Evening journal., 1893-02-16
GRADE CROSSINGS MUST GO.

Council. Street and Sewer, and Park
Committees In Joint Session Resolve
TO Abolish Railroad Crossings on Street
Level.
City Council the Street and Sewer di.
rectors and the Park Commission held a
joint session in the Council chamber last
night. City Council unanimously voted
against legislative interference in the
government of the city BY unani.
nous vote of the Council and street and
sewer directors it was decided that all
steam railroads passing through the city
should abolish grade crossings
Mr. McKelvey was in the chair. The
first business taken up was that of the
Park Commission, which was represented
Bancroft and ID. J. Mention. Mr..
mission.
According to Mr.. Canby's statement
the people are demanding the improve
ment Of the parks, which has been him
dered by the fact that the commission
had no stated income. The practice of
City Council of making appropriations in
amounts varying from $4,000 to
$40, 900 year, preventing the commits
sion from making any extended plans for
Identifying the parks Of the city The
cost of maintaining the parks aggre-
gated about SIC, 900 year and as the
last appropriation was only $i5, 000 only
S. 900 was available for improvements;
"a, 500 of this had been expended on the
new bridge in the Brandywine park and
all other work had to be abandoned.
In order to meet the demand of the
people and to secure an economical ex-
penditure of appropriations for park pur-
poses, the Park Commission had decided
TO ask City Council to concur in the pas
sage Of bill during the present session
Of the Legislature to fix the amount to
be appropriated for park improvement.
Mr.. Candy estimated the necessary
amount of annual appropriation at
$25. 600, He thought this sum should be
fixed or that a certain per cent
of the city assessment should be
set aside for park purposes, the latter
method being preferable, as it assured a
gradual increase of the appropriation.
There was almost unanimous objection
to Mr.. Canby's motion. Mr.. MeKelvey,
said the difficulty is that City Council is
bankrupt; the commissions get all the
money. After much discussion the
question was called for and the motion
|
which the park commissioners left the
Council chamber.
Chairman McKelvey stated to Council
that the Street and Sewer Directors were
present to confer with Council about the
proposed overhead bridge at the inter-
section Of Fourth street and the P, w.
& B. railroad. He called ON Joseph l..
Carpenter for a statement of what had
been done in the matter. Mr.. Carpenter
asked what the special committee had
done.
Mr.. Perkins in reply said that com.
mittee had been.appointed about a year
ago to consider the report about ths
overhead bridge, but 1t had never re.
ported. He did not know why, except
that the matter had been deferred fol
the benefit Of the railroad companies
He thought the time had come wheI
! steam railroads passing through the city
should elevate their tracks But to builS
an overhead bridge over the railroad a
Fourth street would make demand 70
= an overhead bridge at every grade cross
: ing in the city. He was not ready 70
: that just yet.
! @. f. Thomas one of the special com
mites made a speech against humpin
!. the streets by building overhead bridges
He said that he had been ktold that tn
. railroad companies would rather kill
: man than main one. He belived it an
= thought the time had come to do some
J. thing TO preserve the level Of th
= streets for the people and to proteC
I. their lives in the use of them. He wa
= endorsed in his view by Messrs. Perkins
= Murray and Ross and the Street, an
- - Sewer Directors. In closing his speec
~ he moved that all the steam railroad
L passing through this city be required
= abolish grade crossings. The motto
= was adopted by unanimous vote