St. Paul daily globe., 1888-06-30
TWO POPULAR TOPICS
Elevated Railroads and Three
Cent Fares Thoroughly
Discussed
By a Joint Meeting Of the
City Fathers and Their
Constituents.
Corporation Attorney Murray
Holds the Key to the Sit
uation.
And Action is Postponed I'm
til he Can Prepare an
Ordinance.

night in the council chamber, which
was crowded with property owners in
terested in the proposed Seventh Street
Cable railway and the EnoS Electrical
Elevated road. The first motion con-
sidered was the question of striking out
that section of the Cable Car company's
ordinance which placed the fare at
cents between the hours of 600 and 700
O'Clock in the morning and the same in
the evening. Ninety-three signers to
petition from East Seventh street stated
that they were willing that the council
should raise the fare to cents. provid-
ing the Seventh Street Cable line was
built at once.
Col. Barr, representing the cable
company. explained why it was inn
possible to proceed with the work in-
mediately. The company were unable
to negotiate securities on the line be-
cause they were not
RUNNING AT A PROFIT.
Then the Scent fare attracted people
so that frequently many could not find
accommodations and they consequently
became diSguSted. When the railroad
company sought financial assistance
they were told that there was no money
in handling passengers at that fare.
The New York elevated railway COM
panies were contemplating raising the
fares from 5 to cents. If the ordi-
nance was repealed, Col. Barr stated
that he had Instructions to push work
on the Seventh street cable as rapidly
as possible. They could open the road
next year and have it running by
August l, constructing it with Phalen
or Duluth avenue. They proposed to
start at Wabasha and have their power
OVER ON THE HILL.
E. G. Starckey remarked that the peo-
pie had been building sewers SO as to
keep head of the cable company, and
with the expectation that the road would
be built over there at once. The people
wanted some evidence that the cable
line would be built.
Col. Barr stated that the drawback
was because the company could not
raise money on what they had. They
had never made a dollar. Alderman
Hamm said he would not consent to
raising the fare unless the cable was
constructed to Phalen avenue. After
lengthy discussion On the subject
it was decided to refer the whole mat
ter to Corporation Attorney Murray,
with instructions to draw up an ordi-
nance covering the points involved.
1lS 1idliCHISt W
the Enos Elevated Railway company
was then read. 1t provided for for the
construction of
AN ELEVATED RAILWAY
starting on South Robert street, along
| Robert to State, on State to Greenwood
avenue to DeloS street, along DelOs to
| Starkey, on Starkey to the river, which
| it would cross at Cedar street: thence it
| would continue along Cedar to EX-
| change, up Exchange to Wabasha. along
Wabasha to Rice, along Rice to Como
! avenue. along Como to Union street,
along Union street to Cross avenue;
thence on Lexington and Morse streets
to the city limits. The bottom of the
cars would be fourteen feet above the
| ground, to be supported On one row of
posts erected in the center of the streets.
| The fare is fixed at 5 cents ride be-
| tween any points in the city limits, and
when completed not more than ID cents
between the Twin Cities. and the
| road must be completed within the pc
riod Of two years after the passage of the
| ordinance. A bond in the sum of $780,
| 600 was required from the company as
guarantee that the work would be COM
] pleted. Several petitions were read in
| connection with the ordinance. One
was from the residents of Hamline,
| Merriam Park, Union Park and st. An
thony Park, requesting that
A FRANCHISE BE GRANTED
| by the council to some responsible
| party: also the resolutions adopted by
| the joint committee of the chamber of
commerce and real estate board Oh the
same subject. with the approval of the
bodies by which the committees were
| named. Five hundred residents of Como
| Park, Western avenue and the north
western part of the city presented pc
tition asking that in case franchise
were granted that the streets specified
should include Western, Como and Lex
ington avenues. Several protests were
also filed. They included one from
number of residents on Como,
who claimed that it would depreciate
the value of property, would cause dam
ger to children by soaring horses, etc.
The sisters of St. Joseph petitioned
Cedar and Exchange streets, as it would
destroy the academy at that corner. IL.
j. Horn, representing W. j. Cutler, who
owns property directly across from the
academy, also filed protest.
Mr.. Lawrence relieved these protests
by saying they would ask for Eighth
street instead of Exchange street. Hon.
D. d. Merrill, on behalf OF the company,
said that the company did not desire to
| TO lnJure any one S properly
| WITHOUT COMPENSATING THEM.
J. III. Lawrence explained the amount
of power this system possessed and eX-
planned the details of the working of the
electricity.
Several petitions were presented from
those either willing to sign the right of
way or persons anxious to have the road
built. The majority of the property
owners on Concord street favored it. J.
Ham Davidson, the estate of W. T. Da-
wilson, the Globe Publishing company
and others on Cedar street were will
ing to have the road built.
A petition signed by citizens in general.
one from business men and men who
have the best interests of the city at
heart. also some property owners on
WabaSha street, was presented.
w. T. Mason, of the taxpayers aSSO-
citation, opposed the franchise until the
property owners were assured of the
damages that would be caused by the
building of the road.
A large number of persons, the ma
jority of whom wanted the road built,
but were opposed to having it built i'll
front of their property, also addressed
the committee.
1t was finally decided to adjourn the
further consideration of the matter
until next Friday night.
BEFORE THE JUDGES.
Gases Disposed of Before the SUI
preme Court.