Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-05-08
From the Worcester Evening Gazette.l
The Railroad Question.
Detailed Statement of the Position OF
the worcester and Nashua Corpora.
ton.

moval of railroad tracks, and the establishment of
union passenger station in the city of Worcester
Mr.. George S. Hale, who appeared before the COM
mittee as counsel for the Boston and Albany rail-
road corporation, is reported to have said "that hi
road is willing to do all that could reasonably be
asked in the way of stations and only because here
totore as now, the Nashua road has opposed and
thwarted all proposals, are the stations in Worces-
ter in their present condition. Two years ago. the
Boston road was before the legislature aud per.
missiye bill for q union station was passed. the
Nashua road was not ready, it never has been ready
aud nothlng has been done, now the city has taken
the matter up, and still the same opponents are
here"
From the foregoing statement of Mr. Hale, it ap-
pears that the Worcest ter and Nashua railroad COM
pany, alone, has opposed and thwarted all proposals
for the establishment of union passenger station
in the city Of Worcester, and that company only is
responsible for the present disgraceful condition of
the passenger stations in said city.
Had Mr.. Hale been familiar with all former trans.
actions with view to the establishment of pas
senger station for the accommodation of all the rail-
roads Terminating In Worcester It is believed that
his argument would have been of an entirely differ
emit character; and that your readers may under
stand why the passenger stations in Worcester are
in their present condition and to whom or to what
corporation the fault of their being in the condition
they are now In attaches 1t Is proposed to lay be-
fore them plain statement of facts that they may
Judge for themselves whether or not the statement
of Mr. Hale is correct.
In 1886 the Boston and Worcester railroad cor
poration, under the direction of the late Nathan
n -
Hale, then president of said corporation had plans
prepared (which may now be seen at the office Of
the city clerk, ample and sufficient for the accom-
mediation of all the railroads then terminating in
Worcester and in which provision was made for
the accommodation of the Providence and Worces-
ter and Worcester and Nashua roads, not then
completed. And to enable the Boston and Wor-
cester railroad corporation to construct passenger
station in accordance with this plan, the inhabi-
tants of the town, by q large majority, voted on
the 26th of December, 1886 to discontinue portion
of Mechanic street, and allow the permanent occu-
patton OF the same, by the erection of building
over it, and further to enable the said CORPORATION
to carry into effect their pans and for the express
purpose of atfOrding better accommodations to the
public using all the railroads terminating in said
giving full authority to the treasurer with the ap-
proval of the governor OF the commonwealth to re
lease the claim of the commonwealth to snch lands
of the Norwich and Worcester railroad company as
are situate northerly of the common in said Wor-
cester.
And in the same act it is provided that the treas
urer of the commonwealth is authorized to release
from time to time, to the Providence and Worces.
ter the Worcester and Nashua and to the Western
railroad corporations, the title of the common
wealth to so much of the located road of the Nor
witch and Worcester railroad company, aud of their
lands contiguous thereto, as will be necessary to
enable said corporations, respectively, to approach
10, and enter in, or otherwise use general depot
at Worcester, whenever such d4pot shall have been
constructed 1t is also provided that every convey.
ance made under authority of this act, shall be APP
proved by the governor, whose duty it shall be 10
see that such c0nveyances made for the purpose
of enabling the several railroad corporations term-
mating in Worcester to afford better occommoda.
tons to the public using such roads.
Under the authority granted by the legislature
and Tor the purpose aforesaid, the Boston and Wor
eester railroad corporation purchased land norther-
ly of the common. for which they paid to the Nor.
witch and Worcester railroad company more than
thirty-slx thousand dollars, on which the claim of
the commonwealth was released as appears by the
l, George N. Briggs, Governor of the Common
wealth. OF massachusetts, do hereby approve the
that the purpose of said conveyance is to enable the
several railroad corporations terminating in Wor.
cester, to afford better accommodations to the pub
lie using such roads as Contemplated in the ali re-
solve of the legislature passed May l, lS49 Signed
George n. Briggs, Governor.
Had this land been used for the purpose for which
it was purchased, passenger station would have
been erected, with ample and sufficient accommo-
dations for all the railroads terminating in Worces-
ter, and one that would have been an ornament to
the city. The Western railroad company declined
to JOIN in the arrangement consequently the project
had to be abandoned.
That the Worcester and Nashua railroad cOmpany
Is noto or ever has been opposed to union passen-
ger station in this CITY, as stated by Mr. Hale, Is not
fact; on the contrary long before their road was
completed, committee was appointed with full au-
thority to make such purchases, and take such
leases as in their judgment might be necessary to
accomplish the object. And in their report to the
Board OF Directors they said "that in the discharge
of their duty two objects were in view-the first to
provide for the company suitable station for them
selves in the city of Worcester; aud Seconu so to
select ana establish that station, to give free ac
cess to the roads of all other corporations termn-
ating there Conferences and negotiations were
commenced, not only with the Boston and Worces-
ter and Nashua and Worcester, but also with the
officers OF the Western and Providence and Worces-
ter railroad companies. For a long time these me-
gotiations were wholly frutless and inefectual but
your committee have recently completed bargain
with the Boston and Worcester railroad company
which by its term embraces a plan of connection
with the Norwich and Worcester, and opens
a way for like connection with the other
which bplIpVp will IL,
the common connection of them ALL
Your committee have purchased a tract of land of
ate at the easterly end of their passenger station
and including twenyeight feet of the easterly end
of the building itself, for which they have paid
nearly eighteen thousand dollars; connected with
this purchase was the grant to this company perpet-
uay OF the free use of the passenger house of the
said Boston and Worcester railroad company, which
they have agreed to maintain in its present or in sn
improved condition. The privileges in the passen.
ger house, in the judgment of the committee, con-
sttuted very material consideration in the esti-
mate of the value of the land purchased the use of
the house for all practical purposes of accommodate
ton to passengers in their approach and departure
from our station is secured to us much as if it
were our own property.
"The arrangements which were effected in con-
nectlon with the purchase of land are cOmprehen-
sive, and include plan for the ultimate cOnjunc
ton At this point of all the railroads terminating in
the city Of Worcester for their passenger station
"That 1t is for the interest of all the railroad cor
porations that they should have a common nassen.
ger station; that the accommodation such an ar
rangement would afford to the public is incomnara.
bly, greater than what they now enjoy, is a matter
easily TO be seen by any one who will investigate
the subject The committee have felt that in the
discharge of their duty, they were bound to use ali
means to secure its ultimate adoption;
and the prospective advantages of it, and the Drob
ability Of the occurrences Of the union of the mar
ties interested in common depot if suitable meas
ures were adopted to secure it, seemed to require of
this company the assumption of some degree of re-
sponsiblliy. Considering therefore the intrinsic
value OF the land purchased, the very great and
valuable privileges in the passenger house and sta
ton OF the Boston and Worcester railroad comma
ny secured with it, and the prospective advantages
which may result from full union of ali the rail-
ROADS terminating IN this city, your committee were
satsned tnat the true interests of this company re-
qulred them to make the purchase and the contract
into which they have entered"
Notwithstanding, the Worcester and Nashua rail- |
road company mad once purchased, and secured to |
the free and uninterrupted use of the
passenger station of the Boston and Worcester rail-
road corporation they were not only willing, but
deslrous that more respectable passenger depot
should be erected, and on the 10th day Of June
1854, an agreement was entered into, between the
BOSTON ana M9rcsster Norwich and Worcester and
worcester and Nashua railroad companies in |
which the said companies agreed to build passen-
ger depot for the accommodation of each, and Mt |
the Joint expense of each the exact exnense zach
should pay for the depot land and tracks Ia he do
cided by the Hon. Levi Lincoln and Charles W
Hartsncrn OF orcester, and Lorenzo Blackstone of
Norwich the parties themselves to decide upon the
quantity OF land to be used. On the eth dav NJ |
July, 1884 the said referees submitted their renort
ana az meeting OF the directors of said Worcnsta
and Nashua raj road company on the 2Ist of Jnly
1854, it was voted "that this corporation will nav
its proportion for the erection of said new depot and
land covered by the same according to the award Of
said referees, and will also pay for their proporton
according to the said award forty feet IN width
upon the westerly side of said depot, upon condi
ton that all the other lands owned by said cornora
tions on Foster and Notwich streets shall be thrown
open and kept for public use." This company were
not only willing to join in the payment for broad
open street on the westerly side of the pronosed
new depot, but were willing also to throw omen To
public use large tract Of land on the southerIy
side of said Foster street. Whether either of the
other corporations accepted rejected the award
is not known.
With regard to the permssiye bill granted nv the
legislature, two years ago, to the Boston and AL
bany railroad company as stated by Mr. Hale. IL
was supposed that all the railroad Companies in
Worcester had an interest in said BILL as the ACT
provides that "the Boston and Albany railroad COM
pany, the Norwich and Worcester company, the
Providence and Worcester railroad COMPANY and
the Worcester and Nashua railroad COMPANY are
hereby authorized to make such arrangements "a
shall be mutually agreed upon by all the respective
boards Of directors of said companies for the oca
ticn, establishment, construction and maintenance
by all any one Of said companies, both of union
passenger station stations, for the benefit, use
and accommodation of all of said companies and