Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-07-24
The City and the Railroad.
Editors Kennebec Journal:


| request Of several leading citizens;
ana being as it is, summary of their
various plans and opinions, it carries
weight which could never attach to
tne views of any one man, however
aple, and far less to those of the writer,
whose only desire is to set forth as
clearly as possible what he has learned
from those much better qualified than
hlnself to judge of the questions
treated.l
Last March the Rines Hill crossing
OF the Maine Central barely escaped
pelng the scene of frightful accident
when mistaken signals brought train
INTO collision with an electric car, and
nothing but the quickness and courage
OF the Maine Central engineer saved
the Ilves OF many or all of the passen-
gers in the car. This was only one,
moreover, of a number of narrow es-
capes from death and destruction upon
this same crossing. The railroad COM
missioners made a thorough investiga-
ton. They condemned the crossing as
most dangerous, and recommended that
the grade should at once be changed.
The Maine Central has since mnutely
surveyed the nefghborhood, but now,
at the end of four months, nothing has
been done, nor has any authoritative
statement as to any measures of relief
been given out. Current report has it
that two projects are under considera-
tion-one, to tunnel around the cross
ing, the other to carry the road over
the intersecting streets on an elevated
Structure-but rumor is that the COM
pany is appalled, at the expense which
either of these schemes must entail,
without bringing in a single cent Of adj
ditional income. This expense is stated
as anywhere from 100000 to 100000
figures which, if correct, might well
cause hesitation. But, on the other
hand, must the citizens of Augusta risk
their lives to spare the railroad dol
lars? 1t seems not, if one may trust
the utterances, printed or oral, of these
same citizens, or the action of our city
government at it's meeting this week,
when it voted unanimously to have
public hearing Monday evening next,
at which the Maine Central is invited
to appear and explain itself.
That the Rines Hill death-trap must
be done away with, everybody is re-
solved, nor do L suppose that the Maine
Central itself has any other intention,
whenever it can decide how it can do
the job for the least money; yet, on
looking further into the subject, the
Rines Hill crossing has been found to
be only a detail. Its adjustment
should form a mere incident in the ac-
complishment of a much wider, far
reaching plan which, if we can only
bring it about, will do more for the city
and it future development than any
public Improvement made for years.
Here is the situation: The Maine
Central crosses at grade four of the
principal streets entering Water street
1t also crosses upper Water street on
an overhead bridge which is so low that
the electrics cannot pass under it; and
consequently all the Edwards Com
panys employees who use the cars
(and they are many have to walk to
and from the mill and this bridge, in
stead of entering and leaving the cars
at the mill gates as they should do and
as they would do if the electric COM
pany had it's way. Moreover, this OBJ
struction prevents any extension of the
electric service up CuShnoc Heights
and the Bond Brook region, which are
sections as we'll entitled to convenient
communication as any in town, and
inhabited by good citizens who make
much use of the cars. Furthermore this
bridge will seriously interfere with the
new electric road to Waterville, which I
see the Journal says this morning is to
be built.
0f Crr
is at the foot of steep hill,
and therefore so much the more dam
rerous than if the ground were level;
while Rines Hill, in particular, were
the Maine Central away, could be so
eased in grade that the electrics would
no longer run the risk they often do of
sliding down the track into Water
street. Teams could then haul full
loads, and even pedestrians would save
a great deal of muscular and nervous
force now needlessly expended. All
these facts are known to everybody in
the city. They cannot be disputed.
Now comes another consideration.
We have the smallest, shabbiest least
and most unsightly station
buildings of any city in Maine of our
size-indeed many smaller places have
better ones. The passenger station has
every defect a passenger station can
have. and no merit whatever except
that of being so very bad as to force
its own reformation by its own exceed
ing worthlessness. The waiting rooms
are too small and poorly fitted up;
there is not enough platform space be-
tween the building and the tracks;
there is no train shed and the tracks
are entirely unsheltered; and area,
around it is so confined that the neces-
sary gathering of carriages in front
blocks up Commercial street to an in
convenient extent. The freight station
in it's own way is even worse if worse
can be. 1t also is very much too small:
it has no means of separating inward
and outward dispatch or delivery, but
has to do all it's business on one single
set of rails, and can be approached by
team only along a narrow, fenced in
passage more like country lane than
the only freight avenue of a flourishing
city. These facts, also are known to
every one. They have been talked
about for years.
It appears to many that now is the