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

justly pay more than was prescribed
by the act of 1890, as has been done fol-
several other towns and cities with not
so difficult tasks before them as con-
fronts the people of Worcester in this
respect.
There have been several such special
acts to help Boston, Dedham, Hyde
| Park. and one most important act is
now pending in the present legislature
having passed the House, relating to
| East Boston grade crossings.
There was a special act passed Chap
ter 251. acts of 1880 regarding the So
called Roxbury crossing, whereby the
Boston and Providence Railroad paid
J So per cent the state 45 per cent and
lthe city of Boston 80 per cent of the As
per cent or 1874 per cent of the whole
cost of abolishlng the grade crossings
State bonds were provided for In these
special acts, to pay the part of the
commonwealth, and also for the city,
and Boston is to have 20 years to pay
! its 1917 per cent of the whole cost of
the same. and interest at the rate of
S1a per cent per year.
Another large undertaking was the
changes in grade at Dedham and Hyde
Park, and by a special act of the leg
islature (chapter 251, acts of 1880, the
cost of this work was apportioned in
the same manner, the towns paying
1871 per cent of the whole cost, payable
in 20 years, the state paying 3112 per
cent. and the Old Colony Railroad COM
pany IS per cent, and the state issuing
state bonds to pay its own portion and
also for Dedham and for Hyde Park.
| Why may not Worcester avail her
| self of the aid and assistance of state
bonds, and low rate of interest and
| long time to pay, by special act of
the legislature, in the solution and pay
ment of the cost of abolishing the grade
crossings in our city? Is there any
reason why we may not be permitted
to enjoy the same advantages that
have been conferred on Boston, Ded-
nam. Hyde Park and East Boston, for
which latter place special bill is
now in the legislature?
MILLBROOK SEWER,
1t has always been SAID that the
grade crossings cannot be abolished by
depression of railroad tracks in Wor-
lcester, on account of the great BIillbrook
| sewer, running southerly from near the
| extreme Northern limits of the city. to
the Blackstone river, and crossing in a
zigzag channel several times. to and
| fro, under the present railroad tracks.
between the Union depot and the Bos-
ton and Maine and the F'itchburg rail-
|
street, north of Lincoln square.
But many people think that the sub
ject has not heretofore been con-
/ sidered in the broadcast possible light
and on all the lines which this grow
ing prosperous city has a right to ex-
pect should have been examined.
The future development and great
| growth Of Worcester is certain. What
| influence therefore should the cost of
i the work have on our citizens, when
compared to the importance of its be-
| ing done right, when any change is un-
| dertaken. This is a matter that should
be left entirely to the citizens of Wor-
cester, and when the people have de-
cided what they want in this respect.
the railroad companies and the state
should accept and adopt such recon-
mendatiOns, and eheerfully pay their
portion of the cost of whatever the citi-
/ zens of Worcester want done-even
though the city does not have to pay
but 10 per cent Of the entire cost, the
state paying % per cent and the rail-
road companies paying the remaining
s. per cent. of the entire cost.
Nearly all the engineers who have
tried to solve this problem in Worces-
ter, have said they decidedly favored
the depressed tracks. but that it was
| impossible to lower the railroad tracks
going northerly from the Union sta
ton, because the tracks in several
| places where they cross Millbr0ok were
within a few feet of the top of the big
MillbroOk sewer. But they do not seem
to have tried to find a way to remove
MillbroOk from under the railroad
tracks, and make for the brook an en-
tirely new channel.