Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-05-30
SINCLAIR PLAN CONSIDERED
Objections Made to It by People
along the Lake Front.
After Three Hours Session Public
Service Commission Takes Ad-
journment to August 8-Esti-
mated Cost Of Plans.

Burlington's new union station will
probably not be built this summer.
The public service commission arrived
in the city Tuesday and after a hear
ing on the station project in the morn
ing announced continuance until
August to allow the Rutland railroad
to prepare new plan Incorporating
some OF the features of the Sinclair
plan, and also to allow Mr.. Sinclair
to make surveys and submit estimates
on the approximate cost of his plan.
About the only new feature of the sta
ton project introduced Tuesday
the filing of petition by w. Il. c.
Stickney In which the New York. New
Haven & Hartford railroad intervenes
as party to the union station hear
ing. The New Haven now has petit
\ ton pen ling before the New York
state public service commission for
permission to purchase the controlling
interest of the Rutland railroad from
the New York Central lines. and when
this purchase is made the New Haven
road will then be vitality Interested in
! any improvements which the Vermont
| public service commission may order.
Permission to intervene as a party to
the hearing was granted by the COM
| mission.
Although the union station project
has been siftej nearly to the bottom
by the public service commission ami
| Chairman Redmond announced that
| the commission desired to close the
hearing on plans. Attorney Lawrence
| for the Rutland asked that the hear
| couli consiier the Sinclair plon more
l thoroughly He said his company
! might wish to present n plan embody-
| ing some of the features of the Sim
clair plan Mr. Sinclair also stated
that he wished to nave opportunity TO
prepare another drawing showing the
station placed east, instead of west.
of the main line tracks. He also
wishes to make estimates of the cost
of making the improvements suggest
ed In his plan.
Another important feature Of the union
l station matter is the status of the high
WAYS at the points where they cross the
railroad tracks. This question will have
an important bearing with the public serv-
ice commission in determining the assess
ments to be made against the city and
L
| 1t is expected that the next hearing in
August will be the last to be held by the
commission. when this matter will be
| taken up.
All of the session Tuesday morning
| was devoted TO a consideration of the
| Sinclair plan. Mr.. Sinclair opened the
| hearing by pointing out to the commits
| sion the features Of his plan. Chairman
| Redmond gave the Sinclair plan his undi-
| vided attention and asked the engineer
l many questions concerning the advan-
l tages of the plan as compared with the
| advantages OF the elevated structure plan
| proposed by the Central Vermont rail-
| way.
| OBJECTIONS TO SINCLAIR PLAN
E. j. Booth appeared for the J. r.
| Booth Lumber company and pointed out
] to the commission, on the Sinclair plan,
what he termed serious objections to such
| a plan. The swinging of the main line
| tracks east from the round house, he
said. would simply put his company out
of business. 1t would cut off all their by
| drants on rle east so that they would be
without fire protection. II would also
| wipe out the barn and interfere with the
J power Arrangement whereby the WEIGH
1 i'ios' N''hPo''H - HhpIAAti with power
MIR Booth mentioned many industrial
buildings In the immediate vicinity that
would be wiped out. including the Bald
Il win Refrigerator dry kiln. a machine
shop and a shavings storehouse. He
said the estimated damage TO the Booth
and other property would be $4,000. con-
I sidering that it were possible monetary
| compensation could be made to repay the
owners for being driven out of business
He registered his objection strongly
against the Sinclair plan.
John ]. Enright appeared for the North
! ern Provision company and said the COM
! pany would protest against the tracks
| running east of their property 1t would
be necessary he said. to make cut 10
| feet deep in the bank in order to allow
the tracks to pass without interfering
with the barns and a retaining wall. 80
feet high, would have to be built, he
declared, in order to hold the clay and
sand of which the bank Is composed.
A. G. Whittemore. who represented the
Champlain Transportation company, stat
/ ed that there was serious objection to the
| ramp. which, as part of the Sinclair
plan. it is proposed to build down to the
| approach to the steamer dock.
III In summing up the situation and plans,
up to date Chairman Redmond stated
that If the one object on the part of the
committee OF fifteen In approving the SIN
clair plan had been to secure a plan
which would conserve the lake front of
the city for the future. the plan without
doubt was very well adapted to such a
purpose. SO far as the argument was
concerned that the lake front could be
more easily reached under the Sinclair
plan than by the Central Vermont ele-
waited plan. Mr. Redmond Said he failed
to see the force of such an argument.
Mr., Redmond did not say that the COM
mission favors the Central Vermont plan
but inasmuch as that plan was Invariably
brought forward to be compared with the
Sinclair plan the natural impression
/ gained at the hearing was that the com
mission Is very seriously considering the
Central Vermont plan.
ESTIMATED COST OF PLANS.
iii Engineer Stafford OF the Grand Trunk
Il spoke against the Sinclair plan as being
/ awkward and Instantaneous. lie sub
i mitted the following estimates of the
4 costs OF various plans as follows:
Central Vermont elevated plan, $3.50, 600
L Central Vermont surface plan. sl56,OOO
/ Sinclair plan as submitted at the las
/ meeting $4,000,