The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-04-21

4
not want to keep those, but we decid-
eddy object to having eighteen more
stone arches or iron bridges put across
the streets in the city. Let US part
with all the viaducts We have and not
consent to have any more imposed
|, pom us.
Who wants Is arches over the streets
Of the city?
| Who wants a continuous line Of earth
works and entertainments, extending
north and west through the city?
JUST LIKE JOHNsTOWN.
| Who wants 6oO,OOO,0QO gallons Of wa
ter let loose on the town from North
! pond some day or some night, and the
20-foot railroad entertainments, north
and west, to drive the mad waters
| down Main Street rs to 80 feet deep,
and then hold it several days, in the
| triangular pockets made by the heavily
constructed dams north and south and
east and west, through which the wa
ter cannot escape as the culVerts and
arches would be effectively filed with
floating timbers and boards, until the
great body of water, which is now held
| by an old dam, at a height of 20 feet
above Lincoln square, would wash
down on the city in a wave 40 or so
feet high, and with such force that
nothing but the big railroad @mbafIk-
ments proposed could stop it, and hold
it back in the heart of the city.
The stock of goods that would be de
stroyed in the stores between South
! bridge street and Lincoln square, to-
gether with machinery and materials
. in course of manufacture the multi
tude of factories, would be damaged to
the extent of millions of dollars, to
say nothing of the possibility of inn
mn so NJ And fc is M eat
tale. The people OF Worcester know
what it is to have a dam break, and
what it costs. too. ii .IjN
In the case of the terrible Ilnds
brook disaster, there was no embatIk4
ment to catch. cOnfine and hold. til III
water. as there would be il the pro
posed railroad entertainments ~ ere
erected from Washington square to
New Worcester, and from Union depS6
to Garden street. Ikl
The situation with the proposed higflI
earthworks would be almost preciselyi
the same in Worcester as it was al
Johnstown, Pa, when the dam broke
away there above the city. The PenA4'
sylYania railroad company had built an
embankment directly across the streaml
| and across the valley, at the lower lira-
its of the city of Jamestown, from the
east side to the west. $il
When the flood came. the big railroad
culverts were Immediately closed ana
sealed with floating houses, lumber and
debris and the raging torrent set back
and buried the entire city Under water
to the height of the railroad embank-
ment. rs feet high, at least. The re-
suit was several thousand unfortunate
people were Drowned and buried in the
debris before they could escape from
the terrible flood. and the city of Johns
town was IN few moments made the
bottom of all immense lake of water
% to so feet deep, with ne opportunity
for any one to escape except to the roof
of the house. and hundreds were swept
from the tops of their houses and
drowned as the water rose and surged
about them and finally engulfed them.
whole families together oftentimes
And this all happened in broad day.
light, withrCample warning to all the
people. But they were not frightened.
Many laughed at the suggestion that
there was any danger, as many may
at any such fear about North pond and
its 500 600 gallons of water less than
two miles away from the heart of the
! city and 70 feet above Lincoln square
or city hall
CITY SHOULD ACT.
This is only one of many objections
70 the proposed elevated tracks, but il
there was no other this is enough to
cause the people who own Worcester
to assert their ownership and TO de-
mand that their wishes be respected in
this and III all matters relating to pub
lie policy, and especially as to the man
ner IN whlch their grade crossings shall
be abolished
The interests of the railroad eaponsn-
les and other portions Of tbe cor,,l,oY-
wealth should be SECONDARY To tba an
terests of the people OF Worcester
1t is said Nhe proposed cuts of da-
pressed tracSls will I'm with snow but
experience a7d observation have demon
strated that the snow blocxades on rail-
roads are not in the deep cuts. noes
the big rock out near Charlton denot
prevent any business man from going
to Springfield or New York. because II
may be filled WITH snow? Does the big
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