Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1891-08-04
THE CITY AND the RAILROADS.

to the COnSOudaGeQ ana DeTDy fauroauS.
Mayor Sargent presented to the board a
long communication of his own writing,
showing the progress recently made with
regard to the future bridging of the Water
street crossing. The communication opens
with a letter from President Clark of the
Consolidated road to Mayor Sargent, which
reads as follows: ~
NEW HAVEN, Conn, May II, 1891. ~
Hon. J. B. Sargent, Mayor, New Haven,
Conn:
Dear Sir-Referring to the conference
held on the 9th instant between yourself
and the city engineer on the part of the
city, and our chief engineer, vice presi-
dent and myself, representing the railroad,
to avoid any possible misunder-
standing in the future, I have to say
in reference to the grade crossing now ex-
listing at Water street, of which you, as
representing the pzblic, complain that the
company has acquired all the land neces-
sary to substitute way practically in the
direct line of Water street through to State
street, and is now willing to do at its own
expense all the work between Union and
Water streets and the east side Of State
street, including the provision of the right
of-way and the construction of the bridge,
substantially as shown in the plans, if the
city on its part will adjust and arrange the
grade of Union, Water and State streets
so as to make it practicable to carry Water
street over our tracks instead of across
TSignedl &c. P. CLARK,
president"
Mayor Sargent said that since receiving
the communication it was impossible to
meet President Clark, whose time when
here was occupied by the tunnel accident
trials and who was now in Europe. By
the contract between the city of New Ha-
ven and the Canal road the latter was
over streets in the city. The Consolidated
road had acquired the obligations as we'll
as the privileges of the Canal road when
the purchase of the latter was made. The
New York, New Haven and Hartford rail-
road company, therefore, would have been
under contract to bridge all the tracks at
Water street, west of Union street and as
| far as Custom House square. and to be at
all the expense of the necessary approaches
and changes of grade Of streets and the re-
sulting changes of grade in adjoining prop
critics, and consequent damage to property
| if any.
The city, however, changed the circum-
cumstances and conditions by allowing the
| tracks of the New Haven and Derby Rail
road company to be placed where they
| must be covered by the same bridges. The
| bridge must therefore be extended further
west so that State street must be raised at
| the point of intersection in order to get q
| passable grade.
The mayor states that the approaches
| must be elevated to such an extent that
some of the adjoining property on Water
| and State streets may have to be filled in.
| He requests permission to call together
| the committee on streets and the commit
| tee on bridges for conference as to changes
| necessary in the vicinity before the i'm
| company can be accomplished.
It was ordered to give the mayor full
power to summon the committees named,
as well as to confer with the railroad Off
Gals, and hasten the completion of the
| work proposed as soon as possible.
Following the consideration of the
Water street bridge the mayor asked the
| wishes of the board as to the prosecution
of the New Haven and Derby railroad by
the city because of it's refusal to pay
damages awarded to property owners on
property had greatly deprecated in value
through the closing of the aforesaid streets
City Clerk Downes read an order passed
by a former board, instructing Mayor
Peck to prosecute the Derby officials to
| the full extent of the law for their negli-
gence. The present mayor was doubtful
| whether these instructions applied to him
or whether the city had jurisdiction in the
| matter. He claimed that the defrauded
| owners had counsel of their own, who
| could press their cases, and that any
| action of the city was unnecessary.
Alderman Hamilton opposed this idea of
the mayors in vigorous speech, in which
he set forth the circumstances of the case.
The residents on the streets named were
chiefly poor people who had not the means
to get themselves done full justice. After
the railroad company had violated the con-
tract with New Haven in which they had
expressly stipulated to satisfy all claim
ants for damages a board of arbitration,
appointed by the state, adjudicated very
conservative awards. Of these the Derby
officials had taken no notice whatever. AS
| the contract had been made with the city
and not with individuals, and as the city
government existed only for the protection
of the citizens, Alderman Hamilton deemed
that the corporation counsel ought to take
| immediate steps at law against the com
pany and, if nothing resulted from that,
| that the contest should be transferred to
| the legislature.
The board, after considerable discus
| sion, instructed the Mayor to press the
| case against the Derby road. The ag-
| gregate of damage as yet unpaid amounts
to about $22,O 900.
Before the railroad matters were
brought up, the honorable board spent
about an hour and half in seemingly
fruitless discussion on the Strengthening Of
Dixwen avenue from Bassett street to the
city line.
City Engineer Hill was at hand with a
large number of maps and plans, by
means of which he attempted to show that
| the proposed improvement could be eff
fected with but little inconvenience to
property holders. It appears that Dix
we'll avenue DIVORCES from six to eight feet
| to the fifteen hundred. Discourses were
| spoken by several aldermen on the desira-
bility of perfectly straight streets. Messrs.
| Daley and Hamilton preferred crooked
ways, not from an ideal point of view, they
said, but because the Strengthening would
| cut the gardens and fences and destroy the
| piazzas Of several residents an the street.
"What," exclaimed Attorney Hamilton,
"does the young man driving out to ride
to Hamden with his best girl care as to the
exact curvature of the avenues You can't
be particular within quarter of an inch.
Even if you make the curling exactly
straight, you can't get horse to make a
bee line down the street. Even crow
will have one wing a little heavier than
the other and fly in zig-zag direction"
Other speakers showed that the straight
| ening was opposed by all the residents in
| the district as injurious to their property.
| The aldermen decided unanimously to re-
ject the recommendation of the committee
on streets. ~.. ..-.--.
Alderman Daley presented an amend
ment to the ordinances, reading as follows:
"Ordered, that section 1872, revision of
bylaws of 1890, which section relates to
sidewalks, be hereby amended as follows:
Hereafter in this city no brick sidewalks
shall be laid, no brick sidewalk already laid
shall be repaired, or relaid, and no side
walk of any character shall be repaired
with brick within the city limits except by
permission of the board of public works. -
The aldermen decided unanimously in
favor of the ordinance. By the former
ordinace it was practically impossible to
do any repairing to sidewalks without vio-
lating the law.
The following petitions were referred:
| A petition for crosswalk on Whalley ave-
| nue., between Garden and Orchard streets;
a petition for the hardening of West
Chapel street, between Sherman avenue
and Norton street; petition for an cleo
trio light on the corner of Garden and
| Elm streets; petition for a brick side
walk on Wooster street, between State and
| O1ivo atraafs. r,etition for coporo{o