St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-01-09
A QUESTION OF SNOW.
Wabashaw Street Merchants and the
Street Railway Company
City Attorney Murray's
OniuiOn,

The snow thrown up by the street railway
plough upon the curbs and in front OF the
places of business on Fourth, Seventh and
Wabashaw streets the past week, and which
has been very tardily removed by the street
car force of shovelers,i is creating great deal
of dissatisfaction among the merchan Is
on these streets, who complain that
they are losing customers from the fact
that it is difficult for parties to aight at their
stores from seighs and that the street is
avoided by such people on account OF the
dangerous travel and no safe place for horses
to stand while they are trucking.
At 10 O'Clock yesterday morning Louis
Eisenmenger, 455 Wabashaw street, whose
meat market is much frequented by the pub
lie, turned out with his employees and num-
Der of friends and attacked the huge mound
of snow in front of his place and COM
menced shoveling the same into the streets.
Soon after two of the street railway shovelers
appeared and commenced throwing the snow
back, when one of the latter getting his face
filled with spow from the sidewalk party gave
and received several blows. Shortly after s
more Railway shoveers appeared and the tug
of throwing out and throwing in the snow
.waged hot for full hour. in which
time several cars were stuck fast, one was
thrown from the track and the animals on
others severely strained to get over the OBJ
structions. At noon fully $50 people were
cheering the contestants, when an officer
| appeared, and after considerable difficulty
and promise to com plain to the authorities,
stopped the racket.
Learning that if these snow banks were not
removed on Wabashaw street above Seventh,
that there would be gem
eral turn out of the mer-
chants on both sides the street to-day to put
these mounds upon the car tracks, a GLOBE
reporter visited CITY Attorney Murray in the
afternoon to ascertain whether the merchants
or car company was in the wrong.
Mr.. Murray said that he did not blame the
merchants in the premises as these snow
piles thrown up in front OF their stores were
nuisance and probable injury to their bust
ness. Earlier in the season parties on
Seventh street had complained to him, and
he bad notified Manager Wright and
superintendent Littel of the company
and the obtsructions were promptly removed.
There had been several complaints made to
him that forenoon in regard to the Waba-
shaw instructions. If people were thus in
commoded the pace for them to complain
was to him. He thought the street railroad
company made great mistake in not keep
ing these principal thoroughfares free from
these distractions and in good condition,
and they had no right to o5struct the streets
| thus.
| The law in the case was that the company
SHOULD cause the snow to be removed so as
to form a safe and unobstructed passage to
sleighs and wagons, and the said repairs of
! the streets and removal of snow shall BIZ
done to the satisfaction of the common
council orto such person or persons as may
have supervision of streets at their own per-
| sonal cost and expense"
| In REGARD to merchants throwing the snow
into the streets, thcy had right to clear
their sidewalks and two feet into tue
street from the curb. Their throwing
the snow beyond this over upon the street
| railway tracks was an obstruction OF the
street on their part, and placed them in the
same position that the railroad was in letting
the snow remain.
Should the citizens on Wahashaw street
turn out as contemplated to-day and throw
their snow banks upon the street tracks, the
result would probably be the passage Of an
ordinance that such distractions should be re-
moved by the railroad in given time after
| their accumulation, the same as is given
| property owners TO remove the snow or open
paths upon their sidewalks. At any rate il
is due that the city council take general
action upon this subject as far as our
crowded business streets are concerned on
which two street Railway tracks are laid.