The Portland daily press., 1898-02-28
EAST COMMERCIAL STREET
The Grand Trunk Wants II For
Yard Room.
HEARING IN REGARD TO THE
MATTER HELD SATURDAY.

The Committee on Laying Out New
Streets Visit the notwithstanding
Remarks for and Against by Promi-
nent differentiation Deferred Until
Today.
East Com mercial street, as 1T Is called,
extends along the slope of MunJoy hill
below Fort Allen park from d street to
the northwesterly side line Of the location
of the Grand Trunk railroad near the land
owned by the heirs of Elbridge Gerry and
George w. Verrill. 1t is street in name
only and although it exists on paper 1t
has never peen improved and for forty
years no attempt has been made to make
it into a street. On the slope OF Munjoy
hill it runs along parallel to the tracks Of
the Grand Trunk up and down sharp
grades until it strikes point just beyond
the old smelling works when the street
swings to the west and thus continues in
a straight line to Tukey's bridge.
Some months ago the Grand Trunk Iail-
road petitioned the city government for
permission to utilize portion of the land
over which East Commercial street runs
for side tracks in order to give them more
room in their freight yard. The city
granted the railroad this request and
some side tracks were built and during
the past winter have been Of great aid to
the railroad in relieving the congested
condition of the freight yard. But even
with this addition the Grand Trunk has
found it's freight yard so crowded that it
was almost impossible and only with the
greatest cara that the long lines of loaded
freight cars which bring freight here from
the west for shipment on the English
steamers could be handled at all. East
Commercial street, as 1t is laid out on
paper, if secured by the Grand Trunk
would give that railroad plenty OF room
in which to put down extra side tracks
and in order to secure this land which is
now controlled by the city the Grand
Trunk applied few weeks ago to the
city government for the discontinuance
of this street. On the other hand num-
Der of well known citizens objected to
the discontinuance of the street on the
ground that it would injure surrounding
property.
The committee on laying out new
streets, to which the matter was referred
by the city government, advertised hear
ing on the petition Saturday afternoon
and at three o'clock this committee, which
consists of the Mayor, Aldermen Rounds
and Moore, Councilmen Brown, Gerrish
and Driscoll, took train at the Grand
IT. I'D; nj
out to East Commercial street to view the
premises. In this party were also many
prominent citizens who are interested in
the matter in one way or another, many
aldermen and councilmen, some city
officials including Commissioner George
N. Fernald and others. Having viewed
the street and looked the ground over
carefully the committee adjourned to the
city building where the hearing on the
matter was held.
The first person to address the commit
tee was
HON. A. A. STROUT.
counsel for the Grand Trunk. BE said
that the petition for the discontinuance
of East commercial street arises from the
granting to the railroad a short time ago
of the privilege of using portion of the
location of East Commercial street for the
construction of temporary tracks. When
the railroad had bnilt on this land some
side tracks it was found that the property
owners In the Vicinity objected to the
railroads taking the land for this purpose
and threatened to make trouble for the
road. When this condition Of affairs arose
the railroad tried to purchase the land
from the owners but failing to come to an