Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-11-01

is at the established street grade. Be-
tween North, Park and Maple streets
there are quite heavy depressions. Take
a portion of the embankment from under
the tracks for the purpose Of bringing
tracks and street on level, and then you
have what? Not only the street still
with considerable depressions between
the street grade points, but the railroad
then says to corresponds fall, then
rise, and so on. But until the section
between Maple and Branch street is
reached the difficulties are comparatively
light. Above Maple is one immense and
wide depression, both sides of the track,
varying from three to five feet in depth,
all the way to the street grade at Branch
street crossing. Out of this depression
rises the railroad erlbankment, just W de
enough to support the rails. The Refor-
mer proposes to lower this embankment
till with the dirt obtained, the road bed
and the wide street are on level. What
have you now to show for the work A
railroad bed all out of level, a sharp de-
cline at Maple and heavy depression for
long distance, then the sharp rise again
when the track strikes the true grade at
Branch. Are we to be recOmpensed for
of earth taken from the embalkment dis
tributed over the roadway will hardly
have made an impression on the street.
The sum total of the results of the work
will be a nearly ruined railroad bed,
scarcely any improvement in the street
and heavy waste of time and money.
This is beautiful scheme on paper,
but it requires trip along the length of
County street TO expose its absurdity.
Upon the authority of a competent engi-
neer we can state that the only practical
way of bringing both street and railroad
beds to the same level is TO fill in the
street, not molesting the tracks. The
magnitude of such an undertaking can
be Judged somewhat from the fact that
from North to Branch, street averages, on
an estimate, three feet below the tracks
| (which, as stated above, are practically
on the street grade the whole distance,)
and the distance covers about four-tifths
of a mile. A gentleman of experience in
engineering work, in reply to question
as to the expense of bringing County
street to grade, replied that neither $4,000
or $4,000 would tempt him. These figures
are slightly different from the Reformer's
But after your boulevard" is completed,
there is yet big difficulty for the ''home
seekers,n for on the north side of the
track, along most of the upper portion
of the street, the depression is equally as
great as in the street, In another issue
the Reformer says.
ut should be understood that for most
of the way between North street and the
Hathaway bridge the railway bed added
to the street would make a boulevard
from five to six rods wide. The rails laid
in the center of this thOroughfare, the
iron being sunk to the level of the gravel,
would be nearly as though there were no
road bed there. In the winter time the
rails would be covered entirely, and there
being no streets crossing it, save one,
what magnificent speedway it would
make. Indeed the village might we'll set
aside the north half of this magnificent
drive to a speedway for all seasons of the
year, and travel be prohibited thereon.
| The distance is slick half mile. What
d spot for the gentlemen to come out with
speedy single or spanking double team
for spin; what a stretch for the work
ing out of the track horse or colt, or the
showing up of stock intended for sale;
what scorching ground for the wheel
men,"
AS for the making of a speedway of
county SJT6et, Iuo SuBBooOlOh oOOhAo oOihO
what ridiculous from the fact Of the
heavy grade. For the first two miles the
rise averages 100 feet to the mile, yet
speedway is supposed to be somewhat on
a level, or at least should be. If che Re-
former desires a coasting ground County
street could be made into an excellent
one. A few years ago party of gentle
men were planning for a half-mile race
track-circular-on that portion of the
Soldiers Home grounds occupied by the
militia in the encampment of 1891. The
grounds are close by and parallel to
County street. When surveyor devel-
oped the fact that between the western
and eastern points of this proposed half
mile track, considerably less than a quar-
ter of a mile apart, there was rise of
thirty feet. the scheme was at once aban-
doned as impracticable.
The BANNER would be as pleased as
anyone to see improvements made at
once on County street, but the real facts
would indicate that any one who is bank
ing much on those visionary statements
of the Reformer is a victim of most de-
lusive hopes.
Any one Wishing 10 Ouy a fIano or an
| Organ, will do well to send to Mason IL
!