The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-01-15
COUNCIL MAY ACT
If Commission Does Not
Show Results Soon.

] pdHy. 4leTe Will De d meeting Oh the
grade crossing commission tomorrow
afternoon at 4.30 o'clock to listen to the
report of the commission.
/ The visit was hastened a little as the
members of the commission realize now
they have been dealing with the ques-
ton considerable length of time with
out arriving at the end which should
have been reached long ago.
| Members of the city council are be-
! ginning to take more interest in the
/ grade crossing question than they have.
For the grade crossing commission has
announced q change Of plan. The COM
mission now intends to call in the city
council before it attempts to settle the
question itself. Members of the city
council are forcing such action. They
nave not only intimated but plainly told
the commissioners the latter have been
| laDoring under a misapprehension IL
uney thought they would get the grade
crossing question before the legislature
before the city council took action on it.
Unless the commission gets down to
business right away and comes to the
| city council with something definite, it's
work may go for naught. Other citizens
are beginning to think that if the grade
crossing question is to be settled, 1t
won't do to leave everything to the
present commission The hardness of
the commission has been freely critic
1sed and Its reticence is not the subject
OF approval from the public. The people
are interested in the solution of the
problem and want to know what is
being done. There are citizens well
qualified as any member of the commits
SION TO express opinions on the subject,
but they have had no chance on ac-
count of the star chamber sessions of
the commission.
1t was suggested to The Spy reporter
yesterday, that without an engineer
among the citizen members of the com
mission, the body should not attempt
to take too much on itself The man
who made the suggestion did not make
the criticism in disparagement Of City
Engineer F. A Mcclure, for he paid the
highest tribute possible to the knowl-
edge of the latter. He thought, howev-
er, an engineer at large should have
been appointed. In this same line a
plan was spoken of, which a member
| of the commission told a Spy man last
evening has never been mentioned in
the meetings, to his knowledge That
is the feasibility of lowering Millbrook
so the railroads can pass over it easily
and give lots of room.
The gentleman, who knows what he
is talking about, said the grade of Mill
brook can be lowered about a dozen
feet without interfering with the flow
he called attention to the fact that at
Cambridge street there are several
stone steps in the bed of Millbrook
over which the water flows. At Vernon
square are several more the fall at this
place being eight feet. He thinks there
is another such fall in Union street,
though not as large. If there are three
such falls, the bed of the stream could
be dropped more than a dozen feet and
the railroads could be depressed as
much as 20 feet, if that depth was
found necessary.
City Engineer Mcclure was asked if
such fall exists in Millbrook. He an
swered that the fall at Vernon square
is about eight feet.
If the grade at Millbrook can be low
cred to such an extent and that fact
has not been known to the commission.
it certainly has not dealt with sufficient
phases of various plans. One of the
new members opened his eyes last ev-
ming when The Spy man informed him
of that fact, and said it was the first
time he had heard of it.
! If it is a question of a few feet, the
tunnel through which Mill brook flows
could he easily changed to secure those
few feet extra. 1t could be made wider
and with a fiat bottom, which would
have the same carrying capacity as the
present channel. Such a plan is in oper-
alton now under the bridge at Cam
bridge street. In the construction of
the sewer through that street, it was
found that the oval sewer could not
be built under the bridge, because it
would come too near the surface. A
| fiat channel was built, and the carry
ing capacity of the sewer has not been
lessened.
In considering the depression of the
tracks. plan, one of the engineering
feats which the commission halts at is
the disposal of surface water from the
depressed tracks in case the tracks of
the northern roads particularly are
lower than the sewer. In counting this
cost the commissioners have not reck-
oned on the falls in the present bed of
the Mill brook channel and the FEAST
bility of lowering the bed twice as
much as they have figured on But
even if the railroad bed is lower than
the sewer, so that there will be no
drainage the water could be pumped
easily. The commission has baked at
the idea of being obliged to pump wa
ter anywhere. 1t is curious thing
to halt at considering the fact that
nine-tenths Off the cities of the world
are obliged to resort to pumping for
either water or sewer purposes. Gas
and electric engines for pumping pur-
poses are in operation in many cities
and the cost is trifling.
The lowering of Mill brook and sub
sequent lowering of the railroads has
struck the commissioners as the best
plan, but they hesitate on account of
| the cost. They dispose of the plan on
| that ground. Others who are interest
ed in the solution of the problem, as
well as the commissioners, say they
should not hesitate at the cost The
successful solution of the problem
should be the only purpose of the com
! mission. The abolition of the grade
| crossings is for all time, and taking
| into consideration the fact that the
benefit is to be everlasting, cost is the
last thing to be thought of.
| Although the commissioners have
submitted the southern terminal plan
| to the railroad officials, they do not be-
l!eve in 1t themselves fully. They
want depressed tracks, for even the
commissioners share the opinion of
the people of the city that depression
| of the tracks is the only solution of the
great problem. The fear that the
railroad companies will reject the first
plan suggested and the feeling that
| II they don't, the plan won't be so bad,
after all, should not exist in the minds
OF the commissioners. There is too
much danger attending that feint
The southern terminal plan will de-
stroy Worcester. Not only will the
manufactures along the present route
be left stranded. but also the great
business avenues. Front, Grafton,
Summer and Mechanic streets. The
commission wasn't appointed to make
new map of Worcester.
For that matter If the commissioners
ore wise, they will ascertain what pub
lie sentiment is before they attempt to