and while presenting a signed
/ ;letition, that. If necessary. the mat
ter would he taken to the State corr
I Grafton commission.
When Chairman James r. Disney
called the meeting to order there was
a large crowd in the council chamber,
and all listened to the arguments PRO
and con with the most avid Interest
If a straw vote on the question could
have been taken the site on Fast
Main street would almost cverwhelfn-
insly have teen chosen.
George Med. Blake appeared In be-
half of the Broad street mercS3nHtn
presenting a petition which h0A t41d
was signed by every Broad-atYo4ks
merchant in favor of the site rropd1<d
| on West Broad street. Arguing that
the history OF the city showed TINT m
had always been in the habit OF huildws
ing for the day. without thought ~
the future, and using the City NM
as an illustration. he said thAx m
the proposed union station W@$&
erected on East Main street IL would
cause almost irremediaole congestt0t1x5
I Ee asserted that the Richmond, FrelxSs
eriCkshurg and Potomac depot.
erected in the West End. would =
used by IS per cent of the p@001fs
I living west Of First street WithAflSHa
I stations now here he said that &4&5
/ travel would be well cared for. NV
fer buyers, he said. that so per a.
I of the people who came here to h15
made their purchases ON Broad atrS3&sz
/ Sam Cohen placed himself on fS@3
cord as a man who had always m ss
voted himself to the best intG&<
of the city where he had 1ive4 !
his life and accumulated all
means He was surprised thax m
East End should even he conai61
as location for union dST
though made it=elear- at t1YB
set that he was opposed 10 WM|
depots on principle He hal mQN
thought them of advantage to-
city and If they had been az
great advantage he thought thAt
cities would have had them g.
He said that union depot w0n4
make Through trains stop, we
4 build for Richmond. he satQsX
j for outsiders. and Richnond
build up herself, Union dep0tG
make people stop here. We
give them business inducemon1
Why They Co. SS
He said that people go to New
because they could buy
there, and added that he c01I1
Gotten goods made In May5o
c}eaper in New York than ANs8
here He. too. said thar Ea4
would be too congested for
depot.
w. f. Stuart representa-