The Newtown bee., 1892-07-15
Closing Up the Daniels Farm Road
 Case.

by further testimony for the town from Town Clerk l.. M. Wakeley and for the petitioners from Engineer D. s. Brins- made, Contractors Charles E. Williams and William F.. Parker and H. Stanley Brinsmade and the legal arguments of Judge Beers and Attorney Wheeler. The committee, ex-County Commissioners Tallmadge Baker of Norwalk, ex-Mayor r. Coughlin and Moses Treadwell of Weston, will eventually report their find ing to the court.
 Mir Wheeler objected that the 5000 bond submitted by the petitioners would not cover the cost of the layout, but should be doubled and did not specify how the work was to be done.
 Town Clerk Wakeley had examined Trumbulls Iecords since 1797, when it was set of from Stratford and had found neither action on nor mention of the Dan- iel's Farm road at town meetings. The assessment list of Trumbull was put in evidence, showing a grand list of $GOl,- 053.
 
 ed that more material, mostly rock, must be removed at the old road, if Contractor Chapman's suggestion to straighten it in cutting down the hill was followed.
 Dennis A. Blakesley is of the New Haven firm of c. W. Blakesley & Sons, contractors, doing a business of $l50,O0C to $200, ,000 yearly. He had been over the old road and estimated that it would cost sl B cubic yard to remove rock and 45c earth in cutting down the old road and would lose money at those figures He confessed to Attorney Wheeler that it would make good dry hard road bed and that he was not familiar with con- tract prices for such work in Bridgeport or vicinity. The work could be done in six weeks or two months. He said that the rock was bastard granite, did not lay in seams and would be difficult to blast.
 Charles k. Williams and William k. Parker are both of the Stone Construct ion Co.,, which built the Long Hill mac adam road. MT Williams is secretary and treasurer of the company and makes UnelT It WOulu SOSI Rl cO ~ yard to handle rock and 40 to soc earth at old hill and it would make fair road. Rock could be blasted alone for $l yard. Costs more to cart than earth. His con- pany furnish crushed stone for the city at 9Sc and he estimated that it cost 63c to blast the rock for it. MT Parker estimat- ed rock at the old hill at $1 9 to $l 30. Earth 33c. He was in personal charge of the work on Long Hill road.
 H. Stanley Brinsmade briefly said that the layout would leave Stephen Beach seven or eight acres between the layout and old road.
 The lawyers took an hour each for ar gument, Judge Beers opening and clos ing, requesting that the committee again visit the locality where the roads are at stake. Judge Beers opened by thanking the committee for their courtesy in so lengthy hearing. The layout was made to avoid an ugly, unsafe, danger ous hill, borne till forbearance has ceas- ed to be virtue and a safer way must be provided avoiding the great wear and tear on teams, A grade of l6 feet in 100 in road ought not to be continued in any civilized community. Trumbull has grand list of $600, 1000 and a popula- tion of character and intelligence. He regarded with pity those who did not consider good roads a necessity, for we are in the era of steam and electricity. To-day's demand is for improvement in every direction. If we are not to fall be- hind as antiquities, we must keep abreast of the present. It was bad enough to climb Daniels Farm hill when the coun- try was sparsely settled and poor. Bridgeport streets were not what they are to-day 150 years ago. No one con- demned Stratford for macadamizing its road, although it had been in use for 200 years. Common convenience and neces- sity require that all ways be made smooth and plain. Such hill, within five miles of Bridgeport, in a thriving community, 17 feet to the 100, requiring artificial means for safety, was unbear- able. Do not temporize with the evil like the Dutchman cutting off his dogs tail an inch at time. A complete rem edy is needed, not one that alleviates in part. All those who use this way in Trumbull, but he who seeks blood mon ey, ask for the layout. Of 40 or 50 fami- lies using it in Monroe, only two oppose the layout, so that only three of those directly interested prefer the old route. The layout Is most convenient and best. The witnesses on the other side live from two to five miles from the hill, us- ing that magnificent thoroughfare, the Long Hill road, an honor to those who built it. The opposition was reduced to such straits that it had to go to dis tance to get testimony from those who rarely saw the road. There was no in- justice in the layout, or Trumbull would flock to oppose it and he was sorry for the town if its sentiment was reflected by some of those who sought to do SO. Judge Beers defined necessity in the phrase common convenience and neces- sity. It is not absolute necessity that the law requires, but necessity as quali- fled by the circumstances and times. The Branford case was cited where a new road was granted, though its only necessity was to gratify driving for pleasure. Necessity was to be constru- ed in a liberal sense. There is no ques- ton from the testimony that the layout would be common convenience. The fact that the old way exists and can be cut down to a grade of Il feet to the 100 comedies that common convenience and necessity require improvement. Show ing what can be done is not the thing. If Trumbull had voted to grade the old rnaa than fta chntoa would 1ia hatwaan