The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-11-01
HEAVYDAMAGESDEMANDED
PROPOSED WIDENING or GR1ND
 AVENUE IND ST. JOHN STREET.

Important Meeting of Board of Compen-
 sation Last EvenIng-Property Owners
 Represented by Counsel-Stats sment of
 Damages-No Action Taken by Board.
 The members of the board of compen- sation held another interesting hearing last evening on the proposed widening of Grand avenue and St. John street, from Olive street to State street. Be- side the members of the board all the owners of property were either present or represented by counsel, among those present being Attorneys Wheeler, D. P. Arvine and Congressman-elect N. D. Sperry, John Rogers, b. c. Beecher and a number of others.
 The damage to the property of John Rogers was the first heard by the board. His property is located at the corner of St. John and Artisan streets. He was represented by Attorney E. P. Arvine, who called upon Real Estate Dealer E. c. Beecher to testify as to the value of the land in question and the actual amount of damages MT. Rogers would sustain by the proposed improve ment. It was shown that the widening would take a strip 19 feet wide off of the Rogers property, leaving the lot 23 feet by 32 feet, which would not be sufficiently large to erect a building of any practical use on. He estimated the land damages at $4,275, the damage caused by the change in the building at $7OO, the value of the portion of the building taken away at $500, the inter- ruption to and loss of business at $609, making a total of $5,S75, and the de- crease in the value of the remaining land at $4,OOO, making a total damage of S9,S75.
 DO you think, MT. Beecher, that it would be necessary to widen Grand avenue if the car tracks were not there?" inquired Attorney Charles T, Coyle a member of the board.
 'No, sir, I do not" emphatically re- piled MT. eBecher
 Hon. N. D. Sperry was next called by Attorney Arvine and said that in his opinion $7, 7,500 would be a very low es- innate of the damagae which would be done to MT. Rogers property by the proposed widening. Architect l.. w Robinson also stated to the board that 1t would be impossible for MT. Rogers to erect any building on the remaining land which would be of any use to him.
 The estate of Charles Ives was repre- scented by Attorney Wheeler, who claimed that the proposed widening would damage his clinetn's property to the amount of $46OO. In support of his claim he called John N Leonard, the builder, who stated that the cost of cutting off the land and portion of the building would be $159O, and the build ing would be worth at least $1,000 less than it is now. John F. Sloan estimat- ed the land damages at $1 ,000 and the depreciation in the value of the land at $1 800.
 Attorney Grove J. Futile appeared for the estate of George Cooper on St. John street and stated that the value of the estate would be destroyed. He estimated the damage at between $14.- 900 and S15000. P Maher also testified that the damage to the property would amount to at least $13,000. MT Cooper said that he estimated his damages at $15, ,000 as his house would be cut com pletely in two and that he had always opposed the widening of St. John street. He conceded that the corner of Grand avenue and State street ought to be widened, but claimed that if St. John street was widened the Morris Cove road would be extended through it and then there would exist again just as crowded condition of fairs as at pres ent.
 pr. J. F. Lines appeared for Mrs. F. J. Lines, whose property is located on St. John street, and said that her prop erty would be damaged to to the amount of at least $7,000.
 W. J. Atwater, who had been sum- moned in to testify in regard to the benefits that would accrue to him by the widening, claimed that State street and Grand avenue ought to be widened, but it was all nonsense to widen St. John street, and that he would not be benefited a single cent.
 Judge S. E. Baldwin sent in a letter in which he reiterated the statements made by his son at the last meeting that his property would be damaged to the amount of 50,000 or 60,000
 Edward McGowan claimed that the widening at Grand avenue and State street was absolutely necessary, and it ought to be done at once, but that t might be as well to leave the widening of St. John street to future genera ton.
 Another meeting of the board will be held next Thursday night, at which time the officials of the Fair Haven and Westville road and property own CTS in the vicinity will be cited in to testify in reference to the benefits which will accrue to them in consequence of the widening.