The Detroit times., 1914-10-19
D. U. R. PETITION
FOR WIDE CURVE
IS TURNED DOWN
Weadock's Threats Fail To
Move City Fathers To Grant
Interurban Connection
BAREFOOT POINTS OUT
CITY'S AWKWARD POSITION
I'm Same Fix As Man Who Can't
Tell Contractor How He Wants
Work Done" He Says


Following the trip OF inspection over
the new Junction-aye. workingmen's
belt line, the council committee on
public utilities met. Friday afternoon.
and, turned down the ID. u. X. demand
for permission to lay full-clearance
curve at Junction and Dix-aves., the
committee holding to It's often-express.
ed order that the company must use
a smaller ~, that would not cause
cars to(overhang the sidewalk from is
to "a inches, but would leave the side
walk clear.
ID. U. II. Attorney Bernard F. Wea-
dock, who doggedly Insisted that the
big curve must be allowed, II the
Junction line was TO be put into oper-
atfun, used thinly-veiled threats or
long and fnsurmountable. delay In the
opening OF the line, as his club to
force the concession OF the clearance
curve. but the committee refused the
permission.
Leaving the situation thus: The
ID. U.aR, says that IL cannot operate
on the smaller curve. and. anyway. IL
couldn't get the curves for months, as
the steel mills are shut down by the
public clamor against railroads.
IF the council gives the ID. U. II.
permission TO install a half-clearance
curve. will your company refuse?"
asked Chairman Lodge. OF the com.
mittee.
IT don't like that word refuse" At
torney Weadock replied. but special
steel work is necessary. and 1t would
take months to get II. II we did In
stall half-clearance curves. only single
truck cars could be used"
-Four times the street railway com
pany went to the council committee
to try and force their choice OF "Y'
track on the city. Twice they went
to court. Every time they were de
feated, Joseph Sneider. retired brick
manufacturer, standing behind the
fight against the proposed curve
spending his own money TO fight the
street car company to a standstill
employing counsel and expert advice
for the battle. Thwarted time and
again, the ID. u. r. finally hit on the
plan, Friday. of taking the council
members, the mayor. members OF the
street railway commission. and others
out TO the scene. As the ID. u. r. ex
pected. hundreds lined the right-of
way. cheering. demanding service or
the new line
But II their little scheme had caus
be swayed by the demand for the op
GRAFTON Of the line. Mr.. Sneider was
prepared to take up his fight again
and fight the ID. U. r curve to the
last ditch.
Here's pretty state OF affairs.
says Frederick T. Bancroft, street rail
way expert, who aided Mr.. SneideI
in the battle. This line Is being
built by the d. u. r. as agent for the
city OF Detroit The city Is guaran
teeing payment or the bills. The line
is to be built, according to the terms
Of the agreement, rs the city wishes
Up comes an argument about this
curve, before the line Is one-fourtf
completed. The city council says
You shall build II this way The ID
u. R., agent for the city, building OF
the city's orders, says. Well build
| Ii our way or not at ALL They take
il to court. The court says they mus
obey the council They 90 back Il
the council. The council reiterate'
its orders to build a half-clearanc'
track. The company goes to cour
and claims that 1t has q right, under
Its Interpretation OF It's agreement Will
the city, to build what 1t pleases.
"The court rules against 1t again
And now we have 1t trying to clul
the aldermen into giving permission
for the big curve by taking them out
showing them a lot OF people ciamor
! ing for the line, and saying to them
The people want that line opened
We can't open II unless you let us pu
| in our sort OF curve
Now, isn't that pretty state o
affairsy asks Mr.. Bancroft. VIVA
sort Of corporation, aside from til
city OF Detroit, would let q contrac
stipulating what sort Of work shoul'
be done, and would then allow tn
contractor to declare. Now you'll TAX
this thing as I want TO build II 10
you, or you won't get il at all
That's exactly the position OF tn
city and the d. u. r. on this curv'
proposition. And the thing has beel
dragging along since last June. Tn
line IL. most emphatically, needed
But with one-fourth of 1t completed
as far as Warren-ave. and Thirty
fourth-st., there IL room for just TIT
same sort OF haggling over the othe
three-fourths. The d. U. R. Is neve
in hurry. Delays are valuable t
the ID. u. r."
Mr.. Bancroft also nayed the con
tentions OF Attorney Weadock, In hi
arguments for the clearance curve
"The ID. u. r. has duplicate tract
for the sort OF curve required at tina
point, right now, in It's yards II couli
put them In Immediately" he said
That's all buncombe about not beinl
able to get track. Then there wa
the little threat about the single
truck cars. The ID. u r. knows tn
people don't like single-truck cars
and that was put in as another threat
Mr.. Weadock knows that double
truck car will work better on tina
curve than a single-truck car"