The Portland daily press., 1888-07-26
ONE TELEGRAPH LINE OR TWO.
millionaire Mackay Fighting million.
aire Gould in Maine.
The Hearing of the Postal Telegraph
Gable company's Petition
And the Railroad Questions Which
are Involved In II.

Especial to the Press
AUGUSTA, Me-, July 24.-The hearing be.
fore the Railroad Commissioners ON the pc
tition to give the Postal Telegraph Cable
Company the right to erect telegraph line
of its own along the line of the European
and North American Railroad, was held
today and is one of much Importance as it
is virtually another chapter of the old fight
between Mackay and Gould. The former
controlsthe Postal Telegraph Cable lines and
is moving hand in hand with the Canadian
Pacific while Gould owns the Western Union
and is in league with the Great Northwest
ern Telegraph Company of Canada. The
Commercial Cable Company have two cables
running to Halifax, and then to New York,
under water, which are Mackay's property.
| and he is desirous of obtaining local COM
munications betw cen New York and Hal
ifax. This he would get via Vanceboro and
over the line asked for to Mattawkmaeag
and thence by way of Sherwood and Mon
treal to New York. This. so Manager Hos
mer says, is opposed by the Western Union
and the fight over the connecting link along
the European & North American, is really
made by Gould's company instead of the
Maine Central.
| w. d. Woodard of Bangor, appeared for
the petitioners and Attorney General Baker
for the Maine Central railroad company.
Mr.. Woodland read from the laws of 1885.
| through which telephone or telegraph COM
pany can, if railroad company refuses to
| allow wires to be erected along their line,
apply to the railroad commissioners, who
shall, after hearing all the evidence present
ed, decide the question. Papers were pre-
sented to prove the existence of the Postal
Telegraph Company, and acts of Congress
and the Maine Legislature to show the rights
which the company possesses under Nation
al and State laws Mr. Wooward further
stated that there was close connection be-
tween the Postal Cable Telegraph Company
and the Canadian Pacific Railroad. By an
agreement between the Canadian Pacific
Railroad and the Maine Central Railroad
the former is practically the owner of one
half the European & North American Rail-
road. Their rights is for a term of 20 years,
subject to renewal indefinitely afterwards as
long as the lease of the Maine Central exists.
The attorney said that while the Maine
Central Railroad Company runs all the
trains over the road, it was necessary for the
Canadian Pacific road to establish their lines
so they might know where their trains were,
when they would arrive and when depart.
Mr.. Charles Hosmer, of Montreal, super
intendent of the Canadian Pacific Railroad
Company, was examined. He testified that |
his company had exclusive telegraph con-
nections with the Postal Telegraph Cable
Company. The latter have 1900 miles of
poles in the United States, 43, 700 miles of
WI wire and 1000 offices. Their wires extend to
all the. principal points in the United States,
extending west as far as Lincoln, Neb. The |
Canadian Pacific Telegraph Company oper- |
ate 1871 miles of wire and 4964 of poles. |
mostly lin Canada along the line Of their |
road. The object of the Canadian was sim |
ply to secure wire from Mattawamkeag to |
Vancebcro asa continuance of their railroad |
system.
On cross-examination, Mr.. Hasmer said he |
did not know that the Postal Telegraph |
alton rights in the State of Maine. The |
company was operating under rights of /
incorporation from the State of New York. |
The Canadian Pacific. Railroad Company
propose. to complete their own line from
Megantic to MattawamEeag; thence to
Vanceboro it will be the Cable Company's
line and their again the Canadian Pacific's.
At the present time the Western Union is
OoAnS tuc bcltkIdbu business In the
Eastern provinces, but they proposed to do
some there now Mackay intended TO OBJ
tain connection with his cables at Halifax by
this route.
Mr.. Woodard claimed that the cable
company could build line over the Europe
an road for commercial purposes if they de-
sired or anywhere in the State where they |
could obtain the right to set their poles.
Mr. Baker stated that the Western Union,
on entering the State, had operated on rights |
obtained from other olarfQrad
and he could not find that the Gable COmpa-
ny had ever had any charter in this State |
This was not a question between telegraph |
and railroad companies exclusively, but it |
was question, simply, shall telegraph
company without chartered rights be given
the right by this commission to confiscate
portion of a railroads location on which to
erect poles. Ii in this case such rights are
given, does it not, by establishing danger
GUS precedent give telegraph company the |
privilege to enter upon the lands of any
railroad corporation in the State? Does it |
not asked Mr.. Baker, endanger public inter-
ests? The Massachusetts legislature passed |
an order for the lailrnad commissioners of |
that State to inquire into the expediency of
granting telegraph companies the right to
erect their wires along railroads.
The question was thoroughly canvassed
and Mr.. Baker presented the report of the
commissioners. He then introduced state
ments from the managers of railroads GEN.
tering In Boston, covering several years,
showing the danger to railroad travel through
falling poles and wires. Any set of poles
and wires, single or otherwise, so Mr.. Baker
claimed, would be constant menace to pub
lie travel. Mr.. Baker cited an instance
where two heavily loaded passenger trains
on the Eastern road narrowly escaped disas-
ter at a curve where two heavy poles fell |
across the track.
Mr.. Baker then argued the case for the
railroad, the chief point made being the dan
ger to the the travelling public through fall |
ing nopS and wires. He enumerated fba y
numerous dangers the most important of /
which were four classes: To employees on |
trains, who are frequently swept off by |
wires and killed; to passengers on trains, |
whose lives may be endangered through |
accidents caused by poles and wires interrup
tion and delays; destruction of property |
The Attorney General read from the report |
OF the Railroad Commissioners made in 1885, |
mentioned above, in which the interests of |
the Western Union Telegraph Company and |
the Baltimore and Ohio were involved. The |
commissioners here took the ground that the |
peril to the travelling public would be increas- |
ed by another line of poles and wires and |
refused to allow the erection of the line asked |
for. He read from the report portions enun- |
ciatlng the many dangers from additional |
wires and poles and showing that it would |
not be wise to have Joint occupation of
railroad location, and that a railroad compa-
ny could exclude telegraph company rival |
to a company with line already in opera |
tiou. Mr.. Baker thought the Cable company |
could build round the State OF Maine through |
Canadian territory, or on State land outside |
the railway location, if they wished. AS far
as running trains was concerned, the Maine |
Central company would give the Canadian |
Pacific company every opportunity for know
ing where their trains were.
Mr.. Baker held that railroad location WAS
private property and read from law books |
in support of this assertion.
Mr.. Woodland argued the case for the |
petitioners. He acknowledged that there |
was some DANCES from wires and poles but |
not enough to be regarded seriously. IL |
there had been any great danger to be feared |
other companies besides the Maine Central |
and Boston & Maine would have appeared |
to object. The practice of the Maine Cen |
trail in allowing dozen or sixteen wires to |
be strung along its tracks did not agree |
with the fears of Mr.. Barker. Between |
Augusta and Gardiner there were three |
lines of pols at the present the time, he |
said
Mr.. Woodard held that the question |
passed upon by the Massachusetts Commits
sioners, was the establishment of an unlim- |
tied number of poles and wires along a
railroad, and their decision was not ger
maine to the case in issue. Here all that
was asked was the privilege to erect one |