Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-12-10
WIDER SUBWAY IS
BIGGEST PROBLEM
Realty Men Watching Develop
ment of Plans For Market
Street Change
PLANS READY TUESDAY
Council Will Likely Consider
Tentative Figures; No Con-
sequential Damages
PLANS READY TUESDAY

While rumors of a possible new
some extent this week. interest center
ed generally in the announcement by
City Engineer M. b. Cowden that the
plans and estimates for widening the
Market street subway will be ready
Tuesday for City Councils approval.
The preparation of the drawings
followed the conference of the city
planning commission and the officials
of the Pennsylvania Railroad Just
what share of the proposed improve
ment must be borne by the traction
company and other utilities and the
Philadelphia and Reading Railway
Company is questionable although it
is certain that they, too, will have to
bear a certain portion of the eX-
pense.
Tentative estimates fix the total cost
to the city and the Pennsylvania at
S160,500. OF course this doesn't in
clude consequential damages. OF the
total sum about $4,000 will represent
the actual cost of changes in the sub
way, lowering of grades and so on.
This will likely be borne pretty largely
by the city. The Pennsylvania COM
pany's share will run to something
like $S7,500.
OF course the big item. realty men
5uI6g Will bt I1c COnEGQueHtldl udIli-
ages. They have been variously esti-
mated at from $150,000 to 5000. 900
although it is just possible that 1t
will run away beyond that sum- The
problem may be brought to definite
head at next Tuesdays session of
Council as the drawings will probably
be submitted to the commissioners at
that time.
Changes I'm the Subway
M
about forty feet and this it is pro-
posed to widen to eighty feet. In
cidentally the "l<ink' in the south wall
will be eliminated. The grade on the
approaches will be reduced from five
to five and half per cent. Fifth
street will slope into the Market
street approach to the subway from
both north and south. The southern
approach to Fifth street will extend
clear back to the station sheds of the
Pennsylvania; the northern approach
will extend all the way to Strawberry
street The present method of reach
ing the subway level will be changed
for pedestrians so as to permit them
to use a fight of steps off Cowden
street.
In addition to the Pennsylvania
Railroad properties, at least fifteen
properties on Market and perhaps ten
on North Fifth street will be affected
to some extent.
Among these are several hotels, in
Guiding the Metropolitan annex-the
old United States-the Plaza, the
Aldine, the Martin and the Lennox. In
addition to the old United States hotel
the Market street properties which
will be affected will the Hummel,
Hoffman, Eby, Keister, Cameron,
Smith and Keffer, Tausig. Fishman,
Keller and Simonetti properties on the
north side and the Plaza property,
owned by Mrs. Mary Graupper, the
Cohen, Martin, Aldinger, Martin and
another Graupner hotel property on
the south side.
These properties of course extend
all the way back to the Pennsy right
OF way. On North Fifth street, how
ever, there are the Keister property
on the east side which has a depth
from Market ninety-five feet on Fifth
to a ten-foot alley; next in order are
the Thomas, Katz, Bay, Leedy and
Elscheid properties. On the west side
of the street the Hoffman property
has depth of 107 feet to an 8-foot
alley. Two of the Katz properties are
next and then in order are the houses
and lots owned by Nagle, Yinger and
Sneidman.