St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-01-12
IN SPECIAL SESSION.
The City Fathers Consider q
Proposition From Presi-
dent Tom Lowry.
The Question Of Substituting
Electricity for Cables on
ALI Street Cars.
a Step Towards Co npromis-
ing the Crossings Contro-
versy by the Manitoba.
They Practically Accept the
Plan Submitted by the
City.

A special meeting of the city council
was held yesterday to consider COM
munication from the Minneapolis Street
Railway company relative to substi-
tuting electricity for the proposed cable
power and to consider proposition
from the Manitoba railway company
relative to the compromise of the cross
ingS case. Promptly at z o'clock PreSi-
dent johnson called the council to
order and Clerk Haney read the follow
ing communication from the street rail-
way company:
To the Honorable Mayor and City Coun-
ell of the City of Minneapolis:
Gentlemen: In compliance with an
ordinance of the city council, passed
July 10, 1889. the Minneapolis Street
Railway company proceeded al once to
let contracts for cable road on Wash
imgtun avenue. from Twentieth avenue
to Cedar avenue; thence on Cedar ave-
hue to Riverside; thence on Riverside
TO TWenty-Seventh avenue south; thence
on REIMBURSEMENT avenue south to
Twenth-SiXth street. Also, in compli-
ance with a previous resolution of the
city council. TO construct cable line on
First avenue south and SIc0llet avenue
TO take the place of the present steam
city council, built an electric line ON
Fourth avenue south, in order to test the
efficiency of electric power.
The electric line Oh Fourth avenue
south seems TO be a perfect success, and
We are daily solicited by residents in
almost every part of the city to subSti-
tute electric lines for the proposed
cables. 1t is matter of grave import
ance not only to the company but TO the
city of Minneapolis and the travelling
public. My own Judgment is that it
would be better for the city and the
public to substitute electricity for cables
but do hot care to take the RESPONSE
biity of deciding the question. If the
cables are constructed it will involve
an immense Outl Y which will not only he
useless but a pubic nuisance i'll case It's
Sought to change the power 10 electricity
afterwards. If we construct the cables
as proposed it will be- adopted as a per-
mantnt motive power, as we cannot
afterwards afford to change it. We are
convinced that electricity will afford a
better mode for rapid transit than the
cable. and in view of this fact respect
fully ask your honorable body to permit
US to substitute electricity for cable
lines and also to grant us the right to
Use electricity on all our present exist
ing lines and extensions. 1t will cause
no delay as we will have more lines in
operation during 1890 than contemplated
i'll our former agreement. Respectfully
submitted.
THOMAS LOWRY. President.
Aid. Bradish moved to refer the COM
municatiOn to the committee on rail
roads, which consists of Aid. Warren,
Cole, Phillips, BarrOws and MeIoy; but,
as the question is one of vital interest
to every voter in the city, it was re-
one alderman from each ward and the
railroad committee. President john
SON named as the committee Aid. Nc
Gowan, Smith, Durham, Loye, Downs,
Hunter, Parry, Sterling, Bradish. Bill
lings. FullZ. Adams and Farnsworth.
The committee will meet at 2 o'clock
tomorrow afternoon to consider the
proposition.