The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1910-06-07
WOULD DELAY
TROLLEY WORK
Railroad Commission Wants
Lackawanna to Act on
Track Elevation First.
MORRIS STREET DIRECTORS

held up until the Lackawanna rail-
road had made it's improvements at
the railroad station including track
elevation and a new depot was the
startling proposition advanced by Ran
som FL. Thomas and Frank E. Stults,
members of the towns railroad COM
mission, at meeting held Friday
night by the board of aldermen to
consider the terms Of franchise to
the trolley company.
Mr.. Thomas told the meeting that
in 1904 negotiations between the town
and the railroad had about come 20 a
head when the Morristown q Erie
railroad stepped in and purchased real
estate necessary for the LackaWanna
railroad to have to make its contem-
plated improvements. This stopped
the negotiations and since then 1t mas
been found by Mr.. Thomas and MS
associates that the plans then pro-
posed were inadequate to the needs OF
the town. Conditions have been pre-
vailing for years at the station, SAID
Mr.. Thomas, that are neither credl6a-
BILE to the town nor to the railroad
company. No privileges should be
granted the trolley or anyone else, ne
thought, until this work was done.
Mr.. Stultz echoed Mr.. Thomas
ideas, asserting that the crossing OF
Morris street and the railroad was a
dangerous one. Any plans for reliev-
ing the situation there mean that the
railroad must be either elevated or
depressed and necessarily the grade OF
the real estate would have to be
changed. Elevation and the proyid-
ing of proper station facilities
by both the Lackawanna and Moi
ristown & Erie are near, said Mr..
Stults, and the town should not tie
it's hands until these things are worked
out.
While the majority of those present
looked blank over the prospect of hold
ing up the trolley road to await Ghe
pleasure of the Lackawanna a few
commuters present vigorously ap-
plauded Mr.. Thomas and Mr.. Stults.
1t was said after the meeting that
there was Q scheme on foot to hold up
the trolley and thereby arouse enough
public sentiment to permit the pay
ment to the Lackawanna railroad OF a
large sum of money as part OF the cost
of improvements at the station
Counsel Edward X. Mills ridiculed
the statement that the granting OF
the trolley franchise would hamper in
the least any changing OF grades OF
the streets about the station, assert
ing that provision in the franchise
cared for those points to the advantage
of the town.
Frederick r.. Kellogg objected siren
uously to the track encircling the
green and asked the trolley representa-
tives why this was done. Elmer King,
for the company, replied that it was
done by request of the business men
around the park and that the trolley
company was perfectly willing to run
it's cars straight from Speedwell ave-
nue. to Morris street past the First
Presbyterian church. Mr.. Kellogg as
serted that the placing of trolley
poles around the green would sacrifice
its beauty and that the tracks would
form an unnecessary impediment to
driving "The company should have
no more trackage than is necessary
said Mr.. Kellogg, sit is easy to es-
tablish a principle such as this but it
is irrevocable when once granted" "lt
would be step backward to run the
cars around the green,' asserted the
speaker, 6 when Morristown is now
struggling with the questions OF beau
tifying the town" Unless some prac-
tical reason is given it should not be
done and he asserted that with the
cars going along one side OF the park
anyone could walk to any store on
the green in half a second
That Morris street was peculiarly
situated was the point made by Harry
Davis, who said that not only was it
both a business and a residential
street but through it passed almost all
the traffic to the station. The width
of the street, he thought, would NOT
permit two tracks and still leave
room for the care of snow in winter
and he did not think the traffic would
warrant the use of two tracks.
Patrick Welsh echoed Mr.. Davis
statements and told of selling his
business on Morris street to William
Morrison, "who is a hardworking
man and two tracks will put him out
OF business, / think" was Mr. Weish's
opinion, after stating that there would
not be room in front of the shop TO
leave carriages and wagons, he further
asserted that some Of the consents
Of property owners on that thorough
fare had been secured with the under
standing that there was to be only one
track.
David Salkind said chat there was
no way OF obtaining rear entrance
for wagons, and that two tracks would
not permit the backing up of wagons