Much Work Is Being Done

Much Work Is Being Done

In Separating the Grades on Ann Arbor Road

High Handed Methods

The People With Property Along the Line Claim is Being Tried Against Them

Work on grade separation on the Ann Arbor road is going on. Not only have the engineers made their plans, finished their estimates and specifications for materials, but a gang of men are actually at work.

At Felch street a good foundation for the abutments of the bridge not being found, spiles are being driven 20 feet into the earth and a foundation for the stone work to be placed upon them.

At Miller avenue, trenches five or six feet deep have been dug on each side of the street crossing the track which are being filled cement as a foundation for the stone abutments. A gasoline engine is placed here to run a mixer which does great work in mixing the gravel, sand, and cement for the foundation. Several men are shoveling gravel and cement into the hopper, which is dumped fast enough to keep  several men busy loading wheelbarrows to be dumped into the trenches for the foundations. 

There has been considerable feeling aroused over the high-handed methods with which the road is treating its customers. The coal dealers say that they have been refused side tracks on the east side of the where their yards are, and told that they can move over on the other side of the track, where possibly they have no land. 

Where the road cannot buy land on the side of its rather narrow right of way so that the earth embankment may fall upon it, at the small price it is willing to pay, it has planned to build retaining walls of stone so that no earth will fall out of its right of way.

The side track to Henry Richards' coal and wood yard has been torn up while the preliminary work at Miller avenue is going on. The work of building a retaining wall here was started, but the road has since secured what land it wants of Mr. Richards and a retaining wall will not be built at this point. The side track will be put back temporarily in a week or so, so that Mr. Richards can use it until about July 1, at which date Mr. Richards will move his wood and coal yard to Madison street, where he will be provided with a side track.

Compromises with Messrs. Staebler and Rhode have not yet been made. Past the Ann Arbor Milling Co.'s property retaining wall will be built.

The Ann Arbor Milling Co. notified the railroad yesterday that it and its employees must cease trespassing on their land.

The city has not as yet taken any legal steps towards closing First street and is apt to get into trouble if it does not follow the law strictly in closing the street.