The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-09-27
WANT PUBLIC PASSAGE
 FROM SACHEM TO CANAL
RESIDENTS OF V1CINTrx 6p. PEAR AT PUBLIC HEARING
 EN MASSE.

OOnin'lstce on Streets Asks Information
 of Mayor as to Previous Existence oI Public Passway-Mnyor Arranps,,.
 Tor Foot Bridge Over Tracks-He op- poses Former Arrangement as nan.
 gerous - Foot Bridge Wanted in | WestvilIe.
 When large number of citizens be- gan filing into room 10 and Il, city hall shortly before o'clock last night. tax lang the capacity of the room So that many had to stand up it was evident | that there was going to be storm be- fore the meeting closed The bone If contention was the opening of a. .paIb- lic passWay from Sachem street into Canal street as formerly" The pdti- I'tion was very short, but the list of tlae petitioners attached was so long that the chairman asked to be excused from reading them all
 | The meaning of the words 'ptrblio passWay as formerly was very indef mite to the members of the conndttAe. and a considerable discussion as to where there had formerly been p1rb- lic passWay or not arose. The corrmnft- tee finally accepted the opinion of May or Studley and Burton s. Mansfield. who thought that the passway was moi l a public one in the legal sense. They stated, however that there had been a passway, and that it had been a Great convenience to citizens living irp that section.
 This passway was closed last June. after having been in use for about twenty-five years. The people were in dignarlt and decided to bring the mat ter before the board of alderunen. I J. F. Carr, the owner of the properrty. claims, and he so stated before the coun- nuttee last night that he was responsi~ ble for closing the passway, but that he had been forced to do so by the rail- road company. He said he had alloW ed am opening in the fence previous to last June, but that he had done so un- lawfully.
 Mayor Stldley stated to the commit tee that he had been in conference with engineers of the railroad company. and he hoped soon to be able to submndt ito the board of aldermen plans for a. lfootbridge from Sachem street to Canal lstreet. He thought the bridge could be Ibuilt for $500. He was opposed to opening the s'passway as formerly" 1t was sodangerous. The mayor also said that he hoped to arrange for the buflyl. ling of d similar bridge at Grant street and still another on some street to the Inorth.
 I Among those who spoke ih favor of 1.-the petition were Burton Mansfield, Jo- seph Riley, J. J. Wooster, Dennis Foley land others. Mr, Mansfield's remarks were greeted with applause When J. F. Carr arose and safd tanat he was in favor of the petition, a tat- ter arose among the ladfes who occl- pied one corner of the room. In speak ling with Journal and Courier reporter after the hearing one of them accused MT. Carr of having cold feet, and said that it was his former attitude which prompted the petition.
 i Mr. Carr's remarks, as stated above, were in favor of the petition He said that the people ought ito have what they were asking for. He justified his action in closing the passway by saying that he had been ordered to do so by the railroad company.
 The chairman of the committee then called for rising vote. Not a. single opposition vote appeared,
 Howard E. Att of the Geonne6rac Tool Go. and IF. R. Greist of the Greist qnanufacturf2g company appeared in fa,- yor of the patition asking for a foot brdge on the west side of the Diamond Match company.
 A number of Russell street residents appeared in support of petition ask ing for the extension of that street from Clifton street from Hemingway street. All of those appea hing said they were willing ito give the land necessary. w. A. and c. ID. Woodward asked for permission to open two new streets from Townsend avenue into Woodward avenue. The committee decided to visit the locality.
 A petition asking for a curb and grading on Welton street met with as much opposition as favor. Tt will pro- bably be reported unfavorably to the board of aldermen.