Morning journal and courier., 1893-07-12
AN ANCIENT LANDMARK.

Period of the Country,s Existence-I A Historic Turnpike Company The Movement for the Abolition of the Old Toll House on the Derby Turnpike-The Action or the Legls- | ture on the Subject.
 The Derby Turnpike company at their recent annual meeting held in Birming- ham at the residence of E. N. Shelton, re- elected the following directors of the oom- pany for the ensuing year: Walter s. Hine of Orange, George J. SBsssett of New Haven and E. N. Shelton of Derby. All bills were ordered paid.
 Director Bassett is the son of John E. Bassett, the hardware merchant of this city and member of the Bsssett firm. Mir. John E. Bassett is treasurer of the turnpike company, position this we'll known and esteemed business man has held for great many years, and the store of the Baesstt hardware firm and of the firm or firms of long bygone years of which it is the ineal successor, has been the office of the turnpike company since it
 was first organized, just about 100 years ago. In all this long period of century
 what changes have taken place-the intro
 duction of steam railroads, steamboats, the telegraph, the electric light, the tele-
 phone, the electric street railroads and the
 development of the United States from 8
 feeble nation to one of the most power
 ful on the globe. One by one the toll
 in the state have been abolished. There
 were within the memory of many of New
 Haven's old inhabitants toll houses on about all the main roads leading out of New Haven. With the building of the New York and New Haven railroad came | the abolition of the old Milford road toll house and toll taking; with the building of the Hartford road and later of the Canal l railroad came the abolition of toll taking and turnpike companies on the Hartford turnpike and the Hamden turnpike. It is now some time since the East Hartford bridge at Hartford ceased to be toll route. The Derby toll house is one of the isolated instances of the kind in the state. Toll taking at the Tomlinson bridge route to East Haven ceased few years ago on the | solidated railroad. The Derby toll route is the last remaining toll route in this part of l the state, all the other roads leading out of New Haven being now free roads. The last legislature had among the multitude of other questions before it that of the pro. posed abolition of the Derby turnpike toll taking and the providing of way where. by the Derby Turnpike company could
 be legally extinguished upon proper com. pensation for it's rights, franchise and property. The project of aboliahing the
 toll-taking and making this free public
 road controlled by the respective towns hearty support from various prominent l gentlemen and the measure seemed in SC much accordance with the spirit of the
 times and the necessities of the public, es pecially now that the day of stage coach travel near large cities has long gone by
 that the legislature took favorable action l On the case and left the whole matter in 8
 shape for the taking of decisive action tc
 bring about the result asked for. The l Derby Turnpike company had received nc
 official notification of the action taken by
 the legislature. The fact that reports hac
 appeared in the papers concerning thu
 matter was referred to at the meeting ani
 casually discussed, but no action wal
 taken, there being no call for any. Th'
 company voted it's usual dividends. Whil,
 the dividends paid have never been alarm
 ingly large, the company's stock has al
 ways been considered an excellent and saf
 investment and Treasurer Bassett esti
 mated recently that in round numbers tn
 company has on average paid 6 per cent
 annually on it's stock. It's entire capita
 stock is only SIC, ,000, or about that figure
 The compsny's business has bsen to kee]
 the turnpike from here to Derby in goo
 condition and to build and keep in suita
 ble repair the bridges along it's route
 Little by little New Haven, as the city
 growth required it, has acquired owner
 ship by purchase of that part of the Turr
 pike company's read which originally Ia
 in what are now the city's limits, SO tht
 New Haven now owns the route to tt = city line. The city's constant growth
 such that the one strong argument mao bsfore the legislature in behalf of abolisl | ing the dollhouse was the strong neceesit
 of new and wider bridge across We river, the present bridge proviu ! that the horse railroad crosses
 and carriages by the hundreds pa over it in going to and returning fro Yale field games The necessity of nc bridge double the width of the presel antequated structure was urged. It understood that steps will be taken at g early day to carry out the plan devised the legislature for the sbolishment of u J road asa toll road and it's return to u ownership of the respective towns paeses in. The legislature it is ascertain g ed, from Representative Hotchkiss, left Il matter in this way. It decided that an
 taxpayer in the town of New Havel = Derby or Orange may present petition
 the superior court of New Haven count \ for the abo1ishment of the toll-gate, aft
 favorable action upon which an asses } ment of benefits and damages to Il
 several towns affected by the said abol s tion of toll-gate privileges would be mad l. involving of course the proper compel Q aation of the turnpike company for 1 y rights, privileges and property.