The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1921-12-28
SEEKS END
of CROSSING
BLOCKADES
Track Elevation Not Fearlble
Declares Mayor Brown in
Lengthy Interview

Mayor Dan Brown has undertaken a
partial solution Of the grade crossing
nuisance in Hammond Backed BY ara
aroused public sentiment ne VIII eoou
create g commission OF citizens to
make study Of the situation
If possible this commission piI -
given some legal status It may take
the form OF a city plan commission
when the commission is brought into
being an invitation will be issued to
each Of the railroads passing through
the city to send representatives. from
their executive and engineering de
partments 10 meet with the eomnis
sion with the object in view OF seeing
II some practical solution OF the prob
lem cannot be reached
Makes Valuable suggestIous
In .. comprehensive interview on the
subject given to the Times today
Mayor Brown has made some valuable
suggestions based on data that has
been furnished him by one or the
civic organizations Of the city.
"one of the most serious problems
facing the city of Hammond today Is
the frequent blocksding Of the main
traffic thoroughfares OF the city hv
railroad train movements" said Mayor
Brown.
Continuing he said;
There are 455 freight and passenE nEcr
trains which move through Hammond
every 24 hours"
some Amazing Statistics
"On the main traffic thoroughfsr
of the city alone the crossing gates
are raised and lowered 1S43 times each
day These thoroughfares are Colum
bia and Calumet avenues. Holman and
Sohl streets and Standard and Burn
ham avenues. Observations have been
confined 70 these streets
Columbia and Calumet avenue each
have over $50 train movements that
interrupt traffic in each q hours
What does this mean to the average
citizen Of Hammond"
TT is simply another way OF stating
that the interruDtian or vrh'~ular an'
pedestrian traffic BY our railways hss
become intollerabie.
IT cuts Hammond in tpree parts
namely: the north sid. - enst sf
and the southwest side
1T deprives the business man on
state street Of the bushes of HoV
wood. Kenwocd ami West HamrionH
TT deprives the Holman street tir~'
mesa man OF the husines of tho bus
ness Of section Of the rapidly aetel
oping east side"
Grenf Loss so Merchants
IF moro detailed survey could -
made il would show that each Year
/ hundreds of thousands OF dollars arc
! being lost TO the people of Hammond
! in the wasted time Of truck drivers. g.
! business men III automobiles and In
The idle Investment in vehicles which
waste hundreds OF hours year wait
4 ing for trains
| As people wnit for the passing or
! hundred car drag only TO find another
! freight Of equal size blocking the eros
Z sing entaiiing another eight or ten
minutes delay: they may not - aN'e
+ 20 translate their Inconvenience into
! dollars and cents: but they do trans
/ late II into q ralld criticism of the
/ city Of Hammond. ~ not into profan-
/ ity''
! This copciousncSs that Hammond Is
/ being throttled by the very agencies of.
I is carly growth and development has
prompted study OF the crossing
blockade which has resulted in some
/ lorioaa resSa-tnz on me subject and
4 the suggestion OF partial solution 81
! the problem"
Track Elevation ELIMINATED
Perhaps one reason why uothine
| has been done to alleviate the sitGa-
ton is the prevailing impression that
some time IN the near future Ham
mond Will have track elevation end
track elevation viii solve the prob
lem"
II is safe 10 say thai Hammond vii
not he ready for track elevation for
Is or twenty years even II It should
become a city of i2a,o0o to t5o.ooG pea~
pie in that time"
"The reasons which make track ele
vation impossible arc these
"The cost to the city Of Hammond
mot considering the railroads. wcuid
be prohibitive."
Hammond is just spending s5oa.o0e
for water works extensions That
would not pay one-tenth Hammond'~
share of the cost Of elevating ths
/ Michigan Central Erie, Nonon and
Niclzle Plate railroads through ths
city
THE pre- war cost Of the sereratsun
Of grades OF three railroads at C;rapd
Crossing in South Chicako was So
coo. 1000 90. II this had been done IN
Hammond the cities share V'outa have