Connecticut western news., 1911-03-23
LAST TROLLEY ROUTE.
ENTIRE NEW STREET
 .a . TO PEASE'S CROSSING
Chief Engineer Towne Submits Blue prints for Citizens Inspection Railroad Street Business Men Do Not Want Crossing Abandoned,

The plans of the Berkshire trolley company, as they affect Canaan village, are becoming more definite, according to disclosures vouchsafed by Chief Engineer Towne, of the electric rail way company, and it appears to be outlined in The News, will be practically the route decided upon. MT. Towne has taken some of the leading business men of the village into his confidence to the extent of exhibiting sets of blue prints. from which it appears that the trolley road will come down to Main street, from Pease's crossing, on the east side of the steam railway tracks. but for the greater part of the distance, farther to the east than at first indicated. The line will follow the foot of the hill, taking in portions of the lots of the property owners on the west side of Granite avenue, including land occupied by the Pilgrim Church and the Methodist parsonage, and turning down into Main street which it will intersect at the point where Mrs. J. E. Rhoades' house stands.
 Th9 plan contemplates the removal of Mrs. Rhoades' house and of the Pilgrim Church horse sheds and other buildings on the line. The hotel property, according to this layout, does not figure in the company's plans. The arrangement, however, would apparently leave the hotel in 8 peculiar position, with railroad on each side of it; and this circumstance gives rise to the suspicion, in some quarters, that the isolation of the hotel is 8 shrewd device to insure it's easy requirement later on.
 It is said the plan of tho company is to lay out commodious street, from Pease's crossing to Main street, a distance of about d half-mile, with six foot sidewalk on each side, substantially paved and curbed, and ask the town to accept the thoroughfare in lieu of upper Railroad st. closing the crossing to traf- fic. On this stipulation there is likely to develop some strenuous opposition onthe part of Railroad streeters. This thorough fare has become one'of the principal busi- ness streets within few years, and the tendency of business enterprise is to proceed still farther up there.
 It is argued that the closing of the Pease crossing would work material injury to the business interests on Rail road street, by shutting off travel from the north. It is argued on the other hand, that 1nasmuch as "business goes where business is," and as the sed new street would not become a business street, trade from the north would fiud its way around to the business end of Railroad street as surely as it now does and that under any circumstances, it will be many year before the east side of the railroad becom7s a business section.
 MT. Towne met with number of citizens in the Canaan Saving Bank Tuesday morning, showed the blue print containing the above plans and answered innumerable questions concerning the same. These plans, he expla1nnd, are purely tentative, have not even been submitted to the railroad company, and may be rejected by the company even if . acceptable to the town.
 The cost of the work of making and paving the new street, MT. Towne says would cost the railroad company upward of $50, ,000. ...