The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1913-05-20
Old Order Must Be Vacated
Before Changes Can Be
Effected
HEARING WILL BE
HELD THURSDAY

tlon-SOO Men Employed Upon It
About Ready to Tackle New Job
Borings Near Arch Show Rock Bot
tom.
The contract for the immediate dem
oitlon of the old Crosby grain elevator
near the railroad arch. following the
signing of the agreement between the
town aud the railroads for the erection
of union station and for other +
changes. is one of several indications
that the railroad companje. intend TO
begin within short time the improve
meuts in and about the railroad ward
which have been agtated several years. .
Moreover, the officials themselves say it +
Is their desire TO begin the work as
soon as possible.
There is one obstacle I'm the way of
beginning the changes called for tu tine
contract, and that is the order OF the
public service commission for the CON
structiou of "a highway over the tracks
about 800 feet south of Bridge street.
Most persons doubtless have forgotten
that the Old order has not been reseiud-
ed or modified, but still exists i'm it's
original form.
This was the FIRST solution of the
Bridge street grade crossing problem.
After the plan had been carefully work
+ ed out the public service commission
ordered that q Central Vermont station
be erected west OF the tracks. and the
railroad company began blasting out
the ledge osteusibly to carry out the
order. The commission also ordered
that highway overpass be built over
the tracks at a point about where the
present station stands and that a ramp
be constructed leading from the east
side of the tracks up TO the east end
of the overpass.
1t is strange but true that this idea
met with the approval of most people
at that time. but in the light of sub
scquent developments il is fortunate
p for Brattleboro that the plan was not
carried out.
, However, that old order stiIl stands
and no other plan can be put into effect
= until the order is vacated or modified
hv the public service commission. The
, commission viii meet ina Brattleh0ro
. Thursday afternoon. and one of the first
8 things to come up win be a petition To
vaeatc the former order. There is NO
q reason to think that the commission
will do otherwise than act favorahlv
ON the petition. Then they will he
asked TO order that the Bridge street
. crossing he abolished by the coustruc-
tiou of au overpass at the crossing. ami
then will come up the question as To
the height of the ovcrpas- above the
rails. BY "a special act of the legisla-
turc the commission has authority TO
direct that the minimum height shall
q. be Is feet, which lis less than the stat
!. utory minimum.
~ Chief Engineer &. N. Morrison OF the
!. Central Vermont Railway says that
while mo new scheme can Doe carried oui
S. while the old order is iu. force plans
J. have been made but not completed "a.
'~ to all details. for building "a union sta
tiou and overpass along the new line.
which have been fully outlined. II q
new order is made as contemplated tn,
engineers will get together and com
plete the plans and work will be hegur
F as soon as possible.
Mr. Morrison saws 10 is planned IL
build "a freight house south of the pres
l. cnt passenger station, to be used 10y
the Central Vermont company while th
Central Vermont freight house is he
ing moved to a new location. Then IL
viii be fitted up for a Boston & Maine
O. freight house.
ct The Holbrook. Cabot q Rollins cor
is poratiou, which has the contract for do
r. ing large part of the new work, ha
MS nearly completed the Boston & Main
'd line from here TO South Vernon throug
~ Hiusdalc and is nearly ready to tarbl
II the new contract i'm and around tn
'E railroad yard here. Freight train
"a probably will be run over the new lin
by the last of this month.
- 1t viii surprise some to learn that uo
far from 500 men are still employed %
~ the job. They are somewhat scattcret
10 but they count up on the payroll
as The drilling In the river bed east q
,o- the arch over Milestone brook, whic
nd was stopped several days ago, wi
re be resumed shortly. The work ws
re- stopped because the pump did not wor
,st well, and new pump will be used &
soon as it can be spared from auoth,
. Job The borings thus far have show
rock foundation. The widening of Il
=. arch will be nccessitated by the rai
road developments.