St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-11-30
UNDERGROUND WIRES.
The Telephone and Electric Light
Companies Want More Time.

The Telephone and Electric Light
Companies Want More Time.
Now that the cold weather has practi
cally stopped all work on the under
ground cOnduits, the telephone and
electric light companies, which Oh
iected to placing their wires in the
Dorset conduit and finally obtained
permission to build conduits for them
selves, find that it Will be impossible
for them to have their wires under
ground by Dec. l, Is required by the Or
dinance. They say that the time al
low ed for the work was not sufficient,
and yesterday they sent the following
communications To the council. The
first came from the Northwestern Tel
ephOne company, and was as follows:
The undersigned respectfully represents
that owing to circumstances for which II is
in no wise responsible. is absolutely unable
to comply with The ordinance requiring all
wires within certain limits to be placed I'M
derground by Dee. :. For many months
your petitioner used every effort tn obtain the
necessary permission 10 begin the laying OF
cCniuitS hut was unable to procure the same
until too late to complete its system and re-
move its overhead wires by the time Speci-
fed. YOur attention is called TO the fact i'm
mediaiely upon the receipt of such permits
sion your petitioner began the construction
thousands of dollars. prosecuted the same
wi ali diligence until further work was
prevented by the advent of cold weather.
Your petitioner respectfully requests your
honorable body TO grant reasonable exlen-
sion of time in which to complete its under
ground system and to remove its poles and
wires required by said ordinance.
The Brush Electric Light company
presented the following communication
signed by President Barnes:
The undersigned electric light company re-
quests that your honorable body shall order
a suspension of the ordinance requiring the
laying of our wires under ground. One rea-
son, the force of which you will readily
grant is that laying Of the cable lines by the
Minneapolis Street Railway company wall
necesSitate the displacement, change and
relaying of the Dorset conduit as now laid.
Our present reliance if forced TO carry our
lines under ground is the Dorset conduit, and
for reasons above given this conduit cannot
be used by US until the cable lines are com
plete. We wish also TO present to your hon.
orabIe body the following facts: The oues-
ton of carrying the electric wires, for are and
alternating incandescent system in condi
tons of difficulty Doubt and danger in addi-
ton requires an expenditure which is al
most prohibitory. especially in 4 city which
is no more closely built up than this Every
electric lighting company In the United
! States is watching and working for such
solution Of this question as shall enable them
To remove their wires from the Streets and
we simply ask fOrbearanee until such date
as a practicable method shall have been
tested and proved.
Both communications were referred
to the committee on underground wires,
and will be considered at the joint meet
ing of the committee on ordinances and
underground wires on Thursday next.