The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-09-08
OBJECT TO PLANS FOR RAILROAD CUT

(Continued from Second Page.)
 are such that they hesitate to enter into any apparent contest. although they have deep interest and approve of the recommendation of the city engineer.
 There is a feeling in the community that this important subject has been sprung upon the public at season when those most interested are absent from home. It accrues to the advantage of the railroad company Of course we must consider that it happened so but it is certainly very unfortunate that it should happen, and that this cut for ten years disgrace to the city, the matter must be settled in the month of September at a few days notice.
 This is an immense proposition pre- sented by magnificent corporation that has done a great deal for the growth of the city and has brought to us able men that we appreciate. The company should receive every consid- eration, provided privileges are not granted at the expense of the city and its taxpayers and owners of property affected thereby.
 There are many phases to be con- |sidered. The tremendous wide, open space or pathway through the center of the city that in the future with their connections with the great Pennsyl- vania system will eventually become a great, broad roadway for Pennsylvania coal mines to be hauled by mammoth engines directly through the center of the city with all the dust, smoke and noise that result therefrom, while the elevations proposed in the center of the city are so abrupt that the combined re- suit will be to cut the city into two sections.
 AS far back as 1885 Captain Stough- ton under John Mason in the Pequot War writes of that famous place called Quinnipiack, which had a fair river for the horboring of ships and abounds in rich and goodly meadows. Moved by such expressions Davenport and Eaton founded our city, afterwards came Yale who founded a college and HilIhouse who inspired the planting of trees and gave us the City of Films.
 Long and faithfully have loyal men labofed to preserve these advantages.
 Then, now comes a corporation founded by such men as James Brew ster, Joseph s. Sheffield, James Hill- house, Henry Farnarn and host of loyal men who worked in their day to iraugurate system of railroads for the present generation and managers to build a wall of hills between that tide water that will prevent generations to come from availing themselves of that great highway of nature, These men who founded the road if they could hear of the proposition would rise from their graves and protest.
 This dividing line or series of hills proposed cross the main avenues, such as Fair street, Wooster street, Chapel street, Court street and Grand avenue, whose combined traffic is ten times as great, yet hundred times as great, as all the other streets in the city running east and west.
 All our tide water, all our docks, all of the freight offices are on the east side of these hills Gas this map will in dicate) while the city itself is spread out i'll the rear for miles and miles be- yond, and everything received by boat or rail and everything shipped from our city by boat or rail must be carted over these hills The steep grades all ready acquired, the railroad company or the city have no record of having given any permission, or had they any authority, and the railroad company upon request have been unable to show. any authority or any permission per- hitting them to acquire the present steep grades. Wherever concessions records show the city engineers have held to the per cent. grade as possible.
 In front of my premises at Chapel street they have acquired an eight per cent. grade, have raised the roadway P inches, and now ask to continue that grade some 50 or 75 feet further until they have reached the apex of 5 feet in a distance of 150 feet on Chapel street from State street towards Union.
 General Ford called attention to and showed photographs of the existing grades at the Chapel street bridge and by measurements that if the proposed hill were built by the Railroad company at this point, at Chapel and Union street, that standing on the corner of State and Chapel and looking down Chapel only the top of trolley car would be visible.
 The railroad company spend millions of dollars for the purpose of reducing the grade on their own road and yet come forward and ask to inaugurate enormous grades and continue the enormous grades that they have ac- quired without authority.
 At the public hearing with one hun dred interested property owners the question was asked and repeated twice if there was anyone present that ob- jected to the permission asked by the railroad company provided the recom- mendations of the city engineer was ac- cepted by the railroad company and there was no objection except by the