Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-03-06
NO BRIDGE AT ALL.
That Is What Some Of the Voters
Are Believed to Favor.
PETITIONS CIRCULATING.
President Potter Still Stone
Bridge Advocate,
In Spite OF Meeting in Mr.. Norcross'
Office Saturday Afternoon atnuck
Objects to Bridge, But Wants
Electric Lights.
PETITIONS CIRCULATING.

Two new petitions relating to the new
bridge at the lake made their appear
ance Saturday, but neither of them ia
Vors the construction of a steel bridge.
One asks the city council to build no
bridge at all, while the other asks the
city fathers to go ahead with the con-
of the stone bridge already or
dered, if they feel that bridge must
be built at the lake The first petition is
as follows:
ITO the City Council of Worcester:
We, the undersigned citizens and tax
payers of the city of Worcester, most re-
spectfully represent that in our opinion
the causeway is the best possible bridge
at the causeway, and that there is no
public necessity for any kind of bridge
at that place, and in the present finan-
cial condition of the city the expense of
a bridge there would be a waste of pub
lie money Wherefore we pray your
honorable body to take such action as
necessary to stop the building of any
kind of bridge at the causeway"
The other petition, which asks for the
stone bridge, is as follows
To the City Council of the City of
Worcester: We, the undersigned citizens
and tax payers of the city of Worcester.
most respectfully represent that in oul.
OPINION, there should be no causeway
bridge of any kind built at present: but
If one is to be built, then we think the
stone bridge as contracted for, is the
one to build, Wherefore, we ask your
honorable body to take such action as
you deem advisable to stop the building
Of the bridge now in process OF con-
struction; or if you cannot see your way
clear to do that, then we ask that Won
permit the present contract to be ex-
ecuted'
The petitions were not circulated to
any great extent Saturday, except in the.
neighborhood of Tatnuck, but the men
VINO are behind the movement say they
VIII begin work in earnest Monday. and
that thorough canvass of the CITY will
be made to see just how the citizens in
general feel on this now thoroughly
VeXed question. They are Of the opinion
that a big majority of the small prop
efty owners do not care to have the
cltys money spent for luxury like a
bridge, when there is such a demand for
II Tor other more important objects. as
Iof instance, to pay for the new water
supply the settlement of the Kettle
brook claims, the abolition of the grade
crossings, and more new school houses
high school building. ri,
llott moore OF Tatnuck is active in this
opposition to the bridge at the lake.
rms petition of course adds to the
compleXity of the situation. and tha
next time the city council considers fhe
bridge question it will have four pro-
positions to dfscuss-the stone bridge re-
tentlon, the mayors cantilever steel
bridge, the Norcross deck steel bridge
ana no bridge at ALL Each of the promo
sitlons will have it's backing in the CITY
council. but the stone bridge men seem
to have the long end of the rope lust
now, as possession is said to be nine
points of the law and they Certainly
have that. George D. Webb, the holder
Of the contract for the construction of
the stone bridge, wants $4,000 if the
is broken, so if the city decides
to build no bridge at all. he will expect
a present of that sum for doing prac-
ncally nothing of value to the city.
mayor Dodge is quoted as saying that
he does not propose to give so much of
the clty's money for nothing. His friends
say that if the city council should by
any chance vote to rescind the order
Tor the stone bridge, he will undoubtedly
veto the order and it will not be an easy
matter to pass the order over his veto.
In the meantime the advocates of the
Norcross bridge are busy in the interest
OF their structure, and Saturday Mr.
NofcrOSS completed the Specifications
which will be submitted to Mr. Webb
for his own figures. During the after
noon, there was sort of a conference
at his office on East Worcester street,
at which there were present President
Potter of the board of aldermen, Presi-
dent Hall of the common council, Coun-
Gilman Inman. H. H. Bigelow and Mr..
Norcross. The meeting was called to
look over the specifications, and was the
result of a statement by President Pot
ter to the effect that the Norcross bridge
would cause as much of a hump at
the causeway as the stone bridge.
He and his associates in the city coun-
ell were invited to Mr.. Norcross' office
to look over the plans. but even then he
was not satisfied and he is just as
strongly in favor of the stone bridge as
he ever was. The Norcross plans show
that there will be great fill at the
west end of the bridge and another at
the east end, while the present culvert
bridge will have to be raised something
like two feet. Entrance to the Belmont
Hotel on the island will be made by
means of driveway along bank wall
Mr.. Potter is satisfied in his own enind
that this great amount of filling will cost
between 0,C00 and $4,000. and he fur
ther says that the so-called hump at
the stone bridge can be reduced by an
easy grade that will not cost nearly SO
much to build.
The TatnucaS farmers are opposed TO
the bridge Just before the meeting Of
he Tatnuck Farmers Club was called to |
order Friday evening. President Elliott |
Moore introduced the subject |
and asked those in favor
Of a bridge of any description