The Portland daily press., 1886-03-02
CITY GOVERN m EMIT.
The Last Regular Meeting Of the
Council Of 1856.
Presentation of the Reports OF
Various City officials.

FTSSCUtaI1CE CI ttO 'e~FN'sS ~
Various City Officials.
Final Business and Leave Taking In
the Two Branches.
The last monthly meeting of the City
Council for 1856 was held last evening.
The reports of city officers were received
and the final business disposed OF.
In Board of Mayor and Aldermen.
The Board came to order at the call OF the
Mayor, all the members being present
City Reports.
The annual reports of the City Civil En-
gineer, City Electrician, City Sollcltor, City
Physician, Superintendent OF Burlals. were
read by title, accepted and ordered printed.
Abstracts of the reports will be found else
where.
JUDICIARY PROCEEDINGS AND CLAIMS.
The following report was accepted and
the accompanying orders passed:
The joint standing committee on Judicial pro
ceedlngs and claims to whom was retefr st me
Market street; j. Talbot for damage to carriage
and injury to his wife; and Thomas Marley for
alleged defect in India street having CONSIDERED
the same, report recommending that said peti-
TONERS have leave to withdraw ON the claims OF
Granville H. Cloyes for compensation ior services
and Drummond & Drummond for services render
ed in connection with the Portland y Ogdenspurg
Railroad, we recommend reference TO the next
City Council. On the claims Of John McCue for
damage by breaking of culyert on Fore street we
recommend the payment OF claim amounting TO
s27.25; Joseph II. Poor the payment Of 50 IN
stead OF SIG, the amount recommended IN our re-
port of December 9TH, through mlsunuerstand-
ing.
SEWER ASSESSMENTS.
The following report was received and
adopted:
The standing committee on drains and sewers
to whom was referred the objections to the assess
mentS made on the Walnut, Willis and Montreal
and Charles street sewers, having considered said
objections and examined the matters involved
in said assessments. respectfully report recon-
mending that the assessments upon said sewers
remain as reported by your committee; but that
Frederick X. Carries premises on o street, being
4930 square feet, be assessed the sum of S41.2S,
for use of the public sewer, said sum to be credit
ed to assessments Oh O street wherever public
sewer shall be built in said street, and that the
assessments of H. II. Burgess, A. B. Stephen
son and Moses Gould be held in allegiance until
they enter the sewer with their private drains
THE STREET LIGHTS.
Alderman Noyes, chairman of the commit
tee on street lamps, has prepared the follow
ing report:
At the beginning of the present municipal year,
the city was lighted by 33 arc lights, 436 gas
lights and 131 .phtha lights.
In answer to petitions signed by great number
of citizens. the City Council voted unanimously to
contract with the Consolidated Electric Light
Company for " additional arc lights; and con-
tract was made to furnish 100 lights at an an
nual cost of S1S,25o, or 80 cents night for each
light
The committee found, however, that in spite of
the great power of the arc lights they could not
discontinue as many gas and naphtha lights as
estimated since the corners OF ntersecting streets
and lanes had to be lighted where the rays OF the
arc lights did not penetrate.
When the regular semi-annual bill of the gas
company was presented in July, amounting Tor
frnc nt,dn fta dam f., xFac owl
that i'll spite of the reduced number OF gas lights
there would be scarcely any saving in the cost OF
gas due to the fact that the previous City Council
had in January ordered the gas lights Burned till
dawn, instead of being extinguished at O'Clock,
thereby greatly increasing the amount OF gas con.
sumed III each lamp-post and making it apparent
to the committee that the cost of a mixed system
of electricity, gas and naphtha, would not be less
than $50 900 for the year.
1t therefore became. necessary to find some
means of reducing the cost of the smaller lights.
The gas company and the electric light compa-
ny were informed of the fact that the committee
found themselves in position where II the cost
of lighting was not reduced, they should oyerrun
their appropriation BY very iarge sum- on,,tea
received an offer from the Consolidated Electric
Light Company, to furnish 80 arc lights at a re-
duced price from the original contract and to FUR
nsh smaller lights to supersede gas and nahptha
lights, at cost of SO per light annually which
was finally presented to the city council in form
at its meeting in September. as an offer TO light
the whole city proper, exclusive of the islands,
but including parks, at an annual charge of $685.
The offer was accepted by the city council and
the committee authorized to contract with the
electric light company
new adaptation of Mr. Edison's called the Munich
pal System of Incandescent Lighting
The mechanical devices were new and untried
and the difficulties to be overcome were very
many; the application Of the iron goose neck to
the gas posts was designed by Manager Sawyer,
and although in its first application the Insulation
proved imperfect, yet this defect was remedled
easily and the device known as the !" Portland Elk
tension is included and advertised as one OF
the meritorious plans for posts for incandescent
me Electric Light Company after October LIST,
paid all the cost OF maintaining gas and naphtha
lights, and the committee were unanimous IN the
belief that If they maintained all the small lights
demanded at cost per light considerably great
er than they were to receive, it was right that at
ter October 1st, the company should receive full
pay on their contract.
and in the main to the satisfaction OF the commit
tee. Two great storms have caused temporary
trouble; but the great ice storm OF January 2SJh,
Frustrated all wires of the incandescent system,
and prevented the use Of the arc lights for several
nights, as it was deemed unsafe to allow the cur
rent to pass over the wires when 80 many tee-
phone and fire alarm wires were lying across the
On the 29th the committee with the co operation
of the Electric Light Company and Gas Company,
placed the lanterns on the gas posts so tar as pos
sible, the Electric Light Company paying all ex-
penses incident thereto of the arc circuits 80 arc
lights were lighted the 30th, "a on the 31st,
and all oil February Isl, but few isolated posts.
And on February Sth, the incandeScent circuit
was entirely restored, and the city is now lighted
AS result of the years experience, the commit
tee are well convinced that mixed system of gas
and electricity is not economically possible. They
would prefer arc lights everywhere if practicable.
but it appears impossible at present in conse-
The incandescent lights are furnished at about
one-half the cost Of gas, and as it is possible to
place them wherever a light is required, thus en-
tirely supplanting the naptha lights, which have
always been unsatisfactory, we feel they deserve
patient trial. Once the incandescent wires are
placed under ground, the lights will be as little
liable to accidents as any other system OF lighting
In conclusion, your committee recommend that
all the gas lanterns be removed from the posts and
placed in the place reserved for them in the attic
of the City Building. If left on the posts they
will be mutilated and broken, and be useless IN
case of return to gas lighting. While in case OF
accident to the electric light machinery or wires,
the lanterns canin twelve hours be placed on the
posts
Alderman Russell, for the committee on
the sale of intoxicating liquors, presented
the following report on the city liquor
agency, which was accepted and ordered on
file:
Total receipts from sale of liquors. s2s, s91.2
Total receipts from sale Of barrels. 2o9o5
Total receipts. .......,.,.,.........S29 ,1oo25
EXPENSES.
Freight, insurance, trucking, coal, gas,
etc.. ~. ..........- .....'.-,s'.S 06a.6
Rent to city ,, ~ oia.,; 1'4o0o o ~
Total expenses .....-......,..-......$ 3,357.55
STOCK IN STORE MARCH /, 1856.
Liquors. $5,121 68
Commission to State Agent. ............ 1882
Rent paid in advance .e........,.,..... 1866
Cash in hands of treasurer. ............. 4S6
Cash in hands of agent .,.... dd47
Empty barrels, corks, labels, etc.,. 22o5o
Furnace, fixtures, etc.....-......,s-.,-. 19T46