The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1901-10-26

Street, if the tracks are raised six
feet, will be 1920 per cent to the mile.
If raised only four feet, it will make
81 feet to the mile, which seems as
| much as we ought to contribute to
this proposition. We consider the i'm
| portant effect on this industry and we
think this raise of six feet is too much.
But we stand on a raise of four feet,
that will give us an ascending grade
to the junction of 81 feet to the mile.
We believe the cut required of this
raise will not produce serious results
on Grand Street.
The city comes here and asks for a
stone arch at Gardner Street and a
steel structure at Grand Street. Up
to this time, it has wanted stone strucI
lures at both, but now it has taken the
travel from Grand Street and trans
planted it in Gardner Street. That
street is As feet wide. Grand Street
is As feet wide on one side and 30 feet
on the other. At Gardner Street we
make no objection to the proposition
of the city that there shall be a stone
arch As feet wide. AS to Grand Street,
we don't see why the city has aban-
doned it's stone arch. AS matter of
fact, the advocacy of stone arches
should come from the railroads be-
cause it is the best form of construc-
ton. The only question about 1T has
been the expense"
This statement rather startled City
Solicitor Arthur P. Rugg and he jn-
terrupted Mr. Hoar with a remark
about the wonderful change of heart
that has come over him since the
grade crossing question was being ag-
| itated before the Legislature.
Mr. Hoar replied that the change Of
heart, if there is any on the question
of stone bridges, is most noticeable in
| the silence of the city in its demand
| to keep a great Roadway under the
arches. The question has been one en-
tirely of expense and not Of construc-
ton.
If the commission, in view of the
diminished travel that is to be through
| Grand Street as a result of its trans
fer by the city to Gardner Street, sees
fit to order a 40-foot stone arch for
Grand Street the railroad will make no
objection. 1t claims a 40-foot opening
will be enough to accommodate the
travel in the street as all the funerals
! all the school children and a big part
of the teanaing are to go through
Gardner Street "That is where we
stand on this question" said he, "the
stone arch of As feet at Gardner
Street and 40-foot arch at Grand
Street."
City Solicitor Rugg called the atten-
ton of Mr.. Hoar and the commission
| to the provision in the legislative bill
that no streets shall be narrowed I'M
der the railroad and Mr.. Hoar said
that statute will have to be amended
before you get through with this.
Walter Shepard, chief engineer of the
Boston & Albany road, was then called
and took up his testimony where he
left off Thursday afternoon. He said
there is no difference between the plans
of the city and the railroad for the
crossing at Hammond Street. lie
said the grade of the railroad at Gard
ner Street depends entirely on the ele-
walton of the tracks at Grand Street
A raise of six feet at Grand will give
Ia grade of 17.2 per cent to the mile and
a raise of four feet in the tracks at
Grand Street will give grade OF Il
per cent. At Grand Street 1t is pro-
posed to have headroom of IL feet ana
at Gardner Street the headroom may be
what the city wants it by cutting the
street If there were no manufactur-
ling industry at Grand Street he would
favor an elevation of six feet in the
tracks but in view of the present con-
ditions there he thinks an elevation of
only four feet might do. This may
make the grade on the railroad worse
than a six-foot elevation but the loom
| WOfkS Will nave DelleE lIdCh AeSlil elSo'
The tracks can be moved away from
the loom works four or five feet.
He prefers a stone arch at Gardner
Street because 1t renders it possible to
Iconnect the tracks better, and he would
also like to see a stone arch at Grand
Street for the same reason. A stone
arch is permanent and the tracks can
be shifted on it as occasion demands
much better than they can on steel
structure. He thought 40-foot arch
would be feasible for Grand Street.
His eross-examination was devoted
to bringing out technical explanations
of grades in the road
Mr.. Hoar closed his case with Mr.
Shepard's testimony but before the
hearing was adjourned Mr.. Rugg said
he wanted to call to attention an oft
repeated objection from Mr.. HoaI
against the city taking land from the
railroad for widening Grafton Street
without paying for it. He said he ex-
pected the city would pay for land
taken in widening any of its streets
but a peculiar condition exists at Graf
ton Street and a decision on a similar
case is awaited from the Supreme
Court
The hearing was then adjourned until
Nov. 49,