Norwich bulletin., 1909-06-26
OLD LYME-oLD sAYBROOK
BRIDGE PROPOSITION.
Little Question Of the Passage of the
Bill,
Especial to The Bulletln.)

Especial to The Bulletin.)
Hartford, June Ex-senator Day and
Captain Hamilton have been putting in
some heavy licks on the Old Lyme-O Old
Saybrook bridge proposition during the
day today and the result is that at the
close of the senate session they had
the satisfaction of seeing the bill pro-
viding for this bridge pass the senate.
and the future, which had looked very
black when they came to Hartford this
morning, looked a lot brighter. The
appropriations committee decided in
executive session the first of this week
to report this matter unfavorably on
the ground that the state was so put
to it to obtain money for the necessary
appropriations which must be made at
this session as to be unable to find the
money for this project.
The two gentlemen mentioned got
busy when they learned this and SEN
ator Day disregarded a very important
engagement for this afternoon to come
to Hartford on the matter, though he
was able to get away from the capitol
in time to keep it finally. Inc plan
was to table the matter when the un-
favorable report was made this morn
ing, but there was so much support
for the proposition that this was found
not to be necessary. The committee
on roads, rivers and bridges reported
this bill favorably before it was sent
to the committee on appropriations
and was very anxious to 500 II pass.
When it was brought up m the senate
today by Senator Blakeslee, chairman
of the appropriations committee. he
made the unfavorable report, though
he regretted to do this because he was
on the commission which went into this
matter between sessions and reported
in favor of a bridge and is personally
very anxious that there should be a
bridge built there.
The senate accepted the unfavorable
report as coErteay to the appropri-
ations committee on a division of the
question but did not reject the bill,
anu Senator Alsop, chairman of the
committee on roads, bridges and riv-
ers, then put in a substitute bill which
called for the construction Of this
bridge at a cost not to exceed a half
million dollars and provided for bond
issue of 100000 for the financing of
the project. Under the terms of his
bill the bridge is to be a toll bridge
for twenty years and any trolley COM
pany which may at any time use it
would pay a tax to the state.
Senator Blakeslee arose to. very
frankly favor this bill, stating that he
believed the time had come when such
a bridge was a necessity and would.
prove a decided economy to the state
and the towns. Senator Manwaring
suggested that it might be that more
than one trolley company would want
to use the bridge and asked if it
might not be good plan for the state
to construct trolley tracks across the
bridge when it is built and thus own
the tracks and lease the use of them
to trolley companies which might de-
sire it. This was held to be a good
suggestion and the favor with which
the senate received it led to the tabling
of the measure until Senator Manwar-
ing could draft an amendment which
would provide for this.
When he had done this he called the
bill from the table and offered his
amendment, which provides that the
construction of these trolley tracks
shall be a part of the construction of
the bridge and the state shall there
after lease the use of them at a rea-
sonable annual rental The senate
passed his amendment without further
ado and then passed the bill.
There is little question of the pas
sage of this measure in its present
form in the house, where the Middle
strength and by that county and New
London county standing together there
will be presente da front which should
ensure the passage of the bill 1t is
figured that the proceeds from a toll
bridge would grow so much larger than
those from the present Old Lyme Old
Saybrook ferry, which last year took
in some $1,000. that there will be no
question of the ability of the bridge to
pay the interest on these bonds, and in
addition establish sinking fund which
will go far toward finally paying off
the bonds; if, indeed, it doesn't do this
entirely, as the members from that
section believe it will.