The Portland daily press., 1898-02-28

The accompanying map shows the street as
proposed to discontinue is between the lines drs
| tho present day not q shovelful Of earth
has ever been turned on it and no person
ever made any request of the city for the
building of this steret. The reason for
this is very plain. No one needed East
Commercial street. 1t was thought when
it was laid out that at some future time
it might be utilized as highway between
Back Cove and Commercial street proper,
but as such it has never been required. Ii
it were built it would not be used, for it
is too rough and billy and it would cost
the city large sum of money to put 1t
into proper condition. There is also
grave doubt, continued MIR. Strout,
whether or not this street has not ceased
to exist. Having laid for forty years un-
developed it is by no means sure that the
city's title to this property is altogether
Free Should the street be built it would
not be used as pleasure drive for just
above it would be the broader and hand
somer Eastern Promenade, almost as
smooth as floor, while East Commercial
street would of necessity be very billy,
besides being too near the tracks Of the
Grand Trunk to make it popular or safe
highway. East Commercial street If it
were built could never be used as bust.
ness thoroughfare.
The property owners would be great
deal better off. MIR. Strout continued, if
East Commercial street were not built.
If it is built their property will be dis
sected and 1t is very doubtful If the rail-
road commissioners would allow any
crossing to be established from it to the
shore. The property owners would be
much better satisfied If they should dis.
pose of their property to the Grand Trunk
at q reasonable figure. Some time the
proposed Marginal Way may he built
around the base Of this hill and wharves
may be constructed all along the shore
projecting out into the bay. When this
Marginal Way is built the railroad tracks
will be placed outside of it on the made
land and this boulevard will be con-
structed nearer the base of the hill and
inside. 1t will be many years before this
MarginalWay is built and when it is done
East Commercial street will be of no use
to the city as highway as the Marginal
Way will do away with it.
Owing to the efforts of GeneralManager
Hays of the Grand Trunk, the building
of the new elevator, the combinations en-
tered into in the West by the Grand Trunk
no iJrood ono tho paw aI1iapcac which nro
being made by this road and the steam
chip lines the export business of Portland
has become four times greater tho past
year than it ever has been before. In Or.
der to make the city of Portland what it
ought to be made, in order to make the
export business of this port second to
none in volume in this country the Grand
Trunk; must have some means of handling
it's trains. The road today has no chance
to handle It's freights and room must be
provided. Shall the road be forced to go
out to Deering, to Falmouth or to some
other place outside the city limits when
right at hand and just where it is most
needed is land which can be readily util-
lied for this purpose and which is at pres
emit of use to no one? MIR. Strout con-
tinued to say that the business of the
Grand Trunk in the next few years would
be larger than it has ever been before and
it looks as though the road might be
obliged to build new elevator in the
future to handle the immense business.
Mr.. Strout argued that it was for the in
terest of the city of Portland 20 grant the
request of the railroad which is doing 80
much for this city.
MIR. ELIAS THOMAS
stated at this point that Mr.. Strout had
offered the property owners on the slope
of Munjoy hill one and one-half cents q
foot for their land in his efforts to obtain
possession Of 1t.
4 Mr.. Strout said that when the matter
first came up he had gone to Mr.. Thomas
and asked him to make price on his
land. After great deal Of writing back
and forth and several interviews no de-
cision had been arrived at and as Mr..
Thomas would not make an offer to the
railroad the Grand Trunk had not pressed
the matter any further.
MIR. Thomas said that Mr.. Strout was
mistaken if he said that more than one
and one half cents had been offered for
the land for this was the only proposition
which Mr.. Strout had made him in be-