Connecticut western news., 1913-11-06
THE SWITCHING NUISANCE
Business Men Discuss Various GrieY-
 ances Against the Railroads.

tion, in Odd Fellows Hall, Thursday evening, was we'll attended. In the absence of President Holsapple the vice Secretary N. Watson Hardenbergh reau the minutes of the previous meeting.
 A motion by J. Clinton Roraback. that a committee be appointed to coufor with the proper railroad officials with a view to abating the nuisance of uR- necessary noise and inconvenience of day and night switching and blookad- ing of the street crossings for pureason- able lengths of time by freight trains= the unearthly screeching of locomotive whistles near the village center at ,aH hours of the night, etc, brought 0a a general discussion of the subject Afr-. George s. Fuller referred especially te the interruption and disturbance of the services in the church, by the Sunday trains. Rev. E. 0. Gillette complained of the annoyance during the hour of service.
 Station Agent Finney said the en- gineers of the Sunday trains, Byman and Parrish, were perhaps the most skilled and scientific engineers on tho system, and operated their engines as skillfully and judioiously as it was pos sible, and it would be unfair for the Oa- naan Business Mems Association to critioise them. Furthermore he doubted if the officials would seriously consider any complaint against charging them with doing anything they ought not bO do. With regard to the difference in the smooth and noiseless way in which the passenger trains in England start out from station, referred to by Mr. Gillette, Mir. Finney explains that the difference between the locomotives of England and America might account for the different ways of getting a train under headway. MT. Roraback rose to assure Mir. Finney that his motion haa no reference to any individual engineers. and was not designed to be Tn any way personal; that it simply contemplated purpose to see if the railroad anthori- aes would not consider the general ssnti- ment of the community which suffers from what seems to be an unnecessary annoyance, and if possible, afford soure measure of relief. as it has gotten stoa point where 1t is intolerable and senae- thing ought to be done to abate it. Mir. Kinney said, with regard to the extra switching, that much of it was due to tho Stone & Webster work at Falls Village, which necossitated the holding of cars here owing to the lack ot Sraok facilities at Falls Village. This, he said, was a condition which would not obtain after the completion of the work at the latter town.
 Judge George w. Ford said 1t had be- come practice for the night switoher to stand near the coal sheds and blow off steam nearly all night. while ostensi- bly, waiting for orders. He recalled that J. Henry Roraback had once quceca authorities to show that thIs was a nuis ance, and subject to restriction hg law as A nuisance. "The time is oom- ing" said Judge Ford, "when it will be stopped"
 Mir. Roraback cited the recent in- stance of a physician, driving Late st night, who was held up. on the pressing near the Borden milk plant, for three- quarters of an hour. by train sthat stood on the crossing; and after hiH patience had become exhausted he went to the telegraph office, to see why .tho crossing was blockaded so long, and there found the train crew asleep in the depot. Mr. Finney at this point quoted Trainmaster John w. Cafr, who in . recent lecture to railroad men, said that such violations of railroad rules should be reported against the individual con ductors and engineers responsible, whe would be promptly punished by suspen- sion or discharge the general bulletins governing the conduct of employees de not hit the mark, unless the individual offenses are brought to the attention of the officials.
 Mir. Roraback's motion, for the ap- pointment of a committee to take the matter up with the officials, was passed ana Chairman Wrlght appointed Messrs- Roraback, Gillette and Fuller as such committee.
 Judge Ford asked If the knitting min that had applied for facilities and female help, some months ago, had located anywhere, or if any other manufactnr- ing enterprises had made application for manufacturing facilities. Secretary Hardenbergh replied that he had heard nothing further from the knitting mill. and that certain other firms had made inquiries concerning facilities here, but they were either too large for Canaan to accommodate. or were undesirable con- cerns. Judge Ford then plainly In- timated that the inquirers for manu. featuring sites and facilities were not getting the encouragement they should