Morning journal and courier., 1888-01-31
THOSE STREETS.
Shall They Re Closed or What Shall Re Done With Them7-An Interest- tup 0uestion-A Lively Hearing Last aI

! ing Question-A Lively Hearing Last Night at the City Hall.
 The hearing on the petition of the New England railroad system for the closing of Hill. Iafayette and Liberty streets was be- gun last night before the special committee | of city officials. Mayor York presided. The i persons favoring the closing of the streets l were heard last night. Professor Simeon E. l attorney for the Derby road, first | spoke. He referred to how the Housatonic l tried to reach tide water at New Haven, but l did not succeed and so went to Bridgeport, making that city what it now is. There are two great systems of railroading in this State, the Consolidated and the New York and New England, he said. The latter is the longer in mileage. The last report of the railroad com missioners showed that theN New England sys- tenn has S33 miles of railroad, while the Con solidated has 806. Now it has been the miss fortune of New Haven to be outside of the New England system. Hartford has it and so has Bridgeport, together with the Consolidated, and it has made those cities thriving and enterprlslng. MT. Baldwin re, ferred to the conditions by which the road was sold to the city: one of them being that the grade crossings should be re- moved and also that the passenger depot and the freight depot should be removed to some place west of Water street. Where does the city want it to go9 To West river? It was not the fault of the Consoli- dated road that it's depot is so far away from the city now, Now the Derby has purchased of the city. (Here MT. Baldwin unrolled a map showing the place where the company wants to locate and where it wants it's depots and other buildings for it's facilities.) To a common sense man, he continued, the clos ing of Hill, Lafayette and Liberty streets is necessary. These men did not pay $275, ,000 for the Derby, but for the great New Eng land system-let me remind you-833 miles. We want a freight depot 1000 feet long. You all know that the Consolidated has a long freight depot on Long wharf. Our ma chine repair shops would be a building of two stories and would come where Liberty street now is. No one can see but what we want every foot of land between Cedar and Commerce streets We could have gone to the other side of Cedar street, but we thought the city had right to demand that it be nearer the city. The law, anyway, does of city when railroad wants it. If it was left to the owner of the land @ rail- road would never be built. Everyone would want it to run through his neighbours lot. Property in the vicinity of these streets has raised in value 25 per cent since this project was talked of. The power of locating 8 railroad lays with the directors, and they and the engineers thought best to lay it be- tween these streets. If we have to bridge them it will greatly destroy our work. More accidents would occur on bridges. with trains going back and forth, than with grade cross- ings. The directors, with the approval of the railroad commissioners, have decided that these roads shall be closed, and the law says that thsy have power to do it. They have the right to change highways, and unless they exercise their power wantonly the railroad commissioners are bound to approve. This company hope to meet with hearty recep- tion from New Haven. Of course some who live near these streets don't want to dispose of their property. They had rather take their lives in their hands by going over grade crossings. If you give us every foot we want we hope to bring big results to this city. If you strangle the scheme you will continue to pour everything into the hands of one great railroad system. You want second road here to increase business. Do you want to keep on throwing everything into the hands of the Consolidated? Two competitive roads have made Danbury and Waterbury what they are.-
 Mayor York--Do you know whether any thing definite or specific has been done about the buildings you propose to erects
 MT. Baldwin-Yes, these plans are spe- cifc. but we can't go on and do anything until we get the land
 Corporation Counsel Driscoll--I fail to zee, MT. Baldwin, how the bridging of Liberty street would choke the business of the road, for, if all this travel now can get through sixteen or eighteen feet of space, it can sure ly get through one hundred feet. What earthly obstruction would this bridge be- as you say?
 Mir. Baldwin-It would darken the tracks good deal, it would prove an obstruction to sight of the trainmen, besides in many other ways. If was brakeman I would not want 8 bridge there.
 MT. Driscoll-Well, if they can make out all right at the Cedar street bridge, why can't they at Liberty street?
 Mir. Baldwin-The closer you get to the depot the greater is the aggravation. I never could convince you, MT. Driscoll, if should talk an hour.
 MT. Driscoll-My engineer says the Consol- idateds freight house is 643 feet long, and you want 1000.
 MT. Baldwin, think no one would say but what we want that much, reminding you that the New England system, which has greater mileage than the Consolidated, wants it.
 ND. Sperry tiptoed over to Mir. Baldwin. and the latter asked MT. Driscoll if the Con solidated didn't have another freight house 500 feet long on Belle dock. Mr. Driscoll didn't know.
 Mir. Driscoll-Do you intend to bring any, thing here but New Haven freightl
 MT. Baldwin, think this is unreason- able. We would prefer not to state to yeu at present our plans.
 MT. Driscoll-It strikes me that all the freight that will come here will belong to New Haven. You don't think that the road is going to take freight from Danbury and run it backward to New Haven and go to New York by boat?
 MT. Baldwin, think it might be done.
 Mir. Driscoll-If the abolition of those streets had been so essential to this system why didn't it put it in the contract when the purchase was made?
 Mir. Baldwin, was on the other side of the water, but hear that you made pretty good contract for the city.
 q object to all this. It is only MT. Dris- coll for the Consolidated against the Derby" shouted man in the audience who proved to be Edward Mccarthy.
 "Order! Orderl" exclaimed Mayor York.
 The tilt between Mir. Driscen and Mir. Baldwin was continued, and the latter finally protested and wanted MT. Driscoll to ask his questions through Mayor York, which he did. MT. Mccarthy jumped to his feet two or three times again and shouted out some thing. He had to be called to order.
 Hon. N. D. Sperry made an eloquent ap. peal as director of the road. It was for the interest of the city that it should grant to the company what it wanted and to dct 1iueEdlAy 4He persons lnJureQ VIII be fully compensated. The more railroads in a city the better. I don't think this com mittee is going to cripple the city by refusing the wishes of the company and we want the privilege to spend the money for the city's benefit. The road has paid more for the land it has purchased here than it would if the railroad had not been there. wish we were going to have another road coming here. I hope this city under the Democratic admin istration of Mayor York will arise and assert itself and be alive once more. Great ap- plause and laughter)
 General S. E. Merwin appeared as a direc- tor of the road. He is also one of the com- mittee which holds the road in trust until the company carries out its contract. I thought could serve the city better by &C., cepting the dictatorship. This company pro- poses to give the city more than they say they will. They ask that these streets be closed and it ought to be done. kaow it will be an inconvenience to few, but won't the great benefit it will do the city overbalance thisl The road is willing to compensate for all the damage it does.
 Mir. Driseoll-Don't you think if Com- merce street is extended that it will relieve the traffic on Meadows
 General Merwin-I think it will.
 George L. Ives, who lives on Minor street. was in favor of closing up the streets If Liberty street is bridged it will leave thou l
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