The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1909-07-21
CITY AND N. CIR.
DUE FOR CLASH
Ordinance Being Drafted Proposes To
Put Entire Grade Separation Cost
on Railway.

"Hoh PaoocuBeT stdttOn Will ueVelOp
when Corporation Counsel Hally fin.
ishes the draft of an ordinance which
the council will submit to the company
for acceptance.
Some details of the ordinance carne
out In the hearing held Tuesday morn
ing at which residents In the district
surrounding the proposed station site
were given an opportunity to voice
their objections TO the railroads plans.
BY the ordinance, the city will put
the entire cost OF grade separation
upon the railroad company, If the lat.
ter accepts. The present agreement
covering all street crossings from Six.
leenta-st. TO Liyernois-ave. provides
that the city pay all abuttal damages.
while the company does the work of
separation. The new ordinance is in
tended to change this so far as Seven
teenth, Eighteenth, Nineteenth. Twen
tieth and Newark-sts are concerned.
placing the whole cost upon the rail.
road.
The attitude OF the company of.
metals present indicates that the Michi.
gan Central will not accept this, and
deadlock will occur.
"The present agreement provides
that the city pay its share In the
Claims for damages from change OF
street grades incident 70 crossing
separations stated Attorney Bulkley.
for the railroad. Since the company
has purchased the land north OF the
present tracks, this reduces the city's
cost for damages by one-half. We ex-
pect thar this will be paid according
To the agreement"
The council chamber was crowded
at the hearing, nearly 200 people BE-.
ing present. Chairman Burton. OF the
street opening committee, had great
difficulty in maintaining ordeF-aHd the
meeting resolved itself toward the end
into Il gapid-fire debate between rep
iesen;atlyes OF the railroad company
and the residents In which the Ian.
guaGe was sometimes very tart
Engineer George II. Webb. of the
Michigon Central. first explained the
plans OF the railroad for building a
$4,000 000 terminal station between
Fifteenth and Eighteenth-sts. He
showed where subwayS were TO be COLI
structed at Eighteenth and Twentieth
SITS, and bridge at Fifteenth-sr., in
addition To footway under the tracks
at Scyentecnth-st. In response II
queries by Attorney Elmer w. Null
ford, representing property owners he
explained why the railroad could not
construct subways for all the streets
in that section.
Some OF the residents wanted to
know what guarantee the city had
that any station would be built
a sufficient bond will be required"
asserted Aid. Burton.
How big bond?" shrilled one wo-
man In the audience.
Ernest Knoch. who owns property
on Elghteenth-st., had a great MANY
questions TO ask.
us there any good reason why you
should build station there anyway"
he finally asked
NO" retorted Engineer Webb, wear.
lily. we could run our trains throngn
at three or four miles an hour and let
people Jump of and on
There would be no street car SER
vice to this placer insisted Knoch
The ordinance will provide for
that" said Burton.
He referred to plan being worked
out To have one OF the street railway
lines run or a loops to the station Oh
Marantette and Dalzelle-sts. Some CT
The property owners in the district in
which ii is proposal to erect the sta
ton challenged a statement that the
company had bought up ali the lend.
They were told that their lots will be
condemned by court proceedings.
Arthur c. O'Connor made a speech
H. which he said that the people in
the locality OF the proposed station
were poor workingmen, whose life
earnings are invested In their proper
~, and that they see ruin ahead in
the plans for changing grades. He In
stanced the corner of Newark and
Seventeenth-sts.. where there will be
a retaining wall 10 feet in height OH
each side OF the property, cutting il
OIL from use. Fire protection would
be less efficient he urged, owing 20
the greater distance the engines would
have TO go
There is no reason that these i'm.
provements should be made at the
cost OF the total destruction OF ine
few" he declared. The least tnat
the Michigan Central can do is 10
grant these people a conference ut
which it will talk over damages with
them"
lie also asserted that recourse
would be taken TO injunction proceed
ings. If necessary, to check the ap-
prevail of the railroad plans.
Engineer Webb stated that the rd.l
road would save the city Sl50.000 TO
$4,000 through saving paving and
grade separation damages for tic
area purchased by the railroad.
While the people iii this district
assured OF receiving grade separation
damages, fact which most of those
present at the conference did no.
seem to understand, the laws haze
been altered SO that they Will not re-
ceive as much as would formerly havc
been the case The supreme court has
decided that benefits accruinE to prop
erty through grade separation must
be taken into account as well as dam
ages 20 the property In reaching q
court settlement.
The Michigan Central has been de-
sirous OF beginning work hy Aug. -,
but this seems improbable now, as a.
will take at least two weeks to draw
up a new agreement and there will
undoubtedly be considerable regotia-
ton before any settlement ~ reached.
At the end of Tuesday mornings
meeting. the aldermen took the MAJ.
ter under advisement. About one-thiTd
Of the members of the council were
present.