New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-10-16
A DARKER BUT A SAFER CITY
NOT MICH ELSE ACCOMPLISHED.
INJUNCTION GASES OF THE ELECTRIC COM.
pAY1Es ADJOURNED AND THE SUBWAY CON-
pAYY ONLY INSTRUCTED TO HURRY


As the hearing on the 1njunctons obtained by tho
limited states and the Brush Electric Light Companies
AGAINST the hoard OF Electrical Control was not nshed
Yesterday. those companies did not start their ma
chinery and last night the city was again party ="
darkness. The inconvenience was ho' % e'oa'' no"-
ever as on the previous night when people "erc oro
unprcpared for H. and asI night many who used the
-, 90 ,haso .,ro corpanIes got light from othor
.lactr,c COMMANDS or had their unused gas hStures
mt into working order Along the river fronts the
absence OF the city's electric llghtS m"o c'oi' i"s
dismal and people who had business III uneso
plsces generally hurried along with an unconhor'aoie
fear Of footpads The parks and squares lOrihea
- catches br+ the lack of light in the avenues
Yas more or less compensated for by the rays from
show windows club houses, hotels ana rs'aurahus
The important crosstown streets such as l"cp'S tnu
81 were left in darkness but the Others were hsnted
by gas lamps, usual
INJUNCTION CASES ADJOURNED
The argument TO have the temporary njunctions OBJ
tanned by six electric light companies TOO 'io
Mayor and the Board of Electrical ContOi lrom inter
fering with their wires plants made permanent
49,. b.o,r a, o o'clock Yesterday afternoon, before
I,,dce Andrews in Supreme Court, Chambers The
proceedings we're begun by an appncauoh from the
counsel for the Electric Power Company 10 postpone
the argument until to-day. Judge hnuio"e refuse"
the request SAYING that when the in)uncuons were
granted the counsel had agreed to argue te cases at
joseph ii.
Indigo Andrews, and said that he represented tho
rpitsd states Illuminating Company, and that he was
renared for the argument lie said further that the
questions involved with his company were pracucally
the same as those in the other cases ana ashed thas
his should be taken up first This suited the couhsei
for tho Mayor and the Board of Electrical Control,
John NJ Bowers and David D. Deahc, Consequently
Mr.. Choate began the fight
The complaint which was then read toid OF the e&-
tensye plant of the company and the amount Of capt.
tal invested. II the fnjuncttons were not con-
ttnued II declared the loss to the company would
be irreparabe, the company had numerous
contracts and its customers also had contracts which
could not be fulfilled they were Obliged 10 turn OH
tbeir currents The answer, which was prepared by
,Io,or Giant said that the United states Company
had never been ready TO use the subways and that
he acts of the company had been inconsistent In Wow
Of ifs present representations. Mr. Bowers presented
an affidavit Of lineman, which declared mat there
were more than 200 places where the wires belonging
10 the United states and other companies were badly
insulated and dangerous.
After tbe complaint and answer and the different
adavits had been read Mr.. Choate made the argument
for the company. He declared that the companies
had gone down upon their knees to the Board OF
Electrical Control and begged them 10 allow the com
panics TO build sbwsys, but the appeals we're refused
He declared that the companies were always anxious
TO use the wire which had the best Insulation OF any
that could be procured The wires first used, he said,
were of not good as those invented later.
The company had made every endeavor to get the
best wire possible, and had spent 100000 for 100
miles Of imported wire, but when they wanted TO put
the new wire up the Board of Electrical Control re-
fused TO allow the work be done, and declared that
neither the Mayor the Board Of Electrical Con-
troll had any right 20 order the wires taken down until
there were subways ready to put the wires in.
The case was then adjourned until 10 80 this
ing when Mr.. Choate will finish his argument.
A STORMY SESSION OF THE BOARD.
The Board of Electrical Control was yesterday
again the centre of an asscmblage OF excited electric
light people, subway contractors, lawyers experts
and interested citizens 1t met at IL 80 a. m and
there was another three-hours' wrangle, ending IN
nothing being done to lessen the dangers TO which
the public is exposed from unsafe wires and over
burdened circuits. Mayor Grant, as at the previous
sessions met with the opposition Of the other Com
missioncrs, and declared his purpose of withdrawing
from tho Board unless there was change In their
attitude on these questions.
Mr.. Gibbons offered a resolution, giving notice 10
the electrical companies that inasmuch they had
dsobeycd the orders Of the Board 10 cease using badly
Insulated wires hereafter no overhead current would
be allowed OF a greater Intensity than 300 volts until
the expert of the Board had found the wires safe
The Mayor said that Mr. Gibbcns's resolution was
discriminating in It's character because It allowed the
other companies must shut down. Mr.. Grant called
on Corporation Counsel Clark for opinion as TO
whether this resolution would be valid while tho In
functions from the court were in force. Mr.. Clark
said that it would be Of elect, and Mr.. Gibbons
withdrew It.
Paul G. Cravath representing the United States and
Brush companies, offered TO replace all condemned
wires with safe If permitted to do so, agreeing
not to tmn a current until the Boards expert
pronounced them satisfactory.
Engineer Kearney's report Of comprehensive sys-
tenn of electric Hight subways taken up. He
recommended two new subways only; one I'm Hous-
on-st from Firstavc IN Hancoclst, and the other In
Westinghouse, from Cortlandt 10 Fulton to connect
with tho Broadway and Third-ave. subways. They
would cover about three AMI one-hslf miles.
at is ridiculous said Mayor Grant, to call this
a comprehensive system Of subweys'
George h. Hardy engineer Of the now Standard
Electric subway Company, came forward with his
plan for system OF subways. Ho produced a map
with lines indicating seventy six miles Of subways.
Tho Mayor asked Mr.. Lauterbach, president of the
old company, how long it would take his company 70
build the subways Mr. Hardy's plan called for "Can
YOU do IT in two years ?" tho Mayor asked
MIR Lautcrbacn consulted his engineer Mr. Beck
with, and asked him he corld safely promise TO
do IL In and half seasons. Mr. Beckwith looked
frGbtoncd and sad the work could not be d1rc I'm
any such tlmc. Elght miles OF snDways year was
Counsellor Pockham. OF the new company 10 suggest
that two three companies might be put u work
MIR. Lautcrbach protested that nc was not an o.
| tructOnIst.
! Whatever you are the Mayor sad with a de-
cdcd gesture looking around at Mcssrs. GnbenS
Hess ami Moss there is doubt about the attitude
of three members OF this Board. 1t Is nothing bur
dcIay delay delay, with them, and / am getting
enough of it. II something is not done pretty soon
] will not stay here and waste my time. WIat NC
no hope OF getting these wires under ground I'm any
reasonable time. really don't wish TO remain III
such Il board any longer
After some more talk resolution was adoptcd
directing the subway Company 10 proceed yigor-
ously8 with the construction OF the subways ordered
and the Board adjourned TO meet at tho call of TIC
chair.
HELP FROM OTHER QUARTERS
A resolution was passed in the Board Of Aldermen
yesterday plcdgng the Mayor the support ~ the
Board in every he might devise for putting
the electric light conductors under ground even IN the
extent Of disseminating the OF electric light IN tho
I