Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-10-01

The Public Utilities Commission mas
rendered its decision in the matter
of the recent petition through the mu-
nicipal officers of the City Of Augusta
for the removal of the double tracks
of the Lewiston, Augusta & Water
willie Street Railway from Water
street, Augusta, and replacing them
with a single track. dismissing the pc
tition on the grounds Of recent chang
es made in the running schedule by
the Lewiston. Augusta & Watervllle
Railway which seems to do away with
tie annoyance of congestion in the
street as complained.
The commission in the same
decision calls tatention to the
several matters regarding oper-
alton and schedule and in
structs the railway to report at once
to the commission as to steps for
rtmedying them, such as the failure
of the new schedule to accommodate
the many employees in stores and other
business places and the menace to
the public of the present method of
operating the freight and express cars
through the street. The full text of
the decision follows:
The Decision
In the matter Of the petition Of the
municipal officers of Augusta with ref
erence to the tracks Of the Lewiston,
Augusta and WatervilIe Street Rail-
way on Water Street.
Cleaves, Chairman; Shelton and
Bunker, commissioners.
Under date of September Il, 1917,
the municipal officers of Augusta pre-
scented TO this Commission Il petition
of the following tenor:
TO THE PUBLIC UTILITIES CON-
MISSION OF MAINE
We. the undersigned, Municipal Of
ficers of the City of Augusta. County of
kcnnebec and State Of Maine. hereby
petition your honorable body. at the
request Of large number Of citizens
Of this City, that a single track en-
Water street in our city replace the
present double track Of the
Lewiston, Augusta e. Waterville
Street Railway on said street. ana
that owing to work now in progress
on said street, that hearing be ord
cred and a decision rendered at the
earliest possible date"
Notice upon the subject of the pc
titior was given September IS thai
a public hearing would be held at tbs
offices Of the Commission on Sep
TENDER % at 9 o'clock in the forenoon
and public hearing was then and there
held. The municipal officers were
represented by City Solicitor Melvin
z. Sawtelle; the Lewiston. Augusta
and Waterville Street Railway was
represented by its attorney, John r
Nelson. A considerable number OF cit
izens of Augusta who do business on
Water street in the vicinity or the
Soluble tracks were present and gave
testimony.
Under the act Incorporating the Au-
gusta. Hal!oweil and Gardiner Rail
road Company. tthe same being the
company under whose rights the Lew
iston. Augusta and Waterville Street
Railway is operating in Augusta) the
Railroad Commissioners are given au-
thority on petition OF the municlpai
officers OF Augusta to change the To-
CO ton whenever 1t Is ad3udged said
change Is necessary for public conve-
nience and It was under this pro-
vision Of the charter that the petition
was drawn and presented.
OF course. the first and most i'm
portant question to determine is
whether public convenience requires
the requested change or any change
and in order to properly set out the
conditions upon which such a deter
nination mus. rest, it will be neces-
sary to go into some detail
as to matters which lead up
to the situation which called forth the
petition. 1t appeared in evidence that
at the time the street railway Sc
cured its location through Water street
in Augusta. the purpose Of the COM
pany was to lay down and use a sin
gle track. but that merchants upon
Water street and others felt that a
long double track would be more con-
venient and two tracks were located
and placed in the street, During the
past few years, there have been nu-
merous complaints Of serious conges-
ton on that part Of Water street
where the double tracks are located,
Nt,lt sSnw -