Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1909-12-03
LACKANANNA AND
ITS PROJECTS IN
MONTCLA|R HIT
George W. Da Cunha Appeals to
Citizens TO Insist on Beauty
in Improvements.

George W. Da Cunha. chairman OF
the citizens committee Of the Fourth
ward Of MonteIair. has addressed the
following open letter to residents and
taxpayers of that town regarding the
improvements suggested by the Lacka-
wanna railroad:
To the Citizens and, incidentally tn tha
Mayor and Town Council Of Mont
II is possible that you who live AZ
me south or north end, on Mountain
Venue, fark street. or some other part
~ ne town. nave no knowledge OF the
intentions Of the D.. L. and ". r. r
company in reference to the readi,fxf~
ment or their system in Afonteiair. We
tne citlzens Of the Fourth ward IN
Mon.ela1r, desire to have the tracks ana
afos depressed, carrying out the svs-
tenn OF over and under streets. which Is
the only proper way to readf5sf their
laliroad system in the town of Mont
The D., l.. and W. has spent milltons
OF uoAars IN the readjustment and re-
construction of the main line and some
u us branches, They Claim that they
nave laid enough concrete to make a
six feet wide from New YORK
10 the Pacific Ocean: laid ~hrpdreds ~
mlies or new tracks, installed hundreds
OF new engines. thousands of passen-
ger and freight cars. and that The neVg
sIeepers which they have Installed. nut
end to end would girdIe the earth sew
eial times.
what has the company given to Mont
carr Echo answers-what2 And nov
lney propose to confiscate some of our
streets by closing them to travel and
the railroad entrance into
me toWn by carrying Grove street over
me tracks on a viaduct. A viaduct is 4
make-shift and resorted to by engineers
only when there is no other possible
treatment. and they, the comDanr. ask
Inv lOHn 10 nav a nnrfinu oF Tie rz@t
or $4,000, besides the expense in the
adjustment of the streets, and this
goes not include damages to the adj
There is but one proper construction
IN the carrying out o. the readjustment
OF the D., l. and w. system IN Mont
Ian. nd that is by depressing its
tracks and yards going over or Under
the streets-the station to be kept on
the grade of streets. This wouid do
away with the murderous grade cross-
lng al avenue, restore the
use or Grove street (Which tie comnanr
rs TOR years. to the peo-
pie, and preserve the other streets In
Iact II requires the work of steam
snoFefs and some concrete to carry oft
TINS plan, and If we are to paw (and
mere is no reason why we should nav Il
dollar toward this work of the D.. J..
and W., but, IL we are to nav toward
building yiaducts and establishments Of
streets, we might better contribute mart
payment for the extra excavation and
Tie extra concrete for the carrying out
of a plan which we consider the very
best for the town.
An artistic treatment of porch. re-
ception hall, entrance gate to an estate.
or. exterior of a structure appeals to
ones civic pride. The railroad station
or terminal in a town should be SO
treated that il. too, should appeal to
our civic pride. And not only In our
country but all over the world the
order of the day is for slightly railroad
approaches. stations and terminals n
towns and cities. Why should Mont
CLAIR put up with anything short Of tl13s
IN the reimbursement in our town of the
Delaware, Lackawanna and Western
railroad system?
When a scholar studying the foot
prints on the sands of time finds that
a vanished race has left treasures HAT
appeal TO his artistic feeling he con-
Guides that they had attained a high
state of civilization.
civilizations