The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1910-04-19
RAILROAD YARD IS
SHOWN Up TO
COMMISSION
Public Service Commission in
Session Here Today
TWO QUESTIONS ARE UP
Rutland Railroad Asked to Build
Roundhouse East From the Gas
Plant

The public service commission is I
here today to consider two questions
on petition of bennington people. The I
first and most important is that the /
Rutland railroad company be COMPEL !
ed to keep its engines somewhere ex-
cept adjacent to the houses on Lin
coin street and also to see If the
Main street crossing cannot be elm
mated The other petition before the
commission is the request Of Charles
A. Maurer for a telephone franchise
in the village to locate poles and
wires which request was turned down
by the village trustees.
The public service commission is
composed Of John w. Redmond OF
Newport, chairman, Eli H. Porter OF
Wilmington and S. HOLSTER Jackson
of Barre. with R. w. Spear of New
port as clerk.
The railroad hearing was first held
beginning at $3.50 For the railroad
appeared George T. Jarvis, general
manager, John c. Irwin, chief engin-
eer and +. w. Lawrence Of Rutland
and Edward l.. Bates Of Bennington
as attorneys. For the petitioners APP
peared Edward j. Hall and Attorneys
T. w. Moloney OF Rutland and w. j.
Meagher and r. +. Healy of Benning-
ton.
The question Of the Main street
crossing was eliminated as process
had not been served on the electric
railroad company which is one of the
parties interested.
Attorney Lawrence for the railroad
company admitted the trouble caus-
. ed by the engines and stated that the
company was prepared to build a
i, roundhouse on the site OF the old one
at the corner OF River and Lincoln
streets. To this the petitioners OBJ
/. jected and wanted the roundhouse To-
Gated east OF the gas plant.
j, The commissioners and attorneys
!, and score or more citizens visited
:. and looked over the section near the
- station and then returned to the Put.
nam house where the hearing took
place.
. Frank Sullivan was the first wit
ness called. He has lived on Lincoln
:, street for 81 years and has seen the
=. changing conditions. He was EN-
=, ployed In the old roundhouse as fan
;, back as 1851. In those days WOOD
~. was used for fuel and the fires in the
b engines were allowed to go out a
!, night and no trouble was caused. 1
4, was not until about 1870 that Goa
began to be used for fuel and from
then on the nuisance has increased
II Is now much worse because NOR
engines are kept here.
Thomas Lyons had lived at the col
ner OF River and Lincoln streets al
=. his life and has seen the nuisanc
steadily increase during recent years
He thought the gas and smoke iniul
as ed the health OF his family and di
is not think a roundhouse In the oil
OF location would stop the evil. Tn
~ old roundhouse was burned some te
70 or dozen years ago but for sever'
rs. years before that It could not be use
loo Il was In such bad shape. Mr.. Il
ons also told how II had been nece
on. sary to move two modern roun'
Il houses because OF smoke and 81
cd. nuisance.
10 Deputy Sheriff John Nash agree
,ed with the two preceding witnesse
lie had lived in that vicinity AT
thought the new roundhouse ought
be located farther down out Of u
village Another nuisance there
OTIS the switching which is dangerous
the County street and River sire
,on crossings where so many childr'
have to pass on their way to al
from school.
AZ NJ. u. Middleton, architect and ci'
was engineer testified as TO dirt and 9th
nulsances caused by coal smoI
,tor Thought herewouldbeuo difficulty
With building on the new site proposed,
pol. pr d. V. o'Dounell was the Ia
God witness at the forenoon session.
the said that the carbon particles FRI
the smoke caused bronchial irrit
ion and in one case at least he Ct