The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-05-29
RAILROADS SPEND S66,0OO,O FOR
 NEW TERMINALS
Western Lines in Chicago District Making Great and
 Costly Improvement.

l, Chicago, May 29.-The sum of $66,- several of the great railroads operat- ing in the Chicago district when the new freight and passenger terminals now under construction are compIet- ed The freight terminal will be fin ished in about six months but it will take nearly three years to complete the passenger terminal.
 < The freight terminal will embrace laying of trackage on a stretch cover ing twelve city blocks. from the Chi cagO river south to Twelfth street The plans for the terminal were so arranged as to give a maximum speed and convenience of handling freight with a minimum of ground space ne cessary for the buildings involved. The work is being done by the Penn sylvaniag lines, West, and will cost, for land acquired, building material and labor, approximately $16,00Q,000 and the finished work will be one of the greatest accomplishments of it's kipd in the history of modern railroads
 The main aim of the builders was a terminal that would be so arranged as to eliminate street congestion in handling traffic and would. make speedy and easy the handling of the enormous freight business of Chicago. This Aesult will be accomplished by close grouping of the several parts of the terminal structure and by placing the railroad tracks below street level, wit1n the freight house just above the tracks, at street. level, and with a stor- age warehouse above the freight house. The idea of placing the com ponent parts of the terminal above on another was to save ground space and to make the handling of incoming and outgoing freight easy by a sys= tenn of powerful, modern-type electric elevators.
 Adjoining the freight house, and all under cover, will be eighteen tracks, cars. Inclosed driveways will protect freight and freight handlers in all sorts of weather.
 One thousand men have been work in for about ten months, some laying the heavy bling and concrete founda- tions, and some putting up the struc- tural steel. framework of the build ings. About 25 per cent of the struc- tura1 steel work remainsNtos be finish ed. This will be in about six months and the total cost of labor, by that time, will, it is estimated, amount to about $1,500,oOO.
 The steel, brick, concrete, piling and terra cotta that will go into the buildings will cost about g, 300, 900.
 The structures will occupy a ground space of 450 by 75O feet between Polk street on the north, and Taylor street
 
 river and what was once Stewart ave nue. Acquisition of the ground thus used cost the railroad company $12,- 00O,OO0.
 The union passenger terminal, on which preparatory work has begun and which will be completed in about three years, will cost about $50,O0O,- 900 and will be the finest railway passenger station in the world, it's pro jectors say. It will be built and oc- cupied by the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul, theN Pennsylvania, and the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy roads, the Pennsylvania being represented by two branches, the "Panhandle'' and the Fort Wayne.
 The station will be composed vir- tual1y of two buildings, with common facilities of egress and ingress. A main building will be west of Cana street and a concourse, between two sets of tracks, will be east of Canal street. Each of the two buildings will giving -eight points of exit and en- trance to- passengers and making ac- cess to trains quick and convenient. Train sheds will extend from Madison street, south to Harrison street.
 The architectural feature of the main building will be a waiting room 100 by 300 feet and 12o feet high. The building will occupy a ground space of 325 feet by $50 feet. The train sheds will be of the latest COW ered-in type and will eliminate in the center of the platforms.