Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-09-13

| are more numerous by the Green street plan.
| The objection to the use of the Pine street
buryng ground for railroad purposes was an
| swcred and the method by which part of it
| has already been so used with the approval OF
all parties was shown. He spoke of the ncccs-
sty which would compel the Worcester aud
| Gardner road to switch all its trains back to
Gardner street for storage or shifting, if the
depot is between Green and Grafton streets,
while if the location east of Grafton street is Ia
ken, land in the immediate vicinity for their
| purposes can be had. He thought through
| train from Gardner would probably run through
| Worcester TO Boston; il the union depot is east
| of Grafton street, this train can run directly
through, while if it is between Green and Grafton
streets it must be switched from one track to an
other, for which there is not room without Occu-
| plying public streets, besides turning the train
| end for end. He described the method which
would be used in making up train of passen-
ger cars from Nashua and Boston, to 20 over
the Norwich road, like the present Steamboat
train" on the ground east of Grafton street, and
also the difficulty of the same work if the de
| pot is between Green aud Grafton Streets in
street ten times at least He said at Spring.
field it requires nineteen crossings of the public
street to make up the joint express train from
| New York and Albany for Boston. The change
| from Foster street to another location has been
| forced by public condemnation of the use of
| public streets for switching, and to locate the
| depot between Green and Grafton streets will
| only be TO change the location OF the nuisance
He said his road desires TO 90 on with the work
Ii the station is located east of Grafton street
they can 30 to work at once, and have it done in
the time provided by law; if it is placed be-
tween Green and Grafton streets it will take a
| year or more to clear the ground of its present
| occupants. In regard to the relative cost of the
two plans, he considered it would cost 1891 900
to purchase the land, and S1S3 0O0 for the build
ingS total Of S574 0O0 for the location between
| Green and Grafton Streets without damages for
| the closing of Franklin street; if the station
| should be WidCncd it would cost S5j, 900 more
| The location cast of Grafton street is about
| eight acres; if the same space were taken in the
other location, it would cost $500 900. With the
additional cost of grading, $4,000 or $4,000,
| required for the location between Green and
| Grafton streets, and the interest on the whole
| cost during the delays incident to getting pos
session Of the land, will swell the total expense
| to the Boston and Albany road to over 81 ,000,-
| 600 more than it would cost to locate east OF
| Grafton street. He said that statistics of the
| annual sale of tickets at Worcester showed that
| 10000 people would use the station, besides
| 100000 who 20 through from places beyond; he
| estimated that 97S,0O0 passengers will use the
| station every year. and the land east of Grafton
| street to be not worth over one-half as
much as that covered ny the Green street
| location would cost the Boston and ALBANY
/ road He did NOT ODSi1pF that rho buginpsS pf
| the Providence road would be much affected by
| one location more than another; thought the
| travel would not be incOmmoded more by hay
! ing the station east of Grafton street, the BoS-
| ton and Albany road own about forty acres in
| the lot now occupied by their depot and tracks,
| and thirty acres more which can be used for en-
| ginc and freight houses; he thought not more
| than one-haf of the forty acres is now used; he
thought this land ample for the passenger bust
ness for a long time to come.
He considered his estimate of the value of the
Green street location to be only fair; its average,
including buildings, is about 81 per foot. He
| considered that the cash value of the greater
| portion of the land east of Grafton street is not
| over fifty cent per foot; the average of the
whole is not over seyentv-fye cents In his
opinion, the fair value of the land, the expense
of fitting the ground and the expense of the
| building and its maintenance and care were the
| elements which should enter into the estimate
| of the rcCt to be paid by other roads.
| Edward S. Philbrick of Boston, q civil en-
| glneer in the employ OF the state, in connection
| with HOosac tunnel, and well known expert
| in railroad matters, was called, and made lucid
| explanation of the effect of locating the depot
| either mt Washington square or between Green
and Grafton streets. He decided between the
| two without hesitation, claiming that while the
one at the square would be easy of access, avoid
| crossings, and be surrounded by room in album
| dance, the other location was clearly both too
narrow and too short for the present business of
| the roads, to say nothing of the future. He
| said that he could not conceive how the plan
could he carried out under the provisions of the
act; the plan so drawn-which would not be
| large enough in any reSpcct-might possibly be
made to conform with the provisions of the
act, but he could not make it appear
so. He claimed that the curve
in approaching such a depot from the north
was in admissible, and the making up of trains
would necessarily occupy Green street. In eSti-
mating cost of construction, he made a differ
ence of $4,000 on account of the old canal basin
alone, which would require deep and expensive
foundations mt the east end. The grade in the
depot, he said, would be rising from west to
| east, and would incommode the trains continu-
| ally, and in speaking of the Importance of
| plenty Of room, said according to his inquiries,
| thirty-three passenger trains came into and left
| the city daily and held that a general cOnncc-
ton Of trains would always be made, which
| would bring three or four passenger
| trains into the union depot together sew.
| cra times during the day. He was decidedly
| against the running of freight trains through
passenger dcpOts, and while admitting thatin the
| principal New England stations they are made
| to pass through the depot, claimed that if they
were TO be built again with the present knowl-
| edge and experience OF railroad men, they would
| be differently constructed His evidence plainly
| showed him to be master of the subject, and at
| its close he was instructed to prepare plan of
the depot for the location between Green and
| Grafton streets which will comply with the act
| of legislature.
Gen. WIN. r. Lee of Boston, gentleman ac-
| tivcin railroad matters few years ago, having
| been construction engineer of the Boston and
| Providence railroad, afterwards superintendent
of that road, and also at various times president
| of three other railroads, was called He began
| by expressing astOnishment that there could be
| any hesitation between the locations, the one at
| Washington square presenting every advantage
| in point of room and access, while the one be-
tween Green and Grafton streets is narrow
| and contracted, without room for either
| proper space between tracks or plat
forms. The general aspect of the two, he
| said, was enough in his mind to enable him to
| decide without the slightest hesitation. He said
he had looked into the matter, and took into
consideration both the local and through bust
| ness. When crosS-eXamined by Mr.. Rice. he
said that he regarded the public safety as of the
| first importance. Perhaps a depot nearer the
| centre of business would be more convenient
| for the people of Worcester, but, when all things
were considered, the Washington square location
| seemed the best of any to him. When asked in
regard to the trouble occaSioned by turning over
| car seats us would be necessary in the case of
| the Nashua road, he said that he regarded it ms
a trihng objection In regard to through freight
| he thought it was not materially effected either
way, but that there was nOqueStiOn that theWash-
| ington square location offered superior advanta-
| ges to passengers. He regarded them both as
about the same distance from the center of bust
ness; would considcritno material disadvantage
| for the Norwich freight to 20 TO the square, and
| in respect to the local interests of Worcester
could see no difference between the two. He con-
sidered the fact that while in one case the land
was owned and controlled by the Boston and
| Albany road, in The other it was encum-
| bered by buildings and improvements, a strong
| argument in favor of the former. He had, as a
traveller, had some experience on roads where it
was necessary to turn the Seats and never heard
| complaint.
MIR, Philbrick, recalled by Mr.. Nelson, stated
that the distance FROM the center of one location
TO the center of the other was 1860 feet, and the
| distance from the west end Of the Washington
| square location to the east end of the Green and
| Grafton street one was GAO feet
A6ram Firth, superintendent of the Boston
| and Worcester division of the Boston and Al
bany road, compared locations, giving substan.
| tally the same reasons in favor of the one and
against the other as had been given by the Other