Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-06-04
SENTIMENT AGAINST
TRACK DEPRESSION
PLAN IS GROWING
Many East Orange Residents
Believe City Will Lose in Con-
tenpIated Appeal.

Data, which East Orange officials
will use in their arguments to have
grade crossings in the city abolished
by depressing the tracks when an ap-
peal is taken to the Public Utility
Commission, is being gathered by
City Counsel Borden d. Whiting and
City Engineer William D. Willigerod.
A resolution empowering the rail
road committee of the City Council
to make the appeal has been drafted,
and it will be introduced at the meet
ing of the governing body next Mon
day night by Chairman George A.
Grover.
Messrs. Whiting and Willigerod
have prepared data on every phase
of the situation, and the appeal can
be taken the moment the city coun-
Gil says the word. Mr.. Whiting will
argue the case for the city, and he
will likely call upon a number of the
city officials who are familiar with
the controversy as witnesses
Opposition to making the appeal
Just now is expected to develop from
certain councilmen. Mr. Grover, who
has been one of the leaders in the
move to have the Laekawanna do
away with the dangerous crossings
by lowering the tracks for years, will
inform the City Council that the rail-
road has positively said that nothing
can induce them to abolish the cross
tngs unless the city consents to eleva-
ton.
The railroad committee chairman
had the resolution ready for presenta-
ton to the City Council last week, but
at the last moment he decided not to
introduce it until President William
II. Truesdale answered his query
hot H. fN hnN
controversy settled by arbitration.
Flat refusal to even consider such
proposition was made by the Lacka-
wanna's president, and the city au-
thorities Immediately set TO work on
the appeal.
Just what the city will gain by
taking the appeal is the question
uppermost in the minds of practi-
cally every resident of the munich
pality. The feeling is growing in the
city that the depression plan is i'm
practical Some of the city officials
are confident the Public Utility Com
mission will reject the city's appeal.
A point the authorities will en-
phasize when arguing on the appeal
is that the city is willing to pay the
difference between the cost of de-
preston and elevation if the Lacka-
wanna will consent to lower the
y
lieve, will make a favorable impress
sion upon the utility commissioners.
When the offer was put up to the
representatives of the railroad when
friendly negotiations were under way,
the Laekawanna's men acknowledged
the proposition was liberal, but they
declared they did not believe that
taxpayers of the municipality would
agree to the additional expenditure.
Nothing can change the conviction
of some of the city authorities that
elevation will result in great damage,
and the Lackawanna is equally GER
tain that depression is out of the
question. The Lackawanna has told
the city authorities it is the policy
of the company to discourage run
ming trains through cuts anywhere,
and that it could never approve de-
preston, particularly in East Orange,
because it has started work elevating
the tracks in South Orange. and may
do the same in Orange.