The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1901-10-23


13 feet is suggested with a steel bridge.
The grade of the street is about II per
cent.
The hearing was adjourned at this
point for lunch.
The hearing was resumed at 2 o'clock
when City Engineer Mcclure took up
Gardner Street. The plan proposed pro-
vides for a cut of about eight feet in the
street and an elevation of the tracks
about nine feet, giving a head room
for the street of IA feet. With this cut
in the street, there will be a grade of
one per cent east of the tracks and
three per cent west of the tracks, run
ming out at fainter Street. Mr.. Nc
Clure suggested stone bridge and said
the damage to adjoining property viii
be comparatively slight because most
of the buildings are now lower than the
level of the street. The grade of no
other street will be changed by this
cut in Gardner Street.
Asked by Mr.. Hoar why he suggests
a stone bridge at Gardner Street, Mr..
Mcclure said he assumes there will be
a steel bridge at Grand Street, where
the head room will also be small. I'm
der these circumstances the traffic will
be diverted to Gardner Street where,
for the benefit of the people, there
unsightly than a steel structure. On
Grand Street the proposed grade is "A
per cent if the tracks are raised six
feet and the grade of Grand Street car
ried out to Canterbury Street. This
grade will send a lot of traffic through
Gardner Street, where the grade is
less. The stone bridge will give more
general satisfaction, as it is quieter and
the appearance of the street will be
ir11nrOyad talrino into aapount tba
grades.
In reply to questions by Mr.. Hoar
and Col. Benton, Mr.. Mcclure said the
city asked for a stone arch at Grand
Street during the hearings before the
Legislature.
Col. Benton said the railroads never
intended to have any more stone
bridges than were agreed to, but Mr..
Rugg said that is not his recollection
of the consultations.
Charles M. Thayer asked if it would
be considered too much of an objec-
ton to raise the tracks two feet less
than proposed. Mr.. Mcclure said low
ering the tracks two feet from the
plan and keeping the same per cent of
| grade will mean a cut of two feet at
fainter Street,
When Grand Street was reached, Mr..
Mcclure said that assuming the tracks
lowed by the statute-siX feet-this
/ will make a cut of 10 feet in the street
to give head room of 10 feet under
the steel bridge proposed for that
street. This will give a grade of "A
per cent in Grand Street toward Can
terbury and & grade of SA per cent
westerly, running out at Fainter
Street. The sewer and water pipes will
have to be lowered, the big trunk
sewer about 700 feet.
Asked regarding the sidewalk, he
said it should be carried down to the
street level, as it will be more con-
venient and less dangerous for the
people and it will give the Crompton-
Knowles shop more light for its base
ment. In reply to a question by Mr..
| Thayer, he said he has made no esti-
mate for raising the tracks only four
! feet. So far as he knows, there is no
engineering difficulty if the tracks are
raised only three feet. The street
could be made satisfactory by extend
! ing the grades beyond and cutting
down Tainter and Canterbury Streets.
At Southgate Street he said it is
proposed to depress the street without
changing the tracks and putting in
steel bridge with 13 feet of head
room. 1t is also proposed to relocate
| the street to wipe out the angle on
| of the street at the railroad will be
16 feet, which will give a level grade
east of the tracks and a Az per cent
grade ascending from the tracks west
| erly to the bend in the street. There
| is a question as to what should be
done with Armory Street. 1t might
be closed and the travel diverted
through an extension Of Gardner
Street either through the land of the
International Power Company or the
estate south of it. A fight of steps
into Southgate Street would accom-
modate the pedestrians from Armory
Street.
| If Armory Street is not closed. it
will have to be cut 16 feet at South
gate, giving a grade of six per cent to
avoid interfering with the entrance to
the Worcester Wooden Mills.
In reply to questions by Col Benton,
| he said there are many reasons why
Armory Street should be closed. One is
to save the side track for the Interna-
tional Power Co. plant where the own
ers do not care to keep on their bust