The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-05-13

came forward to speak against the widen
ing. Some of its advocates, he said, did
not get up until o'clock in the morning,
and were queer people generally. Mr..
Chapman objected to tie expense of the
proposed change. By blowing off the
top of Mitchell hill much of the travel
now crowding the avenue would be
diverted. In closing Mr.. Chapman said
that people would not travel by the
Stroudwater road. even in the day time.
for fear of highwaymen.
j. S. Kicker, ESQ.,, said that he had
lived on the avenue for twenty five years.
He had driven to and fro on it every
day and had never had any trouble. If
the Deering people would pave the street
and put in curb the way would be all
right. In his opinion the electric cars
were run too fast. If more street room
was needed, Deering street would be the
one to widen. That is free from cars and
much of the carriage travel has gone on
to it. Mr.. Kicker said that if the com
missioners should offer him q dollar a
foot for fifteen feet of his land along the
road with the trees which have been so
years growing, he would not take it. Of
course the land was not worth so much !:
but the taking of it would seriously hurt
his place. If you cut off a horses tail,
the tail may not be worth much, but the
value of the horse will be impaired great
ly. If the commissioners saw fit to con-
denim this land at a nominal price, he
gave notice that he should recover all he
could.
Mr.. Lewis Mcclellan of Gorham, OPP
posed the widening, which he said, would
be adeparture from precedent AS to
the electric road. he said that it would
get to be an octopus as bad as the Port
land Water Co. had been.
Mr.. G. w. Owen objected in behalf of
his mother, whose house would be much
damaged by the widening.
In reply to Mr.. Mcclellan, Mr.. William
Wood said the Portland Railroad Co.
was not here as a petitioner, as grind
ing monopoly or as an octopus. The
railroad proposed to give the best posi-
BILE service to its patrons; and if they
should petition for double track the
road would do it's best to grant the re-
quest.
| Mr.. Lewis Mcclellan said it might seem
ungracious for him to oppose; but he had
noticed that generally on questions of
this sort the men who pay the least taxes
talk the best. The increasing expenses
of the county of Cumberland constituted
an ever increasing problem. If the city
of Deeringf would utilize all the space it
had within the limits of the road, the
avenue might be much improved. 1t be-
hooved the county commissioners to be
careful.
Mr.. E. T. Harmon said that if the
widening was done it would swallow up
nearly the whole Of his place-property
worth $780, Yet the street ought to be
widened,
AT the continuation of the hearing in
the afternoon Mr.. Warren Sparrow, with
Frank W. Robinson, Esq, appeared to
make a presentation of the question of
damages. Mr.. Sparrow does not object
to the widening of the street; but rather
favors it. It would, however, take CON
siderable Of his property, and the ques-
ton of damages is of Importance.
City Solicitor Hopkins closed the case
for the petitioners. He thought the ex-
pense to the county would not be large.
A ten foot strip of the land not built up
on ought not to cost over $4,000; and the
damages where there were buildings
ought not to be over $4,000 more. A
widening Of ten feet would not interfere
with Mr.. Ricker's trees, as they would
then come on the line between the side
walk and roadway.
Fred V. Matthews, ESQ.,, called atten-
ton to the fact that the Webb place at
Woodfords was owned by Fraternity
Lodge of Odd Fellows, who propose to
erect thereon a building. If the county
should take off twenty feet, it would
seriously impair their lot, and might in
terfere with their plans.
The hearing was then adjourned.
The commissioners will probably not
report their decision until the first Tues
day in June.
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