Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1899-03-31
IN FAVOR OF THE ROAD.
Citizens Want Electric Line
Built to SaxtOns River.

f.etIy Safe Ought Not to BE a Stun
bling BIOck---TOwn Meeting May BE
Called to See AbOut Giving Assistance.
Electric railroad matters have made lit
tie progress during the past few weeks.
There is little reason for fearing the road
cannot be built if its managers and attorn-
ey take the conciliatory method of ascer-
tanning Just how little they have to con-
tend with, instead Of sitting in their office
and imagining citizens are attempting to
block its progress or are, to any great ex-
tent, antagonistic. They are not, and
more than three fourths of all the resi-
dents of this village and Saxtons River are
in full sympathy with it.
AS has been said in these columns, the
present seeming difficulty is in getting
through Pine street to the top of Old Ter
race. Three weeks ago the selectmen gave
a hearing upon the petition of the road to
grade this hill so as to permit only five or
six per cent grade. A greater grade would
be unsafe. No one would want it built in
such a way as to be unsafe, After a pa
tient, careful hearing by the selectmen,
who are unanimously in favor of The road,
and are disposed to do everything in their
power to assist it consistent with due re-
gard to the public and individual rights,
they made carefully drawn report grant
ing certain parts of the petition, and max
ing certain restrictions. fair document
as a whole, and one protecting rights of
both sides. Whatever further concessions
necessary upon their part in order to make
it possible to build, would without doubt be
made, when the road promoters ascertain
what they can do and what further is nee
essary. The question of raising the grade
of the street at any point north of the south
side of Burt Place is agreed by both select
men and railroad to be unwise and not to
be considered further. This decision is sat
isfactory to both Sides and removes every
objection of residents of Burt Place, or
north of there on Pine street.
The restriction made in the report that
the street at the brow of the hill shall not
be cut down more than stated number of
feet would result in grade of little over
seven per cent the remainder of the way,
which is still unsafe, but without doubt
this could be further modified to allow of
six per cent or little less, which would be
considered safe, if the railroad would go
ahead and see if settlement could be made
with abutters. This they make no effort
to do, and investigation shows they have
not approached a single man, but with
their attorney are complaining of injustice
and expected blood money that will prob
ably be demanded, and thus losing valua.
BILE time. 1t is probable that town meet
ing may be called to see if the town viii
vote to instruct the selectmen to settle
with the abutters in accordance with the
statute.
To the writer it would seem the spirit OF
fairness exhibited by the abutters is such
that, if approached in a businesslike way
it would befouud their demands would not be
excessive or unreasonable, and no spirit Of
antagonism would Re found. If there was
the charter and the law define the right.
of the road.
In view of the fact that the Pine street
hill seems the only feasible route out of the
village, if the cost to the road of grading
the hill, putting the abutting grounds into
the best possible shape from a landscape
point of view, and paying any damages
caused to the abutters, was found to be 81
burdensome as to materially hamper the
road, it seems more than probable large
majority of the voters of the town would
give their sanction to the towns assuming
a reasonable portion of the bill. This is il
view of the fact the town has never beer
asked to assist the road by bonding or 9th
erwise.
Inc bllllc lOI q IO"u LHecJluR uOJ uu
til the road have fully ascertained wha
can be done by going to the abutters anC
frankly asking whether they will charg,
them any damage or not. 1t is fact tina
with the hill above Burt Place carefully
graded to the required depth to make thu
grade six per cent, and the sides artist
cally graded and finished, the actual dam
age to any person would be small, and il
some instances the property would be as
tually bettered. This is the feeling freely
expressed by some of those who are ex
pected to make charges, and the road man
ayers will find this out when they go to tn
parties, as they should have done week
ago. They have imagined and talked o
much more injustice than will exist
The road has the sympathy and mora
support of nearly a unanimous citizenship
of the village, and no injustice will be tol
Grated. This does not prevent disinter
ested observers from Judging that tn
methods now taken to attain their end ar
not those apt to reach the best and quick
est results.
A clearly drawn survey of Pine stree
and portion of West street, showing boil
the horizontal aud vertical view, made b,
the railroads civil engineer, has been Oh
file at the town clerks Office for the pas
three weeks and is of considerable interest
This shows the surface of the street at tn
highest point opposite Mr.. Fairbank'
place to be two feet and nine inches highe
than at the intersection of West street. Ii
the interest of good roads and good streets
whether the railroad comes up there or not
the street commissioner should cut tina
down so it would decline to the top of tn
hill, thereby materially lettering the grad
of the street up the hill. If the railroad i
built up the hill the grade would need to b
about even from Burt Place to the inter
section of West street, and if nicely ter
raced and graded on the sides the land
scape in that vicinity would be greatly i'm
proved from what the present insight
sides show
The survey shows the foundation wall
of Mr.. Fairbanks barn to be about ~ fee
in the highway, and as the picturesquenes
of that street is considerably affected by il
the selectmen should ask that it be removes
whether the road goes through OF not.
Another matter not fully decided upol
by the road is how they will enter Saxton
River village. The railroad asked at frs
that the selectmen grant the franchise t
enter the village by the. roads building
steel bridge over the river on the site o
the old one near the factory, which is nov
unsafe and not used. This was granted
Later they changed their request and ask
ed for permission to enter over the town
new iron bridge. This the selectmen hav
refused to grant in view of the fact tina
before the bridge was built they wrote tn