The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1908-10-29

BREWSTER
IMPROVEMENTS TO
BE REVIVED
BY W. & |. E. Bonus Of
NOrwalk Not Accepted
Active Work Will Posi-
bly, Begin Next Month
and by Spring at the
Latest Norwalk May
Enforce Old Contract.


eve are planning to begin active
work upon the completion of the
Brewster Improvement, very soon, per-
haps within the next month and GER
tainly not later than the early spring"
Such statement was made by Super
intendent J. G. Code. of the Toledo
division of the Wheeling and Lake
Erie railroad In an interview yester-
day afternoon.
"The controllers of the road plan
to recommence the work within a
| month";" he went on. "but personally
l don't believe that much will be
done before next spring. Hover, all
convinced that 1t Is the intention to
carry out the plans for the improve
ment as originally contemplated, and
that every means will be employed to
bring the work to an end as soon as
possible"
The burning of the Norwalk shops,
some time ago, was the means of re-
animating the project to complete the
building of Brewster. 1t will be re-
membered that the building of shops
and the establishment of yards at
Brewster, involving an expenditure
of about $2.0O0,00O,, was planned sew
eral years ago, and work upon the
project was actively carried on for
some time. The building boom was Of
the mushroom sort; 1t began sudden
ly and then just as quickly died down.
The scenes about Brewster. when
the scheme was at It's infancy. were
typical of the boom of an Oklahoma
tors of all sorts. sprang into the
arena, and disposed Of property that
had hitherto been of little value. at
fabulous prices. Predictions were
freely made that Brewster would
within year, have a population of
would be double that amount within
/. two years.
Suddenly all the specializing schemes
collapsed. Work was abandoned by
the railroad company for reasons
that they were financially unable at
] y
abandonment however, was only tem-
porary and the company gave out the
consoIing advice that they would COM
plete the work if 1t took ten years.
Since then nothing has been done.
1t has cropped out here and there
planning to begin the work again,
but nothing definite upon the matter
could be learned until yesterday. The
repair work of the road has been done
at the shops at Norwalk. and ON ac-
count OF the destruction of these, it
is deemed better to spend money in
completing the Brewster shops than
by rebuilding upon the spot of the old
ones.
Receiver B. A. Worthington, Of the
Wheeling & Lake Erie railroad. has
officially notified the citizens of Nor
walk that having decided not to re-
build the shops in that city. he can
not accept the $4,000 subscription
offered to him by the board OF trade.
The citizens who have been active
in making up this fund are greatly in
censed over this answer from the con-
troller of the road, for 1t is asserted
that he promised to rebuild there If
the proper inducements we're made.
Norwalk, with the loss of the shops,
will be verItably blotted OF the COM
mercial map. The citizens are con-
soled for the time being by the state
ment of Receiver Worthington, to the
effect, that temporary shops will be
built there. the operation of whicn
will pend the completion of the Brew
ster project.
Under the old contracts entered in
to between the Wheeling & Lake Erie
railroad and the people of Norwalk,
in 1882, when the shops were erected
there, the company is to pay back
with interest from the date of the
signing of the contract, 100000, which
was subscribed by the people, together
with S2150. which was the purchase
price for site of land on which to
locate the shops, and twenty years.
water rent, if the repair shops are
abandoned.
Two times in the United States cir
cult court, 1t has been held that these
contracts are valid and binding. II
is now proposed by the people to take
action In court to hold the company
to its contract. or to restrain them
from removing from the city.