Morning journal and courier., 1883-08-03
auutusI xuh GoHitr.
Friday August 8, 1888.
More Hartford and Harlem.


 oIIing Up the Opposition to the PreseiI pror.o.ed dTavout-M0re Evidence of fhe s.ua sort 1o oCDme-OPdnfons. of PrOnA1- -.,e r,,t,zenS-A New Layout Suggested by City Engineer AfA. The hearing in opposition to the proposed avout of the Hartford and Harlem railroad vas resumed yesterday forenoon at 10 o'clock in +be Superior court room There was the ,sual array of lawyers and witnesses present and the hearing proceeded in the usual form.
 The first witness called was Joseph Park ,r. owner of the Westville paper mill and who resides at the corner of George and Dwight streets. In answer to questions by Lawyer Hamilton, Mir. Parker said that he considered the layout a very objectlonaole one and that it would iDjure his property at least $1O,O0o Ho thought that the line should 90 along the eastern bank of the West river. He felt certain that the section of the city through which it was proposed to run the new road would never be used for any other purpose than residences. No n,anufactories were on the line that amount ed to anything, The route he thought should be laid out along the east bank of West river. a1
 Lawyer Hamilton here laid in statement reoardinp the Westville interests. It was in the nature of a petition for laying out the new road on the west bank of West river, If practicable, and if not then on the east bank. Public opinion was universally against the proposed layout. near Westville would be great accomuooa- tion to his business.
 SvIvanus Butler was called in reference to some disputed points on the Milford line. Ha proposed a line which would cause an e4- nense of S1 14O 30 to the road Tn excess or their own road. To Mir. Baldwin he said that at the request ot the Hartroro ana nar- lem he had gone over the route from Munson street to West river and had estimated tbe cost of the property taken at S2OO OOO He did not know of any other stretch of land between the proposed lay out and the corner of Chapel and Church streets which could be purchased as cheaply. MT. Doolittle asked the witness to furnish the data on which he made tho $20O, 900 esti- mate. Mr. Baldwin protested against having the particular estimates produced, on the ground that it would embarrass future real estate transactions between tho road and the property owners interested. It was finally agreed that Mir Butler should produce his memoranda and show it to the council and the commissioners, but it should not be made public
 Ex-Mayor John B. Robertson was called. He said he owned no stock in the Consoi- dated road He believed that no city was benefited by a road running through 1t, but thought all roads should go by the outskirts. He preferred using the Consolidated road cut. He spoke of Philadelphia, Baltimore and other cities where the policy had been to make the roads go around the outside Of the city Some of the large factories on the pro- posed Hartford and Harlem line had beer discontinued and the land given up for pri vate residences. Public opinion was against the Hartford and Harlem layout, but no against the road.
 John P. Futile, treasurer of the Ever green Cemetery association and of the New Haven Savings bank, said that the effect oi the proposed layout would be to take lanc needed for burial ground. The road woulc run close to lots calculated forpeople of mod crate means The association always had ex pected to buy the adjoining land involved.
 Funeral processions would have to stoI until trains went by, and horses might bt frightened by the passage of trains. Th' railroad will also prevent the execution O plans formed ten years ago for the exten sion of the cemetery, which was started Il l84S. In the judgment of the witness | there was no other available place in the cit, ! for 8 cemetery; the witness and his associate had been vainly looking for one for fiv | years. ne GaOuRuL buo uopLSCIhbAOA LII A6A' | for distance of 300 feet on each sfdo of thu railroad would not be less than fifty pc cent.
 The witness did not think the proposed de | pot site at the corner of Chapel and Ds streets was a suitable one. There was no room enough, the length being but 800 O | 600 feet, whereas there ought to be 1000 fee \ to make up trains It was the design of tn | cemetery association to accumulate fun sufficient to keep it in order when it's limit | were reached.
 | To Mir. Baldwin the witness said they e1 | peoted to charge 80 cents per square foot fo | the land they were making out of the ''swale in the cemetery. He estimated the value Q | their unsold lots at $150,0OO. During hi 1 treasurership $2OO GOO had been spent on tn | property.
 Surveyor Butler testified that he estimate the value of Mr. Dickerman's 1OO-foot lot ol the south side of Chapel street near Day a l $4, 800, or $45 per foot.
 'tBefore this layout was made," inquire' Mr. Doolittle, ''could you buy lots frontin on Chapel street in that vicinity for les | than $2O0 per foot.''
 Mir Butler said land owners about ther had told him they would sell for less thal | this price, but the exact fguures he did no | recollect. The witness appraised land ol some parts of the line at higher rate tha, | the Chapel street land spoken of He had no acquainted himself with the prices realize for lots recently sold along that part of ChaI el street under review. George Blakeman, director in the ceme tery association, said he fully endorsed whs MT. Futile had said about the damage to th cemetery property which the railroa 1 would cause He said the vacant Ian
 which the road would spoil for burial pul poses the directors intended to pur
 chase and lay out for people of moderat
 means. All their cheaper lots were alread
 sold there being left but one lot as low a
 $65. He thought the route alongside th
 Consolidate road would be far preferable t
 the present layout as regards the interests C
 the general public, although it would Ct
 through the witness shop in Artisan stret
 and virtually destroy it. The road woul
 best accommodate the heavy manufacturer
 by running through the eastern part of th
 city, as the freight traffic likely to come froI
 the shops in the western district was of
 light order of material.
 | J. B. Sargent, of the Board of Publi
 Works. was called by Corporation Couns,
 Driscoll on behalf of the city. The witnet
 produced a written memorandum from whie
 he gave his views. He said there was no oE
 lection to parallel railroad provided it di
 not damage the city more than the resultin
 benefit. It was not desirable that thel should be more than one large depot in th city. This was one reason why MT. SRl gent believed the Hartford and Harlel should enter the city on or near the Derb
 road. He then proceeded to follow the lin
 on from the Union depot across the city
 'tFrom Water street to the City Hotel," sai 1 Mr. Sargent, fit would run through bac yards and sheds, which are mostly wors
 than a nuisance. The City Hotel woul
 have to be removed and perhaps the old de
 pot. The easterly foundation of the latte
 building would at least have to be extende
 out to the street line. Then the AdelpI
 building would have to come down il
 foundations have always been considered ir
 secure, and in any event the building count
 no worse than an ordinary pieC
 of private property. The whol
 of Union street might be give up to the railroad without serious public il jury. Beyond it would run in the rear o the Artisan street manufacturing establish notwithstanding with not more than on of thern-from Court street to Grand. Abov that running on the easterly side of th
 Canal track, the expense of the layoU
 would be small, the line going mostly acrol
 back yards, and cutting of perhaps som
 low additions to manufactories. The layor
 have described is one that would in all n
 spects best suit the city," .-.....-...-.......-
 MT. Sargent went on to say that the pre-
 ent layout was through the better part of th
 city and would greatly damage many res
 dences, most of them owned by business me
 who began life in Q small way and built u
 their own fortunes The city has show