The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1912-03-12
MORRISTOWN & ERIE
WAVES DEMAND
Company Notifies Town II will
Sign Contracts.

the Morris.oMn Il Erie railroad, on
Saturday notified the mayor and
board of aldermen that his company
was ready to sign the contracts for
track elevation work and would
waive the trolley right demanded. Mr.
McEwans letter was as follows:-
"The Morristown & Erie Railroad
company hereby signifies its consent
to the terms of the tentative agree
ment between the Delaware, Lack
awanna & Western Railroad company
the town of Morristown and itself for
exchange of properties in order to
carry out the proposed plan of track
elevation without reference to its
track extension to Morris street.
This action of the Morrisotwn &
Erie was taken after a conference be-
tween the Messrs. McEwan, Robert u
Foote and their counsel, Willard w.
Cutler. held yesterday and which fol-
lowed a conference held in New YORK
Thursday President Truesdale, Mayor
Pierson, the members of the alder
manic street committee and Town
Counsel Edward K Mills. At the
latter conference it was decided that
as the Morristown & Erie held out
for the trolley right that the town
and the Lackawanna would proceed
with the work without the co-opera-
ton of the McEwan road, the Lack
awanna resorting to condemnation
proceedings to secure necessary land
from the McEwans for the new line
of the railroad and for new streets.
With the announcement by Mr.. Nc
Evan that he would sign the con-
tracts it is believed that the track
elevation matter will be settled within
a few days by the formal signing OF
the contracts and work will begin a
short time later. Mr.. McEwan, it is
said, was satisfied that the town was
doing all it could for him when Town
Counsel Mills secured the introduc-
tion in the House of Assembly of an
duSIuneHl 10 Iu0 Idiiloou oSb PAO
viding that towns as we'll as second
class cities may grant to railroad com
panies the right to lay tracks on the
public streets without consent of the
1'a:.,fls,stting ;,s,s property owners. AS the
Iac,.awanna Tailgoad would not agree
- the request blythe Morristown 4
+ Erie for the right to lay trolley track
on the new street to be opened acros
the Lackawanna's property, it was
Thought that the amendment to the
law would solve the difficulty.
The tentative agreement that has
been made provides for not only the
elimination of the grade crossing but
for the erection of new station. The
entire work will cost about $300,0O0
of which the town will not pay one
cent. All that the town is asked to
do by the Lackawanna is to make the
necessary change in the grade OF Nor
ris and Elm streets and to curb, flag
and pave the two new streets lead
ing in from Morris street to the west
bound station plaza and taking the
places of the present Sawmill lane
and Lumber street This cost will
be about $4,000 or $4,000. The agree
ment also provides for the exchange
of certain tracts by the Lackawanna
and the Morristown & Erie and will
permit the latter road to have its sta
ton in a location practically on Nor
ris street and about where the Ennis
lumber sheds are now located.
Through an agreement with the
Lackawanna railroad the town will
not have to float a bond issue to
raise the amount needed to pay for
the street work. The Lackawanna
has agreed to either do the work itsel
and be reimbursed by the town or to
advance the funds to the town on
notes or other form showing the IN
debtednses so that the town can do
the work. The money advanced by
the railroad will be charged for at
the rate of four per cent, about the
same il not less than what the inter-
est on bonds would be, and is to be
repaid the railroad at the rate OF
$4,000 per year until the debt is can
celled.