The Worcester spy., 1899-06-29
Location of Tracks.
on College Hill
Discussed.
STRONG PLEA FOR RAILROAD.
Remonstrants Out in Force
and Present Their Views
in Petition.

meeting with a hearing on the petition
of the Worcester and Webster Street
Railway Company for location for
its tracks on College street.
The hearing required nearly three
hours, in which counsel for the petit
TONERS and remonstrants called many
Presidents of the southern section of the
city to testify.
The result was that it was 1910 o'clock
when the hearing closed, and none
of the aldermen dared face the long
docket, to keep them at the city hall
until past midnight. President Bran
non called meeting for this afternoon
at o'clock to view the location of
the proposed track, and upon their re-
turn to the city hall the aldermen will
grapple with the other items on the
docket and finish their work of last
night. The hearing attracted wide in
terest among the residents of South
Worcester and residents from Stearns
square to the Auburn line down South
bridge street and over College Hill.
The board was called to order at
I 40 o'clock, all the members present.
President Brannon announced that the
board would first give its attention to
the hearing of the Worcester and Web
ster Street Railway Company, and
Burton w. Potter appeared as counsel
for the petitioners.
Mr.. Potter said that when he was
in the board of aldermen, a year ago,
he favored location for the street
railway in Malvern road, but since then
he has satisfied himself that running
the tracks up College street and
through Clay street is the best location
for the interests of the city
The grade is better, it will bring the
section of the city nearer the centre.
and requirements are better in this
proposed route than in the Malvern
road route. The people living on Col
lege hill and students of Holy Cross
college will be accommodated and
much property will be opened up Tor
house lots. The people on Hope ave
nue. will be Accommodated by On ex-
tension of the tracks of the Consolida-
ted road. The only objection he has
heard to a location of tracks in Col
lege street was that the grade was
too steep. Mr.. Potter said the grade
was steep. but short one, and not
as steep as many grades throughout
the state, where electric cars are oper-
ated with safety The raise is 102 feet
or about II per cent maximum, while
in many places cars are operated on
IA per cent grade.
The Worcester and Webster Com
pany, he said, propose to operate dOu-
ble-truck cars, with safety brakes
air-brakes and every known safety ap-
pliance so that danger on the grade
will be minimized.. The company as
already laid its tracks through Web
ster, oxford and Auburn, almost to tn
city line, and hopes to have the road
in operation by August l. To do this
the counsel urged hasty action on the
part of the board, as the road carrot
operate the decree, if granted for Is
days after granting an order to give
abutters opportunity to object. The
road has settled the question of fare
and will carry passengers from the
Auburn line to any part of the city
for five cents. Mr.. Potter sad he
would be willing to have the transfer
! arrangement a condition in the fran
Chise.
DR.. Jules Garst, president of the
road, was called and corroborated the
statement of counsel regarding the
transfer arrangement.
NJ. NJ Wheeler, a civil engineer, pra-
sented plans of the proposed route, and
gave some figures regarding the grade
of College street. He said that the
maximum grade would be 11.3 per cent
and the minimum 10.7 per cent. The
plans require a raise of 18 inches in
tracks over the present street in Some
places while in others they are de-
pressed below the street to nine
inches. This is necessary, as 1t is i'm
possible to follow the present grade of
the street. Mr.. Wheeler felt sure the
cars could be operated with safety on
that grade. and gave figures OF grades
in the state, where there are big grades
and where there have been no acci-
dents.
Dr. Jules Garst testified that at the
outset, the road wanted to enter the
city through Southbridge street and
Malvern road, but this was denied by
the board of aldermen and he has now
become reconciled to coming over col
lege hill. In some ways this route has
advantages over the other. One ad-
vantage is from a scenic standpoint and
another is that it will open property in
Auburn. While such a route is not for
the interests of the road at present, he
believed that ultimately it would be-
The road would come in at nearly the
summit of Malvern road and avoid that
steep grade. The grade of College street,
in the opinion of expert engineers, is as
free from danger as other roads in the
city. DIR. Garst said that the road would
come into Clay street over a contem-
plated street through the Thayer prop
erty, and owners of land along the pro-
posed street have promised to look after
its construction.
O. Willis Rugg, an engineer, gave eX-
pert testimony regarding the safety of
the gpade on College street, and Rev.
John F. Lehy, president of Holy Cross
College, John A. Thayer who appeared
for property owners along the proposed
route, z. L. Parker and Webster
Thayer spoke in favor of granting the
petition.
Charles T Tatman appeared for the
remonstrants. who are not particularly
opposed to the railway company COM
ing into the city, but want it to enter
through Southbridge street from Nal
vern road. Mr.. Tatman presented pc
titiOn with 1873 signerS, which he said
represented 800 people, praying that the
road enter the city through a route
| that will best serve the interests of the
| citizens of Worcester. Mr.. Tatman said
! that he trusted the board would not be
/ bulldozed into granting the asked for
| petition because the selectmen of Au-
! burn have granted a location through
| land that will make il easy for the road
| to meet by going through College street.
| w. s Morine was the first remons-
! trant called, and he made a strong ap-
( peal for location of the tracks in South
| bridge street, which he claimed would
| open that section of the city to manu-
/ featuring purposes and benefit 800 peo-
pie. Fred T. Mort. James Cunningham
OF Auburn. Thomas F. McCauley John
( Pollard and John Wainwright appeared
as remonstrants. By some it was
| claimed the road had received money to
| bring its road over College hill. and DR..
| Garst explained by saying that $3.50 and
| two lots have been subscribed to influ-
| eace the road to come into the city over
| the hill. He said that he had been Of
/ fered $4,000 to bring the road up South
] bridge street through Jerome avenue.