The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-08-17
RalIroaIa -ana f,ro.aIng.,

To the Editor of The Age Herald
 The grade%crossings question has reached such stage that those in authority will have to put their ears to the ground and lis, ten before they gave away something for nothing, Immense values are at stake. Con sidering all in all, they affect property. value which will run into billions of dollars. The besG easiest, quickest, most, practical and economical way is for the railroads to depress l their tracks, build subways. The Louisville and Nashville road has about 225 feet right of way and the Southern about 100 feet par allel. The two companies have made mil lions, are making and will make hundreds of millions more, out of big, beautiful Bir- mingham. Besides building a needed subway for their traffic is such an easy matter com paratiyely that. 1t need not interfere but very little with the traffic or their business, there are no Instructions except getting under Eighteenth and Twentieth streets. They ca,, start at Twenty-second, even Twenty-first, remove the dirt to the depth needed (short haul, tool, go west as far as wanted make room for two, three or four tracks as de- sired. Then build tho walls, cover if fhay wish, in order to use surface, too See wlssn Philadelphia has done. Only few years ag0 New York had no subways. With what is projected they'll sOen have $60O, ,O0O, ,00O in vested. Under the water, too, to Brooklyn, jersey SlCy anu " Seuaugau. 4 E
 After Birminghams new subway is com pleted, cut all tracks on the east side of Twentieth and west side of Eighteenth. it'il mean all the trackage, warehouse, office building and yards just as it is, save for the little space, entering the subway. Let them build as many tracks as wanted, under the new, modern, up-to-date depot (vefy much needed, a new station), for storing of coaches and sleeping cars. Arrange, too while at it, to open Nineteenth street at the same time, and when completed they'll have half dozen or more very valuable corner lots for sale that they can easily spare and have a lot of money besides. They'll have saved the day and the friendship of all Then let's have Twenty-third and Twenty-fourth streets viaducted at the same time, grades suitably from First avenue, and very little property damaged. (No more viaducts westl.
 Let's consider, too, all that property lying dormant south of the railroads "so near and yet so far" It'll come to it's own, enhance in value and so much valuable time and expense will be saved for those living and doing busi- ness on the South Side in reaching Birming- ham proper. A new era would dawn for these people. Just little bit of a subway could change conditions wonderfully over night, 30 to speak The writer suggested this subway business over year and half ago at Chamber of Commerce luncheon. Time for action now! Let's plan wisely, then carry out our plans. This talk of the rail roads, if they don't get their way, entering litigation and ali, will be. tied up is '.hot air. If by hook or crook a viaduct is built on Eighteenth street, of course Twentieth street would be next. Never Hasn't the city any rights whenyit comes to the raiIroad crossing streets and stopping all traffic any time at wil1 The commissioners pass ordi- fla and in many instances threaten folk with taking them to jail simply for walking across a street in broad daylight. But our city com mission members are not big enough to tell the railroad people they must do so, and req sonably and right, and we'll cooperate with them.
 As I have often said, others with me, Bir- mingham will be great and big-it's only a matter of few years we'll have a million people here. J.. F. HOLM.
 Birmingham, Ala, August 15, 1924.