Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1912-04-19
Vernon Street Will Be Blasted Out to Level with the Main
Street Bridge
BRATTLEBORO ASKED TO CONTRIBUTE S45,OoO
Union Station Will Face Braeboro Housethe Central Vermont
Freight Yard Will Be Raised viaduct Over Crossing Special
Town Meeting May

studio, back of the Horace French lot,
through the rear part of the lot where
the Patrick Manning house stands and
through the middle of the lot where the
old Reed house stands, all on a level
with the Main street bridge.
The plans show two Central Vermont
main lines and two Boston & Maine
lines, the Central Vermont lines being
west of the others. These tracks
VIII remain at the present rail-
road level but the Central Vermont
freight house and freight tracks will be
raised to level Of the Main street
bridge some IA feet higher than the
main tracks. This will be accomplished
by building cement retaining wall from
a point in the southern part of the yard
north to the union depot which will be
located on the corner east of the Brat
tleboro House where blasting operations
were conducted last summer and by
grading to the wall. A line of store
houses 20 feet deep will be built along
the west line of the railroad.
Particularly pleasing are the plans the
roads have for the union station, which
will cost al least S5S, 900 and perhaps
$500 or more. 1t will be built largely
of yellow brick, or brick of some color
which will harmonize with the sur
roundings, and will have a tile roof and
stucco walls. The West elevation fac
ing the Brattleboro House. will have an
extreme width of 1O6 feet The station
will stand on a level with the Main
street bridge and will have an extreme
length of 131 feet, extending back over
two of the Central Vermont tracks and
one of the Boston e Maine tracks 1t
Will contain two elevators for handling
baggage and will be provided with two
easy flights of stairs leading down to
the railroad platforms The general
waiting room will be Ga feet one way
and SO feet the other way, and located
with proper relation to ii will be a re-
firing room, lavatories, a ticket office
and a telegraph office. The waiting
room will be entered through vestibule
equipped with two sets of doors. The
station will be of handsome design, well
appointed and fully equipped. The two
Central Vermont tracks will be sepa-
rated by platform, will also tho
Boston & Maine tracks, and the plat
forms will extend $50 feet south from
the present crossing. They may be
extended 300 feet north of the crossing
when developments there are worked
out.
1t is purposed to eliminate the Bridge
street grade crossing by building via
duct over the tracks. The Vermont law
requires that an overhead pass must be
% feet above the tracks. This would
necesstate per cent grade from the
Main street bridge up to the top of the
viaduct, and from there the roadway
across the Connecticut river bridge
would go down lat the same grade and
would be four feet higher at the east
end than 1t is now. The Massachusetts
law requires overhead passes to be only
Is feet above the tracks, and the Brat
tleboro committee will petition the Ver-
mont legislature to grant a special per-
NIT in this instance to build at a height
Of 1S feet, and If they are successful
the grade over the viaduct will be less
and the road at the east end of the river
bridge will be no higher than now. The
/ details of the roadway will be worked
out by the bridge company so that the
bridge itself will not have to be raised.
Just what the construction of the via
duct will be is for the railroad COM
panies to determine
The Boston & Maine freight yard will
be reached by a ramp from the viaduct
southwark about where the gas house
is located, although the plans do not
show just how that will be worked out.
The gas company is making an effort to
acquire the site of its plant by eminent
domain proceedings, but the railroad
men do not believe the action can be
maintained An early adjustment of
that matter is expected. Changes which
will be made north of Bridge street have
not been decided upon, but negotiations
are in progress for acquiring the Cros-
by warehouse and grain elevator.
1t would require much newspaper
space to tell the story of the railroad
controversy which began three years
ago last March, and which now has been
brought to a point where all hands have
agreed. The services of all who have
been identified with the project have
been very valuable and efficient, and
due credit should be given them, includ-
| ing the railroad committee and Gov
John A Mead. This seems to be the
proper time to state, however, that had
| n haap for fulnaqs and
| perseverance of Attorney Clarke G.
| Fits the Boston & Maine passenger
station and freight yard probably would
now be located across the river, much to
the inconvenience of the Brattleboro
| public. A year ago this month, when
| the relations between the two railroads
relative to the situation here were most
, strained, President Mellen gave the or
der to award the contract which would
have meant the loss of the yard and
station to this town. Mr. Fits, who
was in Boston, learned of the order and
although the case seemed about hope
less he communicated with President
Mellen by telephone, asking for a sus-
pension of the order so that an effort
might be made to secure legislative per-
mission for the Boston & Maine TO build
| through the yard on the Vermont side,
close to the river. President Mellen sus-
pended the order two weeks and Mr..
Fits conferred with Governor Mead,
who arranged for conferences between
the railroad officials, but stood ready to
call the legislature together II the con-
ferences failed to yield favorable re-
suits. The result OF the suspension Of
the order is the agreement which has
now been reached
The actual construction of the Boston
& Maine roadbed has not been begun,
but the progress in the preliminary work
is told in interesting detail in the Hinsdale
correspondence in this paper. The loca-
ton OF the proposed railroad bridge
across the river has not been decided
upon