The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-04-24
STAMFORD HAS
 LIVELY MEETING
Vote to Widen Main Street Despite Opposition 9th
 CT Stratford Items.
Especial to The TimesD


 Stratford, April 24-Main street in front of the old selleck property, now the Olaf Christianson property, is to be 143 feet wide as that was the mo- tion which prevailed at the special town meeting last night, ,notwithstand- ing that there were a number of men present who were opposed and wish | ed a uniform line to be made from Barnum avenue to the railroad It was also voted at this meeting that the fence line of the street be the building line. F. o. Rhoades was elected chair man of the meeting which was at tended by nearly 200 of the voters. There were a number of maps in evil dence as interested parties had maps showing the line of the streets they wished. No action was taken On the strengthening the line on the east side of Main street.
 During the meeting there were g. few slight tiIts between citizens and. Attorney Henry D. Shannon of Bridgeport informed the men and women present that his client. Olaf Christianson, was not Q bad chap and that he had asked him to get shaved up and cleaned up so that the people of the town could see that he was not a bad sort of fellow. F. s. Boards ley said that he thought John Moore had a nerve to stand up in the town meeting and ask the town to give him a. strip of land seven feet wide by S2 feet long.
 Elliott W. Peck presented 8, resolu- ton at the opening of the meeting la, the effect that the street line on Main street from the railroad to Barnum avenue be no more narrow than be- tween the fences at the narrowest point.
 Mir. Peck said the section of Main street north of the railroad was sure to be a business section but there was no reason even if that was true in the town losing the glory of its fine wide streets and he said he was op- posed to any narrowing of the street at this point. John Moore said that the town did not maintain the street from the sidewalk to the fences s the owners of the property had to do that. He said he was not in favor of the resolution but in favor of the line of the west side of the street be- ing made straight, according to map which was on the table in front T question by F. s. Beardsley MT. Moore admitted that he would gain a piece of land at the expense of the town of 56O square feet. The other prop erty owners from the old SeIlecIz property south would all gain con siderable land if this line had been accepted.
 Howard Wilcoxson, who has spent considerable time in delving into the old records of the town presented a copy of one of the deeds on record over 100 years ago. This deed spoke of land north of what is now the railroad and was deeded to the town with a proviso that it should always remain the property of the citizens of Stratford. By another copy of from the records of 1647 MT. Wilcoxson tried to prove that the grant of land spoken of in the first deed was legal. As that matter. seemed too much ancient history the voters did not consider 1t
 Judge Thomas c. Coughnn said that he was of the opinion that the resolution to widen the street was to divert attention from the develop ment of Christianson on this street. He made an amendment to the orig ina1 resolution to the effect that line be established on the west side of Main street.