South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-03-31
c. 7. To HEAR OF
CITY'S PLANS FOR
TRACK ELEVATION
Mayor Keller Names Confer
enCe Committee and Date
For Meeting is Under Way
Is Mammoth Project.

Plans Of the Improvement division
of Mayor Fred w. Keller's board OF
advisers, for a union depot for South
Bend. and for getting the Lake Shore
and Grand Trunk railroads through
the city along a single route, with
track elevation addenda. have seem
ingly reached the point Of conference
with the railroads. committee being
appointed by the mayor Monday to
take the matter up with the latter
road. arrangements for a meeting be-
ing under way The committee con-
sists OF John A. Swigart and David l..
Guilfoyle, members of the advisory
board Herman T. Lang, president or
the council; f. NJ. Morris. president Of
the board of works. Eli r. SeeDlrt.
city attorney. and VIM. :. Moore. city
engineer.
Changes Grand Trunk Route.
That The proposed route interferes
more with the course of the Grand
Trunk than of the Lake Shore prob
ably accounts for the proposed con-
ference with that road first. The
scheme is TO locate the union depot to
the north Of the Lake Shor' between
S. Michigan and s. Main St, .nal1ing it
easily available TO street cars, the
Grand Trunk to make IL way through
the city with dOuhlc tracks to the
north of the Lake Shore from about
Arnold St on tle west to Miami ST.
on the east, tn IN striking across the
river to the northeast 10 the present
right-Of- way. This would mean COM
plete abandonment Of Division St by
the Grand Trunk, probably at con-
siderable expense TO the city.
1t would be necessary to secure for
the Grand Trunk a dOublet track
right-of-way for about twenty blocks
through q well improved section of
the city. say nothing of the bridge
that would have TO be built to cross
the river, and the swath to be cut
through the Studebaker farm. The
point is, however, according to the ad-
Vocates of the plan, that track eleva-
ton along such lines would be for all
time, taking the future of the city in
to proper account. said to be of more
Importance than present expense.
Talk Division OF Cost.
In addition TO asceTtainins whether
the Grand Trunk is willing TO enter
tain such proposition at ALL II IS
probable that the conference commit
tee Will be expected To find out, near
as possible, what proportion of eX-
pense the city will be expected to- bear.
According to Former City Controller
Z. A. Joyce's report for 1919. on leaV-
ing office, there was sos, 236.10 in the
track separation fund of the city. to
go toward such work. This would
probably be only a small start toward
such an enormous project but ad-
visors of the administration think
there is way in which the balance
of the needed cash could be raised by
special assessments. One plan in mind
is to assess owners OF property along
Division st. for what it might benefit
their property To get rid of the Grand
Trunk occupying that thorOughfare.
Whether il is 10 be track elevation
or track depression is another prob
lem that is yet TO be solved, as well as
whether il shall be either. The latter
however. seems to be generally pre-
ferred by those who have considered
the matter. though il is believed that
the railroads would prefer the former.
IL would mean an elevation or de-
preston for from six TO eight tracks