Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1893-02-17
THE ELECTRIC RAILROAD.
Il. c. Crosby Replies to n "summer WIS.,
Itor's" Protest.

Mr.. Editor-Dedr Sir: My attention has
been called to letter in your issue of Feb.
10, signed E. A. Slack, protesting against
building an electric railroad in Brattleboro.
The writer evidently discusses the matter
from only one side, and that side entirely
a selfish one. Let us look at some of his
statements.
First: He says no argument is necessary
to prove that Main street, between the
Peoples bank and the Brooks House is too
narrow for electric cars to run on. Let us
see how this is. Washington street, Bos-
ton, in front of the Adams House is 80
feet wide and has two car tracks in it, both
doing very extensive business. Main
street, in front of the Vermont National
bank is 80 feet wide between the curb
stones. In front of the Brooks House and
the Vermont savings bank, AZ feet, and
this width north to Asylum street. The
road commissioners report for the city of
Boston gives the width of Washington
street, near Summer street, as 60 feet wide
(this the widest point and the southeast
corner only 81 feet.
If in Boston there can be run two cleo
trio car lines on a street from so to go feet
wide, with all its vast business, could not
a town of the size of BrattlebOro get along
with one electric line on a street from AZ
to 80 feet wide? Mr. Slack asks, can one
half of the street be spared for electric
cars. The width of the street has been
given above, and as the cars would take up
only eight or nine feet in width, running
only once in 20 or 30 minutes, our peo-
pie must Judge for themselves whether we
frfu half g OH mt
Again, you will notice the complaint of
iniuring the roads for pleasure driving.
Not word in favor of, or in regard to, the
business interests of the town. ask
which is of most value to our all-the-year
residents, good line of electric railroad
that will bring all parts of our east and
west village within easy and quick reach of
our Main street and depot or to go with
out the road for the sake of giving our
summer visitor a chance to drive on West
ern avenue for eight weeks in the summer?
There are many other streets that could be
used for pleasure driving. This is taking
Mr.. Stacks views that Western avenue
could not be used for anything except cleo
trio cars if the road was built. This | do
not believe have been in towns and
cities where pleasure driving and teaming
were many times more than it ever could
be on Western avenue, with streets no
wider, and there seems to be no trouble.
Again, Mr.. Slack comes here for a short
time in the summer all his business in
terests are elsewhere, his taxes paid largely
elsewhere, and much as the town likes and
appreciates its summer people, does it
hardly seem right for them to say to our
people that do business and live here all the
year, you must not have the electric road
because the people who spend few weeks
here in the summer are not in favor of it?
Another point made by Mr.. Slack in the
article was danger to school children and
others, claiming that the West End railroad
of Boston had killed 200 people Official
facts say Ply and injured 1000 Official facts
say 279) during the past year. Now this
is drawing the long bow without regard to
facts. The attention of the manager of
the West End railroad has been called to
the matter and he sends a report which is
appended to this article.
1t seems to me as though the electric
railroad, whether ever built in Brattleboro
or not, is in the line of progress and con-
venience for majority of the citizens of
the town, and while our summer residents,
and some residents that are not in active
business, are somewhat opposed to the
building of the road on account of IL
would seem, personal dislike or inconven-
fence to them, | believe that nearly all Of
the active business men would welcome
the building of the road.
One other point made by Mr.. Slack was
that if the road was built, at least one place
would be for sale on Western avenue.
While we should be sorry to have our non
residents feel obliged to sell their property
here, the opinion of our most conservative
men is that it would make property on
Western avenue more salable than now and
that he would have TO trouble in finding a
customer.
While | do not know as the road would
be of any direct personal advantage or dis
advantage to me, do believe it is for the
advantage of the town. | am fully in sym
pathy with the movement and hope the
road may be built.
EDWARD c. CROSBY.