The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-09-11
FULL AGREEMENT OF
 THE CUT" PROBLEM
EXTRA CONCESSIONS MADE BY THE RAILROAD COM
 PANY.

Nothing Really Remains Now to be
 Done Except for Board of Aldermen
 to Ratify Action of Its Representa-
 tives-Traeks to be Removed from
 State Street-Oifcial Statement
 Given Out-FormaI Agreement to be
 Drafted and Signed This Week.
 The commission which was created August g by the will of the aldermen to settle, if possible, the problem as to the perfection of the improvements in the Consolidated roads east cut in this city, will favorafoly report to the aldermen the Kelly plan, with certain important notifications and alterations advantageous to the city and to the road. The information is that the Con- solidated will eliminate the trolley tracks in State street and run them through the present cut, adopting this means as a route to the depot. The plan, as proposed, is to take up these tracks in State street, running from Chapel to Water street, thus relieving the congestion in the wholesale district caused by the heavy trolley traffic. h. stead of the trolley cars running down State street, turning at the cor ner of Chapel to the depot, the line will continue down Chapel street to a point east of the Ford building, running the other tracks in what is now the cut. It is very probable that the sec tion of the cut covered by the Canal road tracks will be graded so that the former grades will join the system on level.
 This will create a private thorough fare through a section of the cut for the use of the trolley line of the Con- solidated rail way from State street to Water street, where 1t will go out again on State street and run to the depot.
 The commission accepts the conces- sion of the road in State street as fitting exchange for the obliteration of Union street. going on the theory that anyhow the road owns all the street in the territory affected, and would dedicate it to it's own interests, ire spective of any action the city author ities mght take. It would soon experi- ence a complete metamorphosis so far as the business houses at present sit Uated there are concerned, and would not be as popular a thoroughfare as at present for the reasons set out.
 Tomorrow some formal agreement between the city and President Mellen, representing the railroad company, will be drawn up and presented to the al- dermen. This will go to the railroad commissioners then for approval and the road will proceed with the improve ments in the cut immediately after the plan is accepted by them. It was ex- plained that the reason that an expert engineer was not employed by the con- mission was upon the ground of econ- omy. The commission had full author ity to call in an engineer, but has suc- ceeded in working out the problem sat isfactorily without this expense.
 The formal report from the commits sion will be made to the board of al- derInen at special meeting to be held either on Wednesday of Thursday even ing. The mayor will present the re- port in writing, and the members of the Commission will be present and ex- plain the details. It will be expected that the report will be ratified by the aldermen as the agreement reached be- tween the railroad and the city seems to be very fair, and so far as the city is concerned is far beyond what was expected or asked for.
 The commission spent the entire aft ernoon Saturday deliberating on the plans, and 1t was o'clock in the even ing when the mayor gave out the state ment to the newspaper men. It is as follows:
 "The main contention made by the citys commission was that the railroad company should improve the grades which the company sought to have es- abolished for the several bridges over the cut. The commission wanted sub stantially a three per cent. grade wher- ever possible, and in some instances they have succeeded in securing even better grades than three per cent. At Chapel street the grade will only be three per cent. on east and west sides. In other places it will be a somewhat higher grade. But taken as a whole the grades are accepted Fby the commission, and are better than those which were proposed by any plan So far advanced. and they are an improve ment upon the present grades at those respective streets, speaking of the aver~ age of grades over the cut
 "The commission feels that the plans as agreed upon are, as a whole, the best that the city can get, and that the railroad company is reasonable in say | ing that from the necessities of the conditions prevailing, the plans are the best that the company can give and carry out it's system of improvements. The worst grade on the railroad from New York to Boston is with but one l exception at the James street point in this city, where the grade is thirty | seven feet to the mile.
 The railroad company would have been willing to pay a large sum of
 money to eliminate that grades diff l culties by improvements in buying property and paying damages, but the l commission for the city asked that the | rise in bridges be lessened. The rail- road company finally agreed to lower l the bridge there two feet from it's pres | ent height, and thus leave the grade | thirty-two feet to the mile. They would