The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1895-07-27
MERIDEN,s DAY DREAMS.
And Wonderful improvements That tn,
Consolidated Road May Make Some Da,
In That City-A Chance to Spend Two an,
a Half Million Dollars.

anu Wonder1ul improvements That the
Consolidated Road May Make Some Day
In That City-A Chance to Spend Two and
Half Million Dollars.
Meriden, July 26.-When the Consoli-
dated road moved the freight yard to
lis present location above Camp street
and built the new passenger station on
the site of the old freight depot, the
late Vice President Reed, who had at
| that time the development department
or the road In charge, expressed the be-
lief that Meriden was fixed for fifty
years, but it was only comparatively
short time after that he realized that
the changes would only answer for a
| few years. With further improvements
in view the land east of the malleable
iron shop was bought from John L. Bill
lard and is still held by the railroad
people.
If the Consolidated road folks had
succeeded at that time in their effort
| to get control of the Meriden and Wa
terbury plant 1t is certain that great
changes in the companys property
would by this time have been complet-
| ed The failure of the Consolidated to
get possession of the Meriden and Wa
terbury caused the projects in view to
be dropped for the time being, but the
time is fast approaching when they
will have to be revived, and in The
opinion of leading citizens carried out
| The greatest problem that faces the
{ Consolidated road in Meriden is the elm
| nation of the grade crossings, a certain
number of which the state law compals
the company to do away with annually
The Main street crossing Is the worst
| of all and would entail the greatest
| changes as we'll az expense.
| No one Is more deeply interested in
the progress and safe development of
Meriden than Nathaniel l.. Bradley, of
the Bradley & Hubbard company, and
the question of Consolidated road
changes in this city has been most Sc
riously considered by him. Speaking of
the matter to-day, Mr.. Bradley said to a
Journal reporter: Il have it on good
authority that the elimination of the
present grade crossings within the linn
its of the city of Meriden will cost ST.
| 100000. I do not believe the Consolidat-
| ed road will spend that amount of mon
ley, and if the officials were willing to do
| the work / do not think the people of
Meriden would want to have them do it.
| Just imagine what a sight 1t would be
| to have the railroad track as high as the
1second story of the Lyon & Billiard
building! We look badly enough now
around the center without that kind of
1 change. Then, again, what a damage
to property it would be-
| .aThe plan the Consolidated people
should adopt in my opinion, and the
one that will be followed when the time
comes for the changes" continued Mr..
Bradley, "is the one of swinging around
| the city to the west, the change in the
| line to begin north of the malleable iron
shop and extend along the Meriden and
| Waterbury line to the depot on West
Main street, circling down through the
| valley south of Main street and strik-
ling the main line again somewhere be-
| tween Yalesville and Wallingford. That
/ line, I am told, will be at least mile
! shorter than the present one and of The
| greatest benefit to the town and the
! company. The latter can have yard
| facilities sufficient for fifty years and
| the town will get a boom that it can
i get in no other way.
"There will, of course, be some objec-
| ton to the change, as there is to all
schemes of that nature" added Mr..
Bradley, "but when the people realize
the way this project is bound to develop
| the town, especially in the western sec
ton; when they realize the great men
ace to life by trains rushing through the
center of the city that will be removed;
when they realize that it is by far the
best thing that can be done for all con-
Icerned. am certain that opposition will
be withdrawn and unanimous consent
given for the change"
| Other leading citizens fully agree with
Mr.. Bradley in this matter and express
| the hope that it will only be short
time before this great Improvement Is
under way in Meriden.
L rrrrr-n rIs,,se Thief Held in BRIDGE