Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-03-13
ALL CLAIM DAMAGES
h. H. Bigelow Wants $72,15o
from the City
FOR LAND FOR CARLTON ST.
AForgery Suspected in Street
Improvement Petition.
Away Found to Give Money to ex-coun-
Gilman Madden by Temporarily In
oreasing Chief Vaughn's Salary.

L
council had an important meeting Sat
urday evening, when they considered
several petitions for compensation for
damage to estates in various parts of
the city, caused by laying out and inn
proving streets. The chief petition was
that of H. H. Bigelow. who asked for
compensation for land taken in widen
ing and extending Commercial street,
formerly Carlton street. Mr.. Bigelow
was represented by Webster Thayer,
who informed the committee that when
the street was extended to Foster street.
the city took 2757 square feet of land
from the estate owned by Mr.. Bigelow
at the corner of Mechanic and Carlton
streets. and 1902 square feet for the
new extension through the rink prop
erty between Mechanic and Foster
streets.
After consulting with experts on land
values in the city, it was suggested that
1t would be we'll to come to the city
council and effect settlement, if pos
sible, in regard to the damages and
betterments sustained by Mr.. Bigelow,
who is willing to take a certain sum for
the land which the city took, the city
to assume the betterments. This action
is taken in accordance with the provi-
sions of chapter 4 of the acts Of 1885.
Mr.. Bigelow, Under these conditions, is
willing to take 81 a foot, net, for the
land taken by the city between Foster
and Mechanic streets and Sc foot net
for the land taken at the corner of Me-
chanic and Carlton streets, IL he is eX-
empt from betterment in each case.
Mr.. Thayer considered this a reason
able proposition to make TO the city,
saying that land values in that section
were much higher than the price sug-
geSted by Mr.. B.geloW. This is shown
by the fact that when R. c. Taylor pur-
chased the Union Church property at
the corner of Front and Carlton streets,
he paid $13 foot for it, and he was
prepared to state that the Kelley estate
got very big price for the land which
it recently sold to Mr.. Brewer A year
before the land was taken by the city,
William L. Clark and Eli J. Whittemore
who were employed by the city to ap-
praise the land to be taken, valued the
land between Foster and Mechanic
streets at 81 a foot, and estimated that
the damage that would be done to the
rink by cutting it in two would be $500
and the damage to the house $500 Mi.
Bigelow was willing to accept the esti-
mates of the damage to the buildings,
sum allowed him from the time the
land was taken.
According to these figures of Mr..
Thayer, the members of the committee
figured out that the sum that would
satisfy Mr.. Bigelow for his land and
damage to the buildings would be S72 $50,
of which $5320S was for the land taken
from the rink property, SIG, 542 for bne
land taken at the corner of Mechanic
and Carlton streets, $500 for the dam
age to the rink and 5000 for the damage
to the house.
Mr.. Thayer then called on several ex-
pert real estate appraisers to show that
the sum which Mr.. Bigelow wanted was
only a fair value for the land taken by
tine city. The first witness was A. q.
Broad. who said he valued the land
taken between Foster and Mechanic
streets at IS a foot, allowing something
for betterments He valued the land at
the corner of Mechanic and Carton
streets at Sc a foot, and figured that the
betterments were $4,000. As these bet
terments were Of special nature, half
OF the amount could be charged to the
owner, and that would make $ioVo;
which. taken from the value of the land
taken. would leave the amount que TO
Mr.. Bigelow for the corner lot, $lo.34z.
Henry Bigelow said he estimated the
value of the rink land taken at $40 a
square foot, and he figured the benefits
10 Mr.. Bigelow at 10 cents foot TOR
a strip of land 80 feet wide on each slde
Of the new way. According to his fig
,Ires. the land taken from Mr.. Bigelow
WAS worth 1863. 09S from which should be
taken the sum of $9937 for hetterments
leaving the sum of $5S,261 due to Mr.
Bigelow. He valued the corner lot at
az 20 . foot. and figured the benefits to
the estate the same as in the rink land
rs cents a foot for strip of 80 feet wide
According TO these figures, the land Ia
ken from the corner was worth $lf,3oO
from which should be taken the value of
the betterments, $196S. leaving $lo,5S2 as
the sum due to Mr.. Bigelow.
Ex-Alderman Lyman A. Ely said he
valued the rink land in the first place
at S4.50 a foot, but he finally concluded
that 4.621a a foot would be more nearly
right This would place the value OF
,be land taken by the city at SCOOPS. He
f1g,red that the betterments to the re-
naming property would be s665l. He
thought it would be no more than a falr
price for the city to pay 81 foot net,
for the land taken. He called the cor
ner land worth So a foot and figured
that the betterments were % cents a
foot on the remaining S2S7 square feet.
This would make the betterments about
$4,000. one-half Of which should be
charged to Mr.. Bigelow.
". s. Liscomb estimated that the land
between Foster and Mechanic streets
was worth 81 foot without the better
ments. and that the corner land was
worth Sc a foot without the better
ments.
Thayer had to offer the committee, but
hafore the hearing was closed, one OF