The morning journal-courier., 1908-09-19
Lower Chapel Street Residents Say They Return at Night and Whole Locality
 Is Changed.
DEAD ONES, SAYS DIRECTOR
Joint Committee Says Foley Is Excus. able. as His Intentions Wcro Good--Paylpg Commits
 sion Ccnsurcd.

Several influences united last night to make the joint hearing py tho com mittee on railroads and bridges and the committee on streets one of the most ludicrous and rather interesting affairs in the present foard. Tn, trouble was that sometime. ago the city department of public works un- dcrtook to widen Chap,l street, be- tween Olive and East streets. and the Connecticut company undertook to make the distance between their roads greater The city was stopped bg an injunction asked for by II. Stuart Hotchkiss and Alderman Nanacorc brought petition to tho board of s'- dermen asking that tho irf,rmati n be gathered as to whose authority the road was widonod, are on whosa authority the Connecticut company spread the rails. The meeting ended with dramatic charge by Anthony Carroll that the committee, city hall In general, and practically everything else but himself was governed by the road Mir. Carroll delivered this ad- dress to delegation from lower Chapel street which was nearly as ex- cited as he was. He ended by point ing his index finger at City Engineer Kelly, whom he said was the arch railroad man of them all
 Tho smoke cleared away about j 11:30 and the committee decided that Director Foley had proceeded with the work without proper authority, al- though he thought that under the charter he had it. It also sent in a report saying that hereafter the per- manent paving commission be re- questcd to notify the board of alder men 30 days before any work was commenced. It reported in favor of Mir Foley not setting back the curbs for the present and of the road stop ping the spreading of rails
 It developed in the four hours dis cussion that there was not so much objection on the part Of the residents of that section of the city to the work which was beng done by the depart mcnt of public works. as the manner In which 1t was being done. In spir- itcd manner John $. Bradley. Harry Lacey. the actor: Paul Russo. the Italian banker, and half dozen others said that the trees were being GU. down without permission from the residents and that the curb was be- ing showed back to accommodate the Connecticut company.
 Alderman Leonard started the meet Ing off breezily by casually remarking to Director Foley as he went on the stand:
 Tt is rotten shame for the city of New Haven to let the railroad boss 1t sl' the time
 That said Director Foley, lis up {, the board of aldermen, not the de- psrmept of public works"
 Alderman Miller said: "1n making the changes in the curb, you believed y,u were doing work in your own Jurisdiction"
 Mir. Foley said; The paving com mission ordered tho street paved Some of the curbs were broken and thsre were trees between the broken curbs. In front of 532 Chapel street tree projects 1-2 inches into the street and an automobile could come along tonight or any time and run into if. Then tho owner would sue the city for $5,00O."
 Corporation Counsel Rogers arose and stated that the charter was very vague about the point in question, and that almost any meaning could he taken from it. What he favored was fixing up tho matter for the present as well as possible and going to the next legislature for charter amend. mcnt,
 John $. Bradley arose and stated thai one day he went away leaving d beau tiful maple tree in the middle of tn, sidewalk and that when he came bach he found that Director Foley had com, and chopped off the upper part of 1t He was not especially sore, he said and he didn't think tho director ough to cut 1t down without consulting him Then MT Foley cut down another tree
 Most of one tree was dead and prac tically the whole of the other" said Mir Foley.
 Alr, Bradley then admitted that th' trees were not quite so lively as the, might have been, but that they woulC have lasted many years longer
 Harry Lacey added spice to thu meeting by stating that the only land mark in the neighborhood that looked familiar since the department of pub lie work has commenced operations Il the locality is St. Paul's church.
 Paul Russo arose and said he, toe had had trouble with his trees and MT Foley. The director had acted in yer. high-handed manner and the trees ha, been literally torn limb from lnlb
 "Didnt you say you would shoo anyone who cut down the tree?" sal, Mir. Foley. "Why didn't you shoot then?'
 Mir Russo became excited.
 Then MT. Foley went on: You final Iy said 1t would be all right If we gay you the wood, and the last I saw 0 the tree 1t was in your front yard"
 "It Is now in the cellar" adu1itte, Nir. Russo, meekly and subsided fo the nonce.
 Mir Foley said that ill that locait there were S9 trees when the depart loent began operations Of these seveI