Omaha daily bee., 1889-02-24
WRESTLING WITH MONOPOLY.
Do the Wire Syndicatcs Own the
City2
THIS SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM.
Councilman Discuss 1t Until Very
Tired and Go Home With
Uncertainty in Their
Several Minds.
5 SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM.
The EitN

going INTO committee of the whole, Council
man Wheeler introduced a resolution asking
that the Douglas county delegation be re.
quested TO use its influence toward having a
bill introduced, authorizing the governor of
Nebraska to deed Capitol square 10 the city,
IN accordance with an act passed in 1869.
The resolution was adopted, and then
an ordinance authorizing the issue of
800, 900 bonds for the payment Of a sewer,
to be known as the North Omaha sewer, and
the South Omaha sewer, with Dodge street
the dividing line, was read a first and sec
ond times,
The council then went into committee.
with Councilman Bailey IN the chair. The
ordinance granting u franchise To the Omaha
Sub way company was evidently the cause Of
trouble for the evening, Among those pros
ent, and supposed TO be Interested in the
passage OF the ordinance we're Mcssrs, Frank
johnson, Geo. Baker, Ernest Riall, DR..
Savill and MIR. Dorset, the inventor of the
system proposed to be used. An old THE
company known as the United states Flee
trlc Tunnel company was also represented
by Attorney Gurley aud John Grant Of
Omaha, the later bcNg the patcntce
of the system which the com.
pany proposed to adopt. There was
a little preliminary sllirmishing among the
members and then by request.
Ernest Rial took the floor and said he was
no. opposed to any other company, but was
there to ask for a franchise for the Omaha
Subway company. After visiting several
rival systems in New York, Philadelphia
and Chicago, the company had decided to
adopt the Dorset system. 1t was willing to
build the necessary conduits at a cost of
$500, 900, and to grant the city the free use of
the conduit for its fire and police alarm
wires. If there was any one who could show
"a better system, the company would only be
too glad to hear them.
Councilman Snyder then produced n com.
munication addressed to him by the tcle.
phone company in which it said the Dorset
system was no good. He was referredto
Mr.. Dorset VINO was present.
Councilman Lee, however, took the floor,
and referring tn the different propositions
that had come before the council, said that
it would be best for the city to move eau
tiously in this matter. The telegraph and
telephone companies might object to being
compelled to use the subways furnished by
other companies and he thought that an adj
dcndum might be affixed to the city charter,
enabling the city to issue bonds for the
purpose of constructing the necessary
conduits, and then let the citizens
derive the benefit OF the revenues thcrcfroln.
He thought an ordinance should be passed
compelling the companies TO put their wires
under ground on and after January |, 1859.
Mr.. Rial said the Omaha subway com
pany would be prepared to transfer their
conduits to the city, at any time the council
might see fit to purchase them.
Councilman HasCall thought that mOnop-
Olies could be prevented by making the ordi-
nance read that conduit company could lay
more than one conduit IN one street. That
would give all the necessary competition the
city or citizens required.
Some one spoke of the members having
communications on the subject, and as sew
eral of them seemed to be supplied with let
tcrs showing up the weak points of the
Dorset system n request was made that these
letters should be read. They We're, and
came very generally from New York city
and Detroit, being in the most part signed
Iv tlA ~, ~ Of t1. 1-~,,,r .n4l 4
phone companies ut those places. They were
written in scientific style. and the council
men We're asked to WreStle with words de-
scriptivc of short sections, cylindrical forms,
ducts analogous 10 the chamber of a revolver,
absolutely conccntric and without elasticity.
One came from Detroit and said that in 1885
the Dorset company laid two miles of CON
duit III that city, and that the system was a
comparative failure. 1t gave the reasons and
was signed by c. Corbett, assistant superin-
tendent of the Western Union Telegraph
company.
Another from Now York said the system,
as used in that city was very defective, ana
fallen into disuse, the telegraph and other
electric companies prcfering to construct
their own conduits. 1t was signed By A. $.
Iibbard, Il telephone man.
A third was from a. 5. Brown, of New
York and to the sane effect.
A fourth was from James y. McQuaid, of
New York, who says that the plan of the
Dorset company is to get a franchise, and
then compel the electrical companies to use
their cOnduits. He says that the telephone
companies will endorse this statement and
signs as secretary and treasurer of one of
them.
The Western Electric company, of New
York, also wrote to the same effect.
Other communications were read from T..
~. Forbes, general superintendent of the
Telephone company, Detroit;
Standard Underground Gable company, New
York one from j. II. Borrett, superintend-
ont nI tho ('hlrnpn fro l.,oItp,at,t ,,b,
spoke well OF the system, and said that it
was in use there.
Mr.. Dorset, in answer to all these, said
that as the council could see, the objections
came almost altogether from the employees of
the Bell Telephone and Western Union com
He gave a history of conduit systems gener-
ally, and stated that these electric com
panles always did oppose them unless they
got control of the stock, in which case they
could delay the construction of conduits, and
so make the law against overhead wires in
operative, the supreme Colrt deciding that n
city cannot compel the wires to be taken
down unless there is some place prepared IN
winch to put them.
Then the committee dismissed the question
for a while and rose to report, asking for
further time to consider its merits. 1t was
granted, aud the delegation represent
ing the Omaha Subway company left.
The next subject considered was an ordi-
nance regulating the erection of poles and
wires for the purpose of operating electric
slItCb TdllIOdOS, ana ClCctflC lamps 10 be put
up by such companies. 1t asked that the
franchise be granted to companies nOwIn exist
ence, and hereafter TO be organized. Several
amendments were made, and then IL was
found that one or two of the sections were
so ambiguous that they nullified one another,
and practically left the city in
the hands of the corporations sup
posed to be seeking a franchise
One of the sections was No, z, which read:
This ordinance shall not be construed as /,
taking away any chartered rights Of such
companies, nor as vestlng such companies
with the rights TO maintain such poles" |
This, it was said, would give the companies
under their charter the right 10 erect as
many poles MS they saw lit, without refer
ence to the ordinance. Another sec
ton objected TO was one stating |
that "any street railway desiring to erect
poles and electric wires under the provision
OF this act shall first file with the city CLERK
written acceptance of the terms and regula.
tiOns OF the same,n II led to i lengthy dis.
c%ussion, and finally the committee rose and
reported that the ordinance be referred back
10 the committee.
They then adjourned.
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