The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-05-04

Tomorrow forenoon at 10 o'clock a
hearing will be held at the post Office at
Woodfords involving the decision of a
| question of the greatest interest to the
citizens of Deering. Forest avenue is
the main thoroughfare between the main
portions of Deering and Portland. It is
also the main highway over which passes
nearly all the travel from Westbrook,
Gorham, Gray, and all the northern
| towns of the county. 1t is doubtful if
there is another similar road in the state
of Maine that is so much travelled as
this stretch from Deering bridge to
! Woodfords Corner. In addition to the
traffic by teams, it is traversed by cleo
trio cars which pass a given point at a
rate of not far from one every five min
utes. The rails over which this heavy
car traffic passes are placed along the
side of the street, in a position which eff
fectually prevents all satisfactory care
of the street SO far as draining and grad
ing are concerned. The width of Forest
avenue is now the ordinary four-rod
width Of the country roads.
Some time last year Mr.. W. w. Mitch
ell, who was at that time member of
the board of aldermen and was then and
is still greatly interested in the improve
ment of the city, proposed in the city
government steps towards widening
Forest avenue from the present width of
&c feet to Sc feet. The city government
took the steps which have resulted in the
hearing tomorrow. Forest avenue is a
county road. and the expense of the
land damages for widening it would come
upon the county.
The arguments presented by Mr..
Mitchell at the time he first proposed
the Improvement, are such as concern
the future of Deering. The people of
the young city are beginning to realize
that it has future before it. Last year
the building operations in the town
reached an aggregate that surprised the
people, who have awakened to the fact
that Portland is growing that way. For
est avenue is to be the main artery of
travel, used by a greater number of
teams and by more electric car passen-
gers every year, and sooner or later built
up to houses on the now vacant places.
The avenue widening now will stand for
all the years that civilization shall re-
main in these parts. If not widened
now it will never be, probably, because
the land damages will continually in
crease.
It is not thought that the land dam
ages will be great as compared with the
advantages to come from the results. It
is proposed to take the twenty feet addi-
tional from the northeast side. and the
widening will extend from Mr.. Joseph
0. Winslow's house near Deering point.
to Woodfords. 1t was originally intend
ed to have the widening stop at the
Portland and Rochester crossing, but a
later amendment would extend it to
Ocean street. This extension through
Woodfords Corner would involve changes
in much improved property. and would
be quite expensive, undoubtedly. But
between Winslow's and the Portland and
Rochester crossing the land to be taken
is almost entirely free from buildings
that would be interfered with.
The expense to the city of Deering
would, it is understood, be only that of
widening the street.
The conditions of travel are such as to
demand change. The railroad COM
pany should have double track in Or
der to enable their cars to run through
from Woodfords to Portland without the
delays on sidings. With this delay obvi-
ated the electrics ought to make the trip
in not far from ten minutes, where now
they take fifteen. The doubling of this
track is probably inevitable within a
year or two, but itcannot well be done I'M
til the tracks can be moved into the
middle of the street where Portland and
Westbrook have compelled the road to
put its tracks. With two lines taking
up twelve or thirteen feet on the centre
of the road, the avenue ought to be wild
ened to handle the traffic as it should
be.
With the car line occupying the middle
of the street it would have to pave be-
tween its tracks, or width of twelve or
thirteen feet for the whole length of the
avenue from Portland to Woodfords.
This would greatly simplify the city's
problem of making good street of the
avenue in the mud of spring and fall.
and the dust of summer, since the pay
ing of the remaining portions would not
seem SO large job.
There will probably be large attend
ance at the hearing tomorrow forenoon.
The Burglary.
Postmaster Motley has completed an
account Of the stamps which the burg
lars took Saturday night and finds that
the amount reduces to 5000. The burg
lars overlooked a large number.
Clues were still scarce yesterday. A
fellow in dark clothes was seen crawling
out from under the bars near the Deer
ing place ON the road which extends out
from Crova ctroot TuorIoyr ~, orY,;pcr o,l