Evening star. [volume], December 16, 1902, Page 27, Image 105

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
as the location for the building. The su
pervision of the erection of the library
building was delegated by Congress to the
District Commissioners, the superintendent
of public buildings and grounds and the
president of the library trustees, and also
provided for the submission of plans
through an architectural competition.
The designs of twenty-four architects
were submitted, and in their selec
tion Architects George B. Post of New
York and Henry Van Brunt, president of
the American Institute of Architects, were
called upon to assist. The design of
Messrs. Ackerman & Ross, architects of
New York, was chosen,'and this firm was
appointed architects of the building, while
Mr. Bernard R. Green of the Library of
Congress was appointed to superintend the
construction.
Some delay was occasioned by necessary
alterations of the plans to make the con
struction come within the available ameunt.
Mr. Carnegie's attention was undoubtedly
attracted to this, and on April 14, 1899, he
made an additional donation of $50,000 for
furniture and equipment, and in the follow
ing Scptember he made still another addi
tion of $50,000 to cover the increased cost
of building material.
The Beautiful New Library Home.
The new building is a gracEful structure,
substantial, monumental and appropriate
in every way for the purpose it was de
signed for and the site it occupies. Ample
book room is provided, as well as spacious
reading rooms for books and periodicals, a
lecture room, students' rooms and corridors,
all fittingly appropriate. The book lovers
of the city have been provided a home; a
permancnt institution, which can but make
for intellectual development and better citi
ztnship, has Letn t-stablished, and the city
and nation can view with satisfaction a
well-equipped municipal public lib: ary.
In the meantime, the New \ ork avenue es
tablishment was made ready and began to
serve readers. It opened for business Octo
ber 1, 1898, and the iecord of the first twen
ty days shows how it was appreciated by
recording the fact that 5,213 books wcee
tiorl owed for home ieading during taat time.
kor the six montas fiom January to June,
16M. 57,7i7 books had been borrowed. From
that time to this toe usefuiess o the in
stil.ion has maintained its initial rapid
bio,;th. New books have been supplied and
new readers conmantly enrolled. 'Ine record
o. the fiscal year I901 showed that 123,555
Lo..s had been borrowed. Now that the
library is housed in its new home, a much
larber number of readers will undoubtedly
be recorded, especially as provision has
been particularly made fur tWe accommoda
tion of children in tne new structure.
The Library of Congress.
The evouLion 01 tine Libtai) o Congress
from its cr,.ea anu dingy quarters ni he
Caphtok to its present crowning eminence
in a sister bui.u.ng to the cap.tol is a pro
gress which 'the Ztar also took delight in
reco.uing and matriany aing. inere
were many 1r.enus of lijrary expansion in
Congress long beiore the l1mal success of
the efforts to construct an adequate home
outsue of the t.apaoi far the great book
coIlection, yet. naswi-astanding the fact that
the Library o Congress is, strictly speak
Ing, a naunmnat iniLLuakOn, tle tu nerance
oL its deve.onment was ieft in a great neas
ure to the insistence of the ies.dents of
Washington. Then, too, there were some
rqgass wn.u lI cizens ueiieved were
their :ue-such as to have the free use of
this ibrary during the evening and on Sun
day. \o p.ogress, luwever, could be made
in this caLnpaign unti. after the new 'build
inag nad been cuap.etcd. 'iinen it was that
the agitation began in earnest, and went
on wa,.nuut ceainlg until botn privileges
were granted.
While no circulating booKs may be tor
rowed by Wasningtonians from the Library
of Congress, its mii.ion volumes are now free
of access from 9 o'c.ock in the morning until
10 o'clock at night every day in the week,
and oil Swdays from 2 to 10 p.m. This
campa.gn for night and Sunday opening has
been arge.y a strugg.e with Congress. The
Slilbrarians in charge of the Congressional
Library -have in every case favored the
movement, and the only hitch seemed to be
the trilling excess Of expenditure which the
longer hours would entail. The last ap
propriation -bill carried this extra amount,
however, and as The Star ce'ebrates its
jubilee anniversary it has the satisfaction
of seeing every library improvement in
wnich it was interested 'accomplished. Res
idents, permanent or temporary, of the cap
ital city may borrow books freely of the
public library; they may read in Its cozy
reading rooms and consult its reference
books. They may also enjoy the privileges
of the Library of Congress by occupying
places in the most magnificent reading
room in the world and may call for any one
of the million volumes in the institution,
while they have in addition access to the
various special departments of art, music,
periodicals, etc., which have been made pos
sihle in the na0W hnIlding.
IIPROYVEENT OF RAILI
AND THE WAR
BY CHA
After a quarter of a century of agitatiol
the people of the District of Columbia ar
about to realize the long-anticipated elimi
nation of grade crossings within the cit:
on the lines of the steam railroads tha
enter the District. The measures now pend
ing in Congress to effect these pur
poses have been agreed to by the rail
road companies af
fected by their pro
visions, have bec1
passed by the Sen
ate and are now be
fore the House o
Representatives fo
action. In their is
cential features the:
hive had the ap
proval of every in
terest in the Distric
of Columbia, and.
excepting some ml
nor changes tha
will probably b,
made in them to minimize as far as pos
sible damage to property along the line o
the tracks, they will doubtless be enacte<
into law substantially in their present forn
before the close of this session of Congress
Only those who are familiar with the lon
B &O.RR. STATION.
discussion that resulted in the plan for th
elimination of grade crossings now aboui
to be adopted can appreciate the import
ance of the campaign that has been carrie
on in the District by its citizens led b3
The Evening Star to bring about this end
It is not only that a pian has finally beer
agreed upon that is a subject for congratu
lation, but it is the fact that this plan in
volves a solution of the problem on a scal
of magnificence that must for generations
to come command the admiration of all
In the final solution of this problem ther
has been some difference of opinion as ti
the division of the cost between the rail
roads and the District. The Star in
sisted from the outset that the impositior
of the burden of $1.500,000 upon the capital
govermnent and District jointly-to aid thi
Baltimore and Ohio in defraying its ex
penses of grade crossing elimination ha
no foundation in equity or in the prevailing
custom in many cities of the north wher
the railroad terminals have been modern
Ized. This paper, while the bills were pend
ing before the Fifty-sixth Congress, dis
cussed the subject at great length and se
cured the testimony of state and city en
gineers on the matter of the division ol
cost. proving to the satisfaction of the Dis
trict, and many of the District's friends ii
Congress, that there was no warrant foi
the bonus to the Baltimore and Ohio. Not
withstanding this showing the bill wa
passed as framed, and a large share of th
cost, which should have been borne by th
railroad alone, was foisted off upon th
community, which was furthermore re
quired to donate street spaces of grea
value to the corporation for permanent us<
and to bear the cost of Incidental damage:
outside of the railroad's right of way.
The Mall Space.
No such feature was presented by the
bill relating to the Pennsylvania line, al
though The Star objected emphaticall:
to the grant In perpetuity of the Mal
apace, not only on grounds of equity, bu
LOAD TERMINAL
AGAINST GRADE CROSSINGS.
B. E. KERN.
i the railroad structure would offer to a t
comprehensive improvement of that grand
- park. A determined fight was waged in the
House, under the leadersaip of Representa
t tive Cowherd, against this spoliation of C
- the park, but it was unsuccessful in the
- face of the determination of the railroad t
- company and its friends to retain posses
- sion of that which it had occupied free of
- rent for so many years.
1 The combined measure now pending re- s
- tains the objectionable bonus to the Balti
- more and Ohio, payable jointly by the Dis- 1
f trict and the government, and adds the
r grant of an equal sum to the Pennsylvania t
- company in supposed compensation for the 8
r relinquishment of the public lands which
- it now occupies and which had in addition
- been granted by the legislation of 19). The r
t Star expressed its --approval of the prin- %
ciple upon whicn this latter bonus was pro- t
- posed, but regarded the matter as being
strictly between the railroad company and
the federal government, the latter owning
the lands and itself paying for the relin- r
quishment. An attempt was feebly made r
I to divide this sum as in the other case be- r
L tween the District and the government on r
the ground that the original grant of the t
public space to the Baltimore and Potomac
1.
company had been made by the city coun- r
eils. But The Star immediately pointed out t
from the records that this local action had fI
been taken subject to the approval of Con- ii
gress, and that until Congress did so ap- b
prove it the railroad was unauthorized to 1
enter the park space. Thus Congress as- a
sumed sole responsibility for the donation t
or loan of the park lands.
A Long Struggle.
A review of the discussion leading to this a
result demonstrates the Importance of the a
work that has been done by The Star, not 1
only in constantly keeping before Congress y
and the public the importance of legisla
tion for the elimination of grade crossings, i
but also urging the necessity for a solution a
of the problem that would not prove to be o
a makeshift but should settle the question o
for "all time." As that term is used this T
1 WABHINGTON GR
wvill be accomplished by the legislation now
tearly completed. As the city grows out
vard the plan for the elimination of grade
rossings will be extended to the limits of
he District of Columbia.
It was in 1827 that the first charter was
ranted to the Baltimore and Oh:o Railroad
3ompany to construct a railroad from Bal
imore, Md., to the Ohio river, with "lateral
allroads in any direction whatsoever in
onnection with said railroad." In the
ollowing year Congress authorized the
'onstruction of one of the branches of the
3altimore and Ohio railroad into the Dis
rict of Columbia, with a restriction that it
hould not pass through or use any of the
ublic squares or open spaces of the city
vithout the special consent of Congress. In
uthorizing the road to enter the District
'ongress provided that the tracks should
e so placed in the thoroughfares that they
vould not "impede the passage or trans
ortation of persons or property along the
ame." This provision meant in actual
practice very little at the time it was
laced in the charter. A scattered village
eceived the railroad as a great boon, and
-ears passed before the need for making
ractical use of that provision was seen.
B. and O.'s Monopoly Broken.
For many years the Baltimore and Ohio
ailroad enjoyed a monopo:y of steam rail
oad transportation in the District. Its
nonopoly was broken by giving the Balti
nore and Potomac company a terminal in
he District. This company was chartered
y Maryland in 1853, and in 1867 Congress
.tNIL R.R.STATjbN.,
assed an act allowing it to enter the Dis
rict. The Baltimore and Potomac road at
.rst established its depot in South Wash
igton, at 9th and C streets southwest,
y virtue of an act of Congress. In
871 and 1872 the common council first.
.nd then Congress, authorized the company
D establish its depot at the corner of 6th
nd B streets northwest, on land which
vas marked on the maps as a great public
ark, but which had never been improved
nd was partly covered by unsightly
hacks, crazy sheds and miscellaneous de
ris, which had accumulated through many
ears of neglect.
It was not long before the increasing
usiness of the railroads, the improvement
f the city and the increase in the traffie
n the streets began to bring the question
f grade crossings prominently before the
eople. For twenty-five years there has
ADE CROSUING.