Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-03-20
PINCHING THE RAILROAD.
THE TOWN WANTS A GOOD BRIDGE
 OVER MAD RIVER.

HE TOWN WAN , "A OOOO 0niOAC
 OVER MAD RIVER.
 A Committee Appointed to Act With the
 Selectmen to Pull the Meriden and
 Waterbury's Ear-The Town Tenders
 Land for Police Station.
 Town Clerk James c. White began read ing the warning for special town meeting to probably sixty men in the district court room at S:03 o'clock last evening. By the time he had finished the number present was over 100, and when c. B. Webster had taken his seat as moderator under protest, all the available space outside the rail, in cluding standing room, was taken In side the rail sat Mayor Boughton, B. Fitz- patrick, John L. Sake, John Blair, City Clerk Kilduff. City Attorney George k. Terry, City Sheriff Mcdonald, 5. J. smith and Court Messenger Houlihan, while Chief Egan, Sergeant Bannon and George E. Judd stood portion of the time near the door. The meeting was called at the request of about thirty-fve petitioners, among them Mayor Boughton, Asa c. Peck, R. Nj. Hill, c. B. Webster, Dr w. s. Frost, Chief Egan and several members of the police force, and Judge Gillette, and number of lawyers, and for the purpose ot taking action in regard to the towns in- terest in the city hall property, the lease of portion of land in the rear to the city for a police station, and the matter of con- structing bridge over Mad river at Bald win street, made necessary by the layout of the Meriden and Waterbury railroad. THE CITY HALL PROPERTY. Town Clerk White read that portion of the call regarding the sale of the towns interest in the city hall property to the city, This led s. P. Williams to call for the reading of the petition.
 |. Mayor Boughton offered three resolu- tions: The first considered by the meet ing provided that ''the selectmen with committee appointed by the court of com mon council be and are hereby instructed to so alter the city hall building as to pro- vide suitable offices for the city and town officers with the appurtenances therefore at an expense not to exceed SS,OtO
 Emmet F. Riordan moved the indefinite postponement and somebody shouted out something about 1891 and the matter was postponed without debate by an almost u lanimous vote
 THE MAD RIVER BRIDGE.
 The next resolution taken up was one instructing the selectmen to :'erect, in conjunction with the Meriden- Waterbury railroad company, suitable bridge over Mad river at Baldwin street, said bridge to be the full width of the street."
 M. J. Brzezinski wanted the resolution adopted and John l. Sake wanted to know why the town should tie itself up with a corporation to build a bridge, and why 1t would not be right for the railroad com pany to build the bridge. w. E. Beecher | believed in bridges as wide as the road 1 way, but he did not see the necessity of widening the bridge now. It could be done some time subsequent to the changes made by the railroad company.
 Selectman J. B. Doherty explained to the meeting that the railroad company in making the changes at the Mad river bridge would have to replace the present bridge. It would necessitate the building of new structure The joists of the rresent bridge are of wood and the extra expense to the town for iron josts would be $l ,653. The towns share of the change to ence in the cost between the wooden ioists and the iron ones and the extra expense for widening.
 City attorney Terry thought the town ought not to foot the bill for the iron work. I If the bridge was widened the city would have to pay the additional expense. He advocated authorizing the selectmen to ac- cept only an iron structure and to pay on ly the additional cost for widening. The company, he said, intended to raise the bridge six feet at one end and two feet at the other, making grade of four feet in fifty The town should accept no such structure as that.
 John L. Sake advocated that the ap- l of t0 oaf with be selectmen and report at an adjourned meeting was the proper way to dispose of the matter. MT Saxe, during his remarks, took occasion to state that the road was no l benefit to Waterbury; that instead of help ing the people on this end it helped those at the other end. There were only six months in the year when the Connecticut river was open, so that Waterbury. could get freight from that point, and the re- mainder of the ear Waterbury was at the mercy of the other railroads. The Con- necticut is closed to navigation from four to five months and sometimes only three months.-Rep.]
 A substitute resolution, drawn by MT Terry, providing for the appointment of a committee of four to act with the select men and to confer with the railroad com pany as to their plans for crossing Bald street, also as to the cost to the town of widening the brid ge-the committee to re- port at an adjourned meeting, was then passed without a dissenting voice, and Messrs William c. Keenan, George E.. Terry, Henry I. Boughton and Edward G.. Kilduff were appointed by the meeting. The name of James J. Kelly was mentioned but he declined to serve.
 THE POLICE STATION.
 Mayor Boughton's third resolution was | then read for the consideration of the meeting. It instructs the selectmen Ito grant, lease or convey to the city, for a term not to exceed 99 years the land in the rear of the city hall, now owned jointly by the town and city, for the purpose of erect ing city prison, lookup, police station and proper appurtenances."
 E. G. Kilduff, with celerity, moved the adoption of the resolution, but on the first vote the result was doubted and a second vote indicated only slight opposition, and Chairman Webster declared it carried.
 The meeting then adjourned until Mon- day, April ?.
 The remains of James M. Breckenbridge former resident of this city who died ill New Haven yesterday, will arrive in this city tomorrow morning and be taken to