The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-11-26
Crossing Must
I. Be Abolished.
AUBURN TOWN WINS


The town of Auburn is to have its
grade crossing abolished according to
it's own plan, and in the decision for
the town which the commissioners gave
yesterday, Thayer & cobb. the towns
counsel, attained a great legal victory
i'm one of the most stubbornly contested
and hard fought grade crossing cases
in the state.
The case was the petition of the Sc
lectmen Of the town Of Auburn against
the Norwich & Worcester railroad the
New York New Haven & Hartford
railroad, lessees, for the abolition of
Dunn's crossing, so-called, about half
mile west of the Auburn station. The
place was veritable death-trap, a
score Of people having been Killed there,
teams smashed, and COWS and animals
of all descriptions run over. The cross
ing is on the old county road, which is
the main highway from Auburn TO
Worcester Webster to Worcester, OK
ford to Worcester. and Charlton to
Worcester It is one of the busiest
suburban arteries of the city, and its
traffic has been always heavy, so many
towns contributing to the travel Of the
road
From this may be seen the import
ance Of the commissioners decision to
the town of Auburn, and also to the
towns adjoining it. Seldom has a grade
| crossing case been WatChed with such
! keen interest as this, and now that the
| town. through It's counsel, has won the
/ day, there is every occasion for rejoic-
| ing.
| The case was heard before Alpheus
! Sanford OF Boston John e. McCuskel
| of NewburypOrt, and Bertrand Y
| Wheeler of Boston. as commissioners
! and it occupied eight days in the hear
| ing many prominent people being call
! ed as witnesses. The Consolidated roa6
refused to yield a single point or favor
! and fought the case with all the
strength, ability and tenaGty of a cor
poration. The railroad denied that pub
| lie convenience demanded an abolition
| of the grade crossing. Then when re
! witnesses for the town showed that Il
was a public necessity, the railroad
people wanted their own plan to be EN-
would be some $4,000 cheaper than the
plan offered for the town. Every issue
was contested tooth and nail.
The counsel for the town have wor
every point; first the abolition of the
grade crossing is found to be demand
| ed, as a. pubic cOnVenleKce; the plan o.
the Consolidated road is rejected; third
the plan of the town is approved ant
adopted,
Among those who appeared for The
town in the case were President Thos
/ C. Mendenhall of the Polytechnic Insti
tute, Councillor A. S. Joslin of oxford
| His Honor Mayor Rufus B. Dodge, eX
City Engineer Charles Allen, an(
others
The plan of the railroad COMPANY
would have caused an almost direc
right angle turn in the highway, Will,
the plan of the town. which is to b.
carried out, provides for a practically
straight and continuous course. Thu
highway viii cross the railroad over al
arched bridge, with little grade, and tn
railroad company viii have to con
struct a quite lengthy piece of new
roadbed for the new highway.
1t is estimated that the expenses o
the crossing abolition will be abou
S16O00 of which So per cent will be borl
by the New York, New Haven & Hart
ford railroad, % per cent by the com
monwealth, and 10 per cent by the tow
Of Auburn.
Thayer & Cobb have appeared for tn
town of Auburn throughout the con
test; Frank A. F'arnham has represent
] ed the interests of the road.