Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-01-11
GRADE. CROSSINGS,
The City Council Appoints a
Commission on Plans.
Burton H. Prior Elected Assistant Street
Commissioner-M Peck and
Adams Reelected.

grade crossing question in earnest at its
meeting Monday evening, and appointed
commission TO look into the question
of the abolition of the local crossings,
after adopting the following order,
which was reported by THE committee
on the mayors inaugural address and
unfinished business:
Ordered that there be, and is hereby
created. a commission of 10 members to
be known as the commission on the
abolition of grade crossings, which shall
consist of the president and two MEM
bers of the board of aldermen and the
president and three members Of the
common council, to be appointed by the
president of each board, respectively,
and five citizens, to be appointed by the
mayor, such appointments to be con-
firmed by both branches of the city
council, all of whom shall serve without
compensation And it is further
Ordered, that it shall be the duty of
said commission to fully investigate the
grade crossing problem of the city of
Worcester between and including the
grade crossing at Garden street and the
Union station and between the Union
b.
called, to formulate a plan for the aboli-
ton of said crossings, to confer with tine
several railroad companies interested; !;
and, if possible, tc arrange a plan and
proposed statute covering the engineer
ing and construction questions involved
and whatever other details may seem
/ advisable, to which the parties interest
ed may be willing to agree. And to
enable said commission to perform its
Z, + ;e I'd fo MIR q
expense OF the city, such engineering
and other assistance as it may deem
wise, and to incur such expense in rela-
ton to it's duties as may be necessary;
but said commission shall have no au-
thority to commit the city finally to any
plan or arrangement until the same
shall have been ratified and confirmed
by the city council. And it further
Ordered that said commission snail
| perform it's duties with all possible dill
gence and shall make report of its do
! ingS as soon as may be to the city coun-
Gil And 1t is further
| Ordered that all heads of departments
and other officers of the city shall rem
der to said commission whatever serV-
ices it may require of them.
| After the order had been adopted,
without a word of debate in either
| branch, the commission was appointed
as authorized, and it is made up of the
following President Burton W. Potter
| of the board of aldermen, Aldermen
| Charles H. Hildreth and James Fl. Mel
| len, President Frank B. Hall of the
common council, Councilmen John r.
Back, Albert H. Inman and John r
| O,Leary. and these citizens-at-large:
Matthew J. Whittall, Charles G. Reed,
William Hart. James Logan and Irving
! E. Comins, all of whom We're confirmed
.Vytfl1o11f a nlleetiOn
/ Next to this important question. prob
| ably the most interesting matter that
demanded the attention Of the city
| fathers was the election of the city off
! cials whose election was postponed
| from week ago Capt. Charles H. Peck
was reelected superintendent OF pubic
| buildings with practically no opposition,
receiving votes to 2 blanks in the
board of aldermen, and % votes to
blank in the common council. The
election Of the assistant superintendent
of public buildings resulted in practi-
cally a unanimous reelection of Charles
Adams Two Of the aldermen voted for
F. NJ Morrison in preference to him,
but he got all of the "a votes cast In the
lower branch.
The election of assistant superintend-
ent Of streets was something of a sur
prise. Burton H. Prior, 4 brother of
Wright S. Prior, who was elected street
commissioner a week ago, was elected
to the office on a straight party vote,
and after a vigorous kick from the
democratic members, who protested
against making the street department a
family affair so far as its heads go. The
election of Mr.. Prior was decided on at
the caucus of the republican members
of the common council last Saturday
evening, and it was decided at that time
to keep the matter a secret. After the
caucus the newspaper men were told
that the caucus had decided to give
Street Commissioner ". S. Prior A. A.
Blaney for an assistant, and the repor-
ters let it go at that, never suspecting
that job had been put UP. Mr.. Blaney
is to be given to the new street COM
missioner as an assistant, but he will
not be assistant street commissioner,
the program as arranged providing for
his appointment as foreman in the
street department. This is done at his
own request as he does not like to feel
obliged to go electioneering to save his
job every year. Street Commissioner
Prior, it should be said, did not seek
the election of his brother, but the mem
bers Of the caucus found that he would
be acceptable to him, and so endorsed
him, with the result that he was elected.
The democrats backed John E. Gala
CHER for the place and supported him to
man. He received the three demo-
cratic votes in the aldermanic board
and A. A. Blaney received l, Mr.. Prior
receiving 8. When the question of con
curing in the election reached the COM
mon council, Councilman Mcmahon
placed the name of Mr. Gallagher be-
fore the members as a young Worcester
boy who received his education in the
/ Worcester public schools and Polytech-
mic Institute, and who was we'll fitted
by experience and education to fill the
place. The nomination was seconded
by Councilman Timon. who protested
against the election of Mr.. Prior be-
cause he was not until within four
years a resident of the city. With a
product of the Worcester schools OPP
posed to him as a candidate. it should
be the duty of every man to vote for
that Worcester man or else be obliged
to acknowledge that the products of the
Worcester schools were not the equals
of those of any other city. He
two members of the same fam
lily at the head of such an inn
portant department as the street de-
partment, especially when both are in
experienced In the workings of that de-
partment.
The ballot was taken at the close Of
Councilman Timon's address, and -
Prior was elected by vote of Is to s
for Mr., Gallagher
The question of appointing 10 addi-
tional police patrolmen was referred to
the committee on police, and the finance
committee was instructed to investigate
and report on the salaries of the city
officials as soon as possible.
The opinion of City Solicitor Arthur
/ p. Rugg, as to the duty of the city au-
ditor in approving Illegal bills against
the city. was received by the board Of
aldermen. After quoting from the or
dinances as to the duties of the city
o,,dtfor the oit1, ccIioifor We