PUBLIC DOCUMENT No. 12 1905 53D ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Railroad Commissioners TO WHICH ARE ADDED STATISTICAL TABLES COMPILED FROM THE Annual Reports of the Steam Railroad Companies of the State for the Year Ending June 30, and of the Street Railway Companies for the Same Period PRINTED BY ORDER OF THE LEGISLATURE Bartford Press: THE CASE, LOCKWOOD & BRAINARD COMPANY REPORT. To His Excellency HENRY ROBERTS, Governor of Connecticut: The Fifty-third Annual Report of the Board of Railroad Commissioners is herewith submitted, containing the reports of the operations of the steam railroad and street railway companies for the year ending June 30, 1905, with the statistical tables compiled therefrom, and a condensed statement of the proceedings of the Board to the date of this report. Important improvements have been projected and are now in various stages of progress on the different lines of steam railroads throughout the State, involving a large expenditure for the increase and safety of their transportation facilities. A new doubletrack steel bridge over the Connecticut River at Warehouse Point on the Hartford Division of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad Company, was completed and brought into use in June last. A four-track steel bridge, with liftdraw, over the Saugatuck River in the town of Westport on the New York Division of the same road was opened for traffic during the month of December, and similar four-track structures are in process of construction on the same division over the Mianus River at Cos Cob and the Housatonic River at Naugatuck Junction. On its Shore Line Division a new double-track steel bridge is being built over the Connecticut River at Saybrook, and numerous other steel structures of less magnitude have been built on other divisions in various parts of the State of sufficient strength to meet present traffic requirements. The Bridgeport improvement which has been in progress for several years was finally completed during the past summer by bringing into use one of the best planned and equipped passenger-station buildings in the State. The double tracking of the Naugatuck Division is completed to a point just south of the Seymour station, and the plans of changes to be made from that point thence through Seymour, Beacon Falls, Naugatuck, and Union City into and through the city of Waterbury have been approved by us, and the work incident thereto is in various stages of progress. The double tracking of the Highland Division from Hopewell Junction east to Danbury is practically completed with few exceptions, and is to be extended from Danbury to Waterbury and thence to Bristol, from which point to Hartford the double track already extends. The widening of the "cut," so-called, through the city of New Haven, sufficiently to afford room for four tracks and the raising of the streets crossing the same to give a clear headroom of at least sixteen feet for the passage of trains, has long been considered a necessity which could not longer be deferred. We are pleased to state that plans for this much needed change, mutually satisfactory to the city of New Haven and the railroad company, have been approved by us, and the work involved in these changes is now in progress. Important changes on the Valley branch in the city of Hartford are being made to adjust tracks, freight stations, and grounds to conform to the changed conditions produced by the construction of the new highway bridge over the Connecticut River. The year ending June 30, 1905, was one of unexampled prosperity, so far as the traffic of the steam railroads was concerned. The gross earnings are greater than ever before reported, amounting to $52,057,903.49, being $1,868,918.62 more than the earnings of the previous year. Of the foregoing amount, $49,981,947.77 was earned by the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad Company; $1,080,083.47 by the New London Northern Railroad Company; $979,439.43 by the Central New England Railway Company, and $16,432.82 by the South Manchester Railroad Company, an increase in the gross earnings of each company over those of the previous year. To this result the passenger department contributed $24,661,805.72, and the freight department $26,861,404.09. The net earnings were $14,311,261.27, being $869,069.39 more than for the preceding year. There has been an increase of 87,775 in the number of passengers carried, and of 575,318 in the tons of freight handled. PROCEEDINGS OF THE BOARD PERTAINING TO STEAM RAILROADS. WATERBURY. The Naugatuck Railroad Company presented its petition for the elimination of a highway grade-crossing in the town of Waterbury, known as Platt's Mills crossing, and after hearing the petitioners and the town, an order was issued on December 21, 1904, granting the petition substantially as agreed between the railroad company and the town, the changes to be made at the sole expense of the railroad company. WESTBROOK. On December 12, 1904, the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad Company presented a petition for the condemnation of certain land in the town of Westbrook for the extension of its depot grounds, and after due notice to the parties and a hearing thereon, we decided, on January 4, 1905, that public convenience and necessity required the taking of the land for the enlargement of the station grounds at said place, and for said purpose approved the taking of said land. NEW LONDON. Upon the petition of the Mayor of the City of New London permission was given, on January 20, 1905, to lay a side track, for switching purposes only, from the tracks of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad Company, in said city, at grade, across Sparyard Street to and into the land of Benjamin A. Armstrong and others for warehouse purposes. CENTERVILLE STATION. The New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad Company presented a petition for the discontinuance of a flag station known as Centerville in the town of Hamden. After giving |