The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-02-17
CITY MAY MAKE NEW HAVEN PUT UP STONE WALL Has Right to Insist That Old Housatonic Be Put On
 .Viaduct COUNCIL MAY TAKE
 MATTER UP SOON Widening of Congress Street Brings Up Contract -En- tered Into Years Ago

I l council decides, that body may ask the New York, New Haven and Hart ford railroad to take down the timber supports which elevate the tracks of 1 the Berkshire division north of Con- gress street and build a. stone struc- ture. The city, however, may be ob- l Hgated to pay one-quarter of the cost of the work. In 1908 the city entered into an agreement with the railroad company that in consideration that l the company would not place it's Berk- shire division tracks on a dirt en- bankment north of Congress street, it might place them on timber supports I and that in 10 years from Sept. 18 1903, at the option of the city, the rail- road company would replace these un- slightly timber supports with stone or steel construction.
 1 The agreement was made by AL dermen William $. Schrieber. Alfred A. DOty, John J. sMorrissey, G. K Birdseye and Fred Enos, committee on streets and sidewalks, H. c. Scho- 1 helds city surveyor and Thomas M. Cu1linan, city attorney, acting for the city and the late William D. Bishop and I. DeVer Warner directors, acting I for the railroad.
 This matter apparently has of late 1 escaped the attention of even those now living who participated in the | agreement for the, city. The matter
 came up at the meeting of the com 1 mon council Monday night when the favorable report of the streets and sidewalks committee. for widening 1 Congress street on the north side 1 from Housatonic avenue to Main street was submitted and adopted 1 Alderman Moran opposed the adop- | ton of the report saying if Congress street was to be widened Non the north side the stone pier at the Congress street crossing should be moved back l +<,1 lr .e4x. 1ferS7f Ii1za I Aldermen Moran and Casey both argued to@shave the matter put over for two weeks in order that an at tempt to make arrangements to move l tl1e pier be made.
 1 Alderman Primrose then introduc- ed g. resolution which was carried.
 to have the city attorney find out | just when the time was up for the railroad to build the stone wall in l place of the wooden piers. Many
 persons have labored under the inn ] pression that the time was up this lyear. As matter of fact 1t ex- 1 pired two years ago but most people
 do not know that the city is liable for one quarter the cost of the build ing.
 AceordIng to the aereernent the railroad company need not start the work unless the city asks it to. l Part of the agreement entered in- to by the city. with the railroad reads as follows:
 '.That said New York, New Haven
 Hartford Railroad Company shall after ten years, from the date here of, at the option of the city at its own expense and without further cost to the city, replace the wooden struc- 1 ture or trest1e on which it's tracks are to be elevated, between Congress
 street and East Washington avenue with stone or masonry construction of the same kind. quail 4 ity and description as that north of l East Washington avenue, or on stone
 piers with steel trusses and girders like the structure south of Congress I street.
 That the city shall have the right Ito construct and maintain sidewalks across part of said company's right of way, one of said walks to be nine feet in width and next south of. and para1- Tel with the south abutment of the bridge over Fairfield avenue the other to be twelve feet in width and parallel with and next north of the north abut- nent of said bridge.
 | That no masonry supporting the T trusses between abutnents of East Washington avenue bridge shall be above the surface of the ground
 In consideration whereof, the city Of Bridgeport agrees to pay the New I York. New Haven and Hartford Raii- roa1 company, except as hereinafter l provided, one-fourth the cost of eleA Vating the tracks on said Berkshire
 disision, from Congress street north,
 as shown on said plans; provided tfat safe expense shall not exec ed l one-foC1th the estimated cost on said | work as agreed in. writing and signed by Horace G. Scoffe1d, City Surveyor
 s.nd Richard M. Berrian, Engineer of
 the N. Y., N. H. 6 H. Railr pad"
 From the agreement it wo1ld ap-
 pear that the railroad must build 1 whenex CT the city says so Howe yer
 the board of apportionment has made
 no provision this year to take the
 city's share of the cost of this work
 and with the present state of the rail-
 roads finances local business men
 consider it unlikely that any start
 will be made the work at this
 tine.