Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-01-19
RAILROAD CANNOT
APPROVE OF PLANS
Pres. TruesdaIe Answers East
Orange Councilman on Grade
Crossing Project.

That the Lackawanna railroad of.
ficials could not proceed with grade.
crossing elimination work through
! East Orange In accordance with ths
plans outlined by the railroad COM
mittee of the City Council last May
was the information contained In 6
letter written by w. H. Truesdaie
president of the railroad, TO George
A. Grover, chairman of the railroad
committee, and made public today.
The Truesdale letter comes as 9
reply to request made by Council
man Grover for definite answer tc
the tentative plans suggested by the
railroad committee. President Trues-
dale in turn takes up the question
of securing additional right of way
surface water drainage and the de-
preston of tracks through the city
Mr.. Truesdale also AYERS that tbs
suggestion that his company Is I'M
necessarily delaying on the negotia-
tions is unfounded in fact.
The letter in part follows:
Our engineering department has
during the time intervening since the
receipt of your letter of May 20 given
| the suggestion YOU made very careful
and exhaustive cons deration with
reference to the feasibility of such a
plan, not only as respects the cost OF
doing the work throughout the city
of East Orange, but also as to what
scheme We would then have to
adopt for accomplishing the elimina-
tion of our grade crossings in the city
- Go 10 ct
and as result of thelir considerat on
of the subject, with all the complica-
tons involved in it, they have
reached the conclusion. and have so
advised me- that 1t would not. in their
OPP MON, be possible to do this work
on the lines suggested by your COM
m'ttee, chiefly for the following
reasons:
"First-As they figure it out. to pro-
vide the additional right of way of
twenty-five feet on either side of our
existing right Of way for slope
would require the purchase of, rough
ly speaking, about $4,000 square feet
of property.
an addition to this, further area
Of about 10000 square feet of property
would have to be acquired for the
purpose of relocating Mckinley ave-
nue. along the southerly side of our
new right of way line from Clinton
stree. to the Orange line.
"Our people estimate that the cost
OF this property would be not less
than 100000.
"The plan suggested by your COM
mittee, If carried out, would involve
the total or partial destruction of up
ward of fifty buildings, the cost OF
which is not included in the property
cost above mentioned and Is difficult
to give an estimate on. Many Of these
buildings are important ones, used
for business purposes, and Of per-
manent type of construction. Quite
a number Of them are residences,
most OF which are of wooden con-
struction, and, In certain cases, these
would have to be torn down altogeth-
er, and in others moved back upon
adjacent property.
"The cost of the additional prop
erty mentioned above and the dam
ages to buildings which would be in
volved, we understand from your let
ter OF May 20 last, 1t is proposed the
city of East Orange shall bear.
I'VE do not celieve your constit-
uents. the people of East Orange, as
a whole. would for a minute seriously
towards this work, which, as we
understand, is urged chiefly In the in
terest Of those who may own prop
erty In the Immediate vicinity of our
railroad.
"Second-In your tentative proposi-
ton you state that the question of
surface water drainage, which has
heretofore been considered difficult,
would, under this plan, be taken care
OF by your city.
at has never been our contention
that the surface water drainage was
the only drainage that had to be pro-
vided for in carrying out any plan for
depressing our tracks. Our people
have had test holes put down along
our right of way clear through the
city Of East Orange, and practically
every one of these holes west of Wal
nut street has run into a bed of quick
sand, varying in thickness and all
bearing a vast amount of water.
Cost Might Be s1O0.O0O,0 900.
"As we approach the Orange line
the borings show this bed of quick
sand comes much nearer the surface,
and whatever drainage facilities we
would have to provide In our de-
preston to take care of the condi-
lions IN East Orange would have to
be of sufficient capacity to take care
of hose in Orange as well.
"Our people have no idea what this
feature of the proposition would cost,
but say It might easily amount to as
much as $100.000,000.
''Third-We find that If we depress
our tracks in East Orange we will
have to continue the depression
through Orange up to Glebe street.
Our engineers estimate the cost of de-
pressing our tracks through that por-
ton of Orange, above what Il would
cost us to elevate same, would be
our company would have to bear, as
the city of Orange would be IN no way
benefited by it, and is entirely will
ing to have its grade crossings
eliminated by e'evating our tracks all
the way through that city.
Before. therefore. undertaking TIC
give you definite answer as to
whether our company would be will
/ ing to negotiate with you on the ten
| tative plan outlined in your letter OF
/ May 80 last. we wish to know whethe,
/ the City Council of East Orange will
officially and authoritat've'v confirm
: this proposition to us, specifically E n
bracing the purchase of the pronerty
and buildings to which / have re-
ferred above and the payment of tn
consequent property damages as also
| the cost of the facilit es for the drain
age of our depressed roadbed. as
above estimated.
| 81 would also like to know whether
! the Council will. in like manner. off,
cially agree to pay ue any portion oil
! the increased cost to us OF depressin7
our tracks through the City of Ora, &c
| In order to conform to your plan fol
the depression Of same through Ess'