, 1860-07-16

The West Side Railroad Project.
Editors rscss and Tribune:
! am rejoiced to see you tuke grounds against
the project now on foot to permit the railroad
companies to lay down their tracks across the
surface Of the great bridge streets on the West
Side.
The property owners on this side of the river
except perhaps rerT lew who own ground
adjacent to the line of the proposed railroad
truck-nevcr heard df the project until tha ord
nance made its appearance in the newspapers
the other dar. They hare been taken entirely
il favor Of giving the railroad companies
the the right-temporary or otherwise-
to run over the surface Of the streets in oues.
tion fns am told the railroad men interested
are saying) would be wholly untrue. They
have not been consulted IN regard to the mat
ter at all; and what is worse. have not been
g'ven an opportunity to consult among them
seves before at effort is nade to drive the
amsndatcry ordinance through the Council,
,.ottas roltns.
The property owners Of the West Side would
neser have consented to 6 ire the railroad com.
panies the right Of way across the bridge
streets At all, had it not been for the express
provision in the ordinance TINT they were to ran
andtr the approaches to the bridges-not only
the bridges that were then built, but all that
shnuid be tuilt thereafter.
It is unnecessary 10 speak Of the reasons
which the rallroad companies assign for asking
the temporary right to lay their trucks orer in-
stead o! under the approaches to the bridges.
1t will be too apparent to any one who takes
the trouble to examine :he eubject, that those
reasons are not the real ones. The rallroa1
companies would not ask the privilege Of con-
structiuy tracks from Lake street to their depot
grounds, on piles, from thrse to eight feet
above the surface Of the ground, if it was not
sLeir expectation 10 keep the tracks there. An
examination Of the ground will satisfy any per-
son that to construct the so-called temporary
sub.structure from, three to eight feet high, will
cost as much, if not more, than all the tunnels
will cost. Is it the habit Of rsiiroad companies
to voluntarily incur an expense like this simply
that thc public may not be dlacommoded during
navigation!
build the tunnels nozo would discommode peo-
| ple by compelling them to raise their buildings
where tue approaches will have to BE- extended.
If it will diseommode them now, will it not dis.
| commode them next winter, when it will be ten
| times more difficult to rinse the buildings than
| it will before cold weather? Or will The rail-
road companies hare the saine tender regard
for them then that iheT pretend to hare now,
and endearor to avoid this incommoda,ion by
] keeping their tracks on the surface of the
streets, instead Of building the tunnels? Most
probably they will
/ observe that meeting Of the West-siders
has been called on Tuesday evening next. tc
consider this important railroad question,
trust every property owner in that part Of tht
city will feel i to be his duty to attend th'
meeting. Let the property owners but under
stand the real objects the railroad comoanie
have in new, and they will use every effort i
their power to prevent the cousummauon d
this great wrong. Yours truly,
WEsr SIDE.