The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-01-11
SOLV ED.
The Grade Crossing
Problem.
MM|SSION AGREE
On Plan and Railroad Soon
To Reply.

reply from the Boston &; Albany rail-
road on a plan which was submitted to
the railroad company several months
ago. About three weeks ago, the COM
mission sent word to the railroad COM
pany to hurry up; it wanted to make
a report.
The answer from the Boston & AL
bany was due any time during the last
three weeks. The commission has re-
ceiyed information, the exact nature of
which it will not state, that the an
swer will come in few days.
The plan submitted to the Boston &
Albany railroad was the round the
city plan with the Union station near
the present site of the South Worcester
junction. All members of the commits
/ sion which retired last week favored
that plan except Alderman Burton w.
Potter and Charles Fl. Hildreth.
After seeing the solution of the prob
lem in Baltimore, Philadelphia and
other cities, the grade crossing commits
sloners considered the best plan for
Worcester would be the round the
city plan. That was submitted to the
Boston & Albany Railroad Company
which in turn submitted it to its en-
glneer for inspection. 1t has not vet
come back with the opinion of the rail-
road engineer. Until it does, the COM
missioners desire to lay low, even
though some of them went out of Office
and new members who had not the
benefits of the southern trip We're
placed on the commission.
The almost unanimous sentiment of
the commission has been to reach an
amlcable agreement with the railroad
company, if possible. The object in
thls is to get the plan that is agreeable
to both railroad and city before the
! legislature without contention
The commissioners promise to get a
/ petition for legislation to the legisla-
ture before the end of the month, when
any new matter has to be in, unless
/ under suspension of the rules
( Members of the commission also say
one cause for delay is that Worcester
| representatives to the Legislature are
not united in support of any of the
plans which have been suggested. What
representatives are opposed to the
round the city plan, they will not
/ say, because they hope when the mat
! ter Goes come to the Legislature, the
! representatives from Worcester will
give the plan their unanimous sup
Fort.
/ All members of the commission save
4 one counseIed delay in order to avoid
fight with the railroad companies.
The exception was James H MeIIen,
who is not now a member of the COM
mission. EX-Alderman Mellen, who
was in favor of the round the city"
| plan as well as the others, wanted to
get right down to business, regardless
Of the railroad companies He want
ed the commission to carry the fight
INTO the legislature right away, and
! try to secure favorable action, Wheth-
er the railroads agreed or not.
one reason that made the commission
! hesitate was on account of the cost of
a change of grade to state, city aud
/ railroad. The burden of the change
is sustained by the railroad companies
they paying e5 per cent. The state
4 pays % per cent and the city only 10
J per cert. The commissioners feared
/ the party which paid only one-tenth of
the entire cost would not receive as
much consideration at the hands of the
1 legislators as the parties who paid con-
sderably more, and thought it more
advisable to get the consent of the rail-
roads before petitioning the legisla-
| ture.
| The, plan which commended itself to
! the grade crossing commission was ta-
ken to the railroad companies by a
committee consisting of City Engineer
Frederick A. Mcclure William Hart
and Matthew ]. Whittali, several
months ago. The railroad company
promised to get the plan back with it's
! opinion regarding it to the commission,
but it has not done so yet, and time is
I UP.
Thus far it has cost the city over
$1,000 for the work Of the present COM
mission. The exact amount cannot be
told with any degree Of accuracy. as
the charges were not made directly to
the grade crossing commission. City
Auditor John B. BoWker can figure
Slll6.O5 which the commission has
spent in its investigation and there
is more which he can't get track of, as
ii was charged to other accounts. IT.
has cost the commission S527 10 for the
work done by the city engineer in pre-
pairing plans and views of the changes,
For hack and horse hire the commits
sion has spent S57 50, and the ex-
pense of the southern trip and the visit
to Brockton cost $3.50 c..
The plans proposed for placing the
station near where the South Worces-
ter junction is now, is the most con-
sidered one Second choice is the ele-
walton Of the tracks. The commission
GERS, if they adopt the second plant
want the tracks put up so high that
the present grades of the street will not
pc changed. But they consider the
round the city plan the best for all
concerned They have taken the cost
TO the railroads into their reckonings as
much as possible. They believe the
cost of placing the station at South
worcester and running the railroads
around the city will cost less than
elevatinS the tracks.
/ Inc commissioners VIII not give out
the round the city" plan in detail
One reason for this is that the Boston
and Albany railroad has not vet passed
on the plan, and until it does the com
msSloners prefer to keep silent An
other reason is that they do not pro-
pose to bind either themselves or the
railroads to following the plans in de-
tai. me commission does not think
1t is within its province to suggest a
pan which Shall be followed exactly.
II is merely to suggest a plan which
shall be followed in general, the detail
TO be arranged later by the commits
sion which the legislature will an
point. "P
The plan which is favored brings the
Boston and Albany railroad across
from Millbury junction to Coogan's VIII
lage. IT win cross the road there un-
der the present grade. 1t will come
under the Consolidated ralroad and
run parallel to IL to the junction. Al
though the grade crossing at Ouiugic
almond, is regarded by the commission
as out of its jurisdiction. the plan will
bring the railroads over that crossing
at an elevation The northern roa1s
will leave their present line near Bar
ber's crossing and run around north of
North pond. They Will run under the
farm of eX-Alderman Potter and will
cross near Newton square, the tracks
at that point being elevated about 20
feet. 1t will cross Park avenue with
elevated tracks and enter tunnel near
where Mayor Rufus b. Dodge, il, lives
on May street The tunnel will end
! near HamOnd street, a short ulstancN