The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-11-15
WAR OVER THE WIRES
Western Union Against the
Electric Light Company.
RESTRAINING oRDER is
Tie Telegraph cesnpany WAISTS the
Klsctrse HIxss Company ,e Keep
) Forty Fees Fsorn It's wfres.

An incipsent war Is Brewing iseswecn the
Western rnlor Telegraph Cuzspany and
the se1f1ir Esecfrie Isghf Contrary.
4 suit WAS brought yesterday hy the
Western Union, sn the gsssrscs conrz
agAinss 3he Eiectrir Light CaxspAny. 70 re-
sFEain the defendant nnfis fngiAer orders Of
the curt, from erecting or maintaining
any lines 81 wire fof are or Ineantesecnt
llghsing. and fsom placing their wares xlth-
IN forty feet Of TIE plaintiffs telegraph
wires upon tbs following lines Of the essy
Commencing ~ the intersection Of Soath
Eighth street with CosumbiA & Puges
Sound railroad, thence along Issehth on tae
wess SIDE 70 the northwest corner OF Main.
tteiaee a4ong 70 the northeast esraer 81
Commercial ard Main. thence asosg the
east side pf Commercial 10 King. thence
seatheasteriy 10 the Puget sound shore
DEPOT
The plaintiff prayed the court Tor per-
pefnAl injunction aeainst ths defendant.
alleging that the heavier current used BIZ
tie defendant company for aghting pur-
poses impa1rs tie efficiency Of is service,
IFaasns.sch IS il causes conf zSion in the
Transmission Of messages.
temporary injunction vas granted hy
Judge Hanfosd. which, il is understood,
the Electric Light Company viii resist, on
the gronnd that inasmach as Judge HAN
foFd's term Of Office has expired. they qaes-
sion his authority 20 issue al order cs
that nature
General Manager Lamb. OF the Western
Unien Company, was seen last night by a
PogF-ISTKI4EGxscxR reporter he said he
thought the courts would grant them the
relief asked for, and # they did not, il
would be time then 70 see shzt could be
done.
There IS no reason. . said General LaElb.
why the electric light companies eannot
occupy the opposite side o. the streets from
rs with their poles and wires as the sit
uasion now is. their wires. Eish the intense
current passing through them. are a corr
slant menace 10 US. We ara continually
afraid Of having some OF orr instruments
burned ont by 4 chance contact. This
woeld mean much TO rs. as the transmits
sion Of our messages would bn delayed and
much trouble woald result. In some
places the electric company's wires are
Nithin 3 Eco. and a half OF ours. varying
from this distance 10 ten feet. We
intend to erect new and higher
poles later Oh. along some OF
fhe streets where their wires are now
strung, and II they are not removed before
hand the evil viii he increased rather than
diminished We want the wires strung at
least forty feet away, and nothing else viii
satisfy us.
Il think we viii win. becstxe we are in
1.-THE right, and in possession. by virtue Of
having BEEN given a right ~ use ali the
city streets rs far back as 1867 This same
question has been raised IN other cities.
and think has almost invariably been
decided in favor OF the telegraph aad tele-
phone companies. IN Seattle the fight
has been commenced. and Il viii involve.
here. as well as other places. the electric
light and power companies en- one si,ie and
the telegraph and telephone companies on
the Opposite. As / said before. Il the
cBarts do net graSt rs relief we win see
what can be done Otherwise =