The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-09-14
CITY TO STAND PAT
 FOR UNDERPASSES
Bum Explains Chambers Entrance Into Cross
 ing Controversy
LONG COURT FIGHT
 THOUGHT IMMINENT
Unanimous Approval Of 24th Street Viaduct Is Expect
 ed Monday

Three important developments came Saturday in the downtown railroad grade crossing situation.
 No. 1 was an announcement by Eu- gene L. Brown. agent for the Woodward interests, that he had held up his plans to build a $1 100000 skyscraper on the Metropolitan hotel site until the cross- ing controversy is settled. If viaduct is to be placed on Twentieth street, he said the building plans would be aban- doned.
 No. ? was the disclosure that the railroad executives will be i'll the city Monday for a final conference, and that the city commissioners, in secret con- ference several days ago, instructed Commissioner w. E. Dickson to repre- sent them at the conference and stand fast" for underpasses, as against via ducts.
 No. 3 was a statement by o. l.. Bum, manager of the Chamber of Commerce, telling why the chamber entered the crossing controversy and quoting rail road executives as asserting they would fight through all the courts to prevent tlIe city from forcing them to elevate their tracks, this being a paIt of the underpass program.
 All indications pointed strongly to a spirited conference Monday. It was practically certain that it would end with the contending parties still at wide variance, and that litigation would be the next step.
 Browns Statement.
 Mir. Browns statement announcing the halting of his building plans, fol- lows:
 When we decided to build on the Metropolitan hotel site a 19-story build ing, combining hotel and seven- story addition connected with the Woodward building, at a cost of about $1 ,500,000, we had in mind that when the Twentieth street crossing was fi- nally determined that the tracks would be raised and an underpass adopted. We could not imagine that any other scheme would meet the situation.
 Il have been away from Birmingham for over two months and consequently am somewhat out of touch with the proposition. I understand, however, that viaduct is being considered and due to this fact, we will, of course, have to delay construction of this build ing, or in fact any other improvement on this property, until the character of this crossing is finally and fedinitely settled.
 If viaduct for Twentieth street is decided upon we cannot afford to spend any money on this corner for new im- provements. and the damage to our present buildings will naturally be very great"
 City officials said they appreciated Mir. Browns position, and pointed out that they will assume similar atti- tude at Mondays conference.
 The city may have to spend several years mitigation to require the con struction of underpasses, but they say they will do this rather than accept the viaduct plans submitted by the Chamber of Commerce, following a sur vey by Gen. w. l.. Sibert for that body.
 Agree On Twenty-fOurth Street
 As all the plans thus far submitted agree that viaduct should be placed at Twenty-fourth street, the commission will do everything possible to see that this project is finally approved Monday, so that an actual start on the work can be made within few weeks.
 The commission met secretly several days ago and after a thorough dis cussion of the situation, instructed Com missioner DlckSon to represent the city at the final conference. The underpass plan, which calls for structure beneath the tracks at Fourteenth, Eighteenth and Twentieth streets, was definitely approved.
 Mir. Bum, in his discussion of the situation, made it plain that he was speaking informally. However, his views are known to be the views of the special Chamber of Commerce com mittee ;,
 'The chamber became active in this movement through q sincere desire to render public service" he said. We retained General Sibert at salary of $1O0 a day and told him to survey the situation and make a report. He was given no further instructions. The cham Der members were not engineering ex- perts, so they called in an outstanding
 Continued on Page Eight.)