The Portland daily press., 1888-09-22
CITY GOVERNMENT.
Special Meeting OF the City counen
Last Night.
Hearing on the Question Of Locating
Powder House.
a Site to be Determined at the Next
Meeting.

AhoLo was special meeting OF the City
Council last night to consider the question Of
hearing on the location Of powder house.
In Board OF Mayor and Aldermen.
Mayor Chapman presided and Alderman
Smith was absent.
The monthly report Of the recorder Of the
Municipal Court was received and ordered
on file.
petition Of j. w. Murphy to excayate a
cellar at 241 Congress street was referred.
The petition Of Chas. p. Waldron for a
sewer from b to st. John street was referred
An order was passed that teams should be
prevented from passing through State Street
square during the unwilling Of the Longfel-
low statue.
Inc Mayor here stated that the meeting
nad been called for the purpose Of granting
nearing to parties interested In the loca-
tion OF powder house.
A message was sent to the lower board re-
Questing joint convention for the consider
alton OF the matter, and the request was
| granted.
In Joint Convention.
The Mayor stated the purpose for which
the convention was called, and said that as
there were several interested persons press
ent 1t might please the convention to hear
some of them.
AS Is well known the powder house Is now
on land bought by the Maine Central rail-
road, and the railroad In making improve
ments on the land found II necessary 10 ask
70 nave new site determined upon that a
nSW powder house might be erected and the
yld one removed. The committee ON public
pulldlngs, 70 whom the matter was referred
determined upon site on the bluffs al the
Eastern Promenade, but large number OF
citizens OF Ward 1, through Alderman Cat
LEY, protested against the erection Of the
Alderman Galley also objected 10 the Site.
The Grand Trunk railroad also entered a
protest. but the road was not represented at
the hearing. 1t was considered matter OF
legal precaution on the part Of the road.
Mr.. u. L.. Bailey was first called upon Ia
behalf OF the dealers. He said; 81 under
stand that the city Is not obliged to erect the
mouse, but II Is rather impracticable for each
dealer 70 store his own powder" Mr. Bailey
Inought that the dealers should have voice
IN the location OF the house. He said that
It was necessary some site be determined
upon.
Mayor Chapman stated that the city was
not obliged to furnish powder house. The
question seemed to be whether the city
should compel the dealers 10 store their pow
der themselves or the city furnish storage
room.
Mr.. ID. +. Emery, Jr., said that IL was abb
soiutely necessary TO have a powder house,
and that the dealers had not the power to To-
cate the house, that must be done by the
city. He stated that IL was not an unusual
thing for dealer TO buy a hundred kegs Of
powder at one time and their sales amounted
70 rom one to six kegs at time. In answer
70 . question asked by Mr.. Crockett
Mr.. Emery stated that he had never known
any damage to be done TO town by the ex-
pl0sion Of a powder house.
Mr.. Bailey said that In Boston the powder
ls stored In the hulks OF vessels by the man
ufacturers and the dealers buy it Of the
agents In small quantities. He thought Il
woulG be practicable for the dealers to erect
their own powder house.
Mr.. Bailey stated in answer 10 a question
OF Alderman Hobbs, that the manufacturers
would not supply the dealers Of thhis city
from vessel In the harbOr, because the
PortlaAd dealers did not buy enough DOW
der tO make II pay He also stated that the
nve powder dealers OF the city represented
nye different manufacturers.
Mr. Dyer stated that he had f0rty-slx cases
OF dynamite on the road to the city and
wanted to know where it should be stored
IL was finally voted that II should be put Ia
the powder house for the present. Me-.
Dyer said there was no danger Of explosion
caused by passing train.
Mr.. Hought0n said that he thought the
case had been we'll presented 10 the council,
and that he did not know Of anything TO add
Mayor Chapman stated that the dealer
paid the city $50 year for the privilege OF
storing the powder, making the powder
house good Investment.
Alderman Galley spoke against the erec-
ton OF the house on the site determined up
on by the committee on public buildings, say
Ing that II the site was changed some 70 or so
feet lower, and about 200 feet farther east,h
did not think any objection would be made.
-. -.
sldered the erection Of the powder house in
Ward as detrimental to that part Of the
city, and that he should vote against 10. He
dld not see why the dealers should go 20 the
city and ask 1t 10 locate a site when really
the city was not obliged TO do. Why didn't
they build their own powder house and then
ask the city's approval2
AT this point the convention dissolved.
In Board OF Mayor and Aldermen.
Alderman Tukesbury moved that the or
der relative to the appropriation Of $500, for
the Improvement on the roadway on the
Eastern Promenade, be taken from the table.
The motion was sustained.
Alderman Galley said that he was oppos-
ed to the passage Of the order on the ground
that the city has not a sufficient amount Of
money for the street department.
Alderman Cunningham said that he should
not vote for the passage Of the order, and
a considerably animated, but unimpOrtant,
debate followed, which resulted In the board
voting, TO z, against cOncurring with the
Council, which favored the passage Of the
order
Aldermen Tukesbury ane Redlon voted
against non-coneurring.
IL was voted TO postpone action in regard
70 the powder house until the next regular
monthly meetingo Of the City Council.
a committee OF conference was appointed
70 consider the question OF appropriating
SoOO tor the roadway on tie Eastern Prone
made, but as they could not agree the board
adjourned without further action.
In Common Council.
Absent-Messrs. Rowe, Thompson, Gala
han, Rand, Peck and HILL
A message was received aud accepted by
this board for the purpose Of hearing In re-
gard to the location Of powder magazine
After the hearing the order passed Sept.
Sd, ordering the expenditure of $500 on the
Eastern Promenade. came back from the up
per board, they voting to adhere to their for
ner action.
On motion Of Mr.. Crockett, seconded by
Mr.. Jordan, this board voted:to adhere and
ask for a committee of conference, and
Messrs. Crockett, Jordan and Melaugh were
appointed said committee from this board.
The Aldermen added Aldermen GatIey.
Hobbs and Cunningham. The Committee
reported that they were unable 10 agree.
Ii may be said In this connection that the
lower board understood that Mr.. Smith, Of
the park commissioners, had stated that the
committee on streets had agreed 10 expend
500 In building the roadway on the Eastern
Promenade and when done the commission
ers would expend $500 In the adornment Of
the Promenade. but IL was useless to do that
until the roadway was built. This board
teel that after the expenditures thar have
been made on The Western Promenade, the
Eastern Is entitled 10 this small amount