Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1890-01-23
POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE
Eau Claire Street Railway Co. Fight
ing the Telephone Company.
Attempt TO Compel the Adoption of the
Underground System,
One Of the Suits in Which the Bell
Telephone Co. Figures.


ceedingS of the Wisconsin Telephone COM
pany against the Eau Claire Street rail-
way company, for an injunction, the
Sprague Electric Railway and Motor CONF
pany being co-defendant, are of consider
able importance as one of the fights which
tie American Bell Telephone company is
carrying on, ''all along the line, against
the systems of electric street railways em-
ploying the overhead method Hon. H. H.
HAYDEN, attorney for the local street rail-
way company returned from the east
Saturday night, and today the answer of
the street rniIway company was found on
file with the clerk of the circuit court.
The hearing before Judge Bundy was to
have taken lpace today, but owing TO the
fact that Mr.. Hayden, ON his way from
New York. was caught ON the tly 10y la
gripp, the matter has been postponed to
the 9th.
The answer admits that the plaintiff OPP
crates telephone system covering Eau
Claire and neighboring cities and villages
etc: that the street railway runs with bare
trolery wire, and that if the trollery wire
should come in contact with the telephone
wires it would injure the telephones; that
the current of the telephone Is small, and
if the quantity is largely increased, with
out correcting the telephone, the utility of
the instrument would be seriously inn
paired that the current From the defend
ants dynamo is carried ov ON insulated
wire (along the side ii the streets which
is connected at various points with the
naked trollery wire, the current of
which is thereby reinforced, the
current being taken from the
trolley wire and carried by trolley on top
of each car to the motors under the car, the
electricity, when it has operated the mo-
tors, being carried with the ear wheels TO
the rails, "a small portion of the current
probably escaping into the earth from the
rails; that there Is an induction whenever
an electric line of small dimension and
feeble force parallels a line Of large dImen-
sion and great force, Nhether or not either
or both of such wires are coyered that de-
PENDANTS current is about 500 volts, but
denies that it is dangerous to life or prop
erty
The answer also alleges that the street
railway could not be removed without
enormous expense and practically destroy
ing its system; that, when the telephone
system was constructed Eau Claire was
waukee, to be provided with a telephone
exchanged the art OF telephone was lmper-
feet and crude, the Eau Claire system re-
manning poor and insufficient up to date;
that instead of continuing the wire from
the subscriber back to the switch
board, making a complete circuit,
the end of the wire at the telephone
is connected with the earth; that tele-
phones are thus liable to be injured 10y
leakage into the earth from other lines;
that the expense of complete circuits
would be small, and the complete circuit
system is now in use in New York, Dos
ton and other places; that unless such CIR
cults are made, there should be trunk re-
turn wires, to which return wires from
telephones should be cemented, instead OF
using the ground for return line, thus
10y one trunk wire completing the circuits
Of numerous telephone lines, ana that the
expense would be small. and that the trunk
return wire plan is used at
Richmond. Va, Akron, Ohio, and many
other places that the Eau Claire telephone
system is otherwise defective, cheap and
poor, and. if batteries OF larger voltage
were used, the trouble complained OF would
be obviated that plaintiff has been negil-
gent and thus itself caused much Of the IN
juries complained Of; that it pays small
salaries and has incompetent linemen and
operatives.
The answer further alleges that the
Eau Claire Brush Electric company and
the Eau Claire Electric Light and Power
company operate with electric currents of
ten spheres and 1900 to $500 volts cir
cults aggregating "a miles and II miles
respectively. the systems being
absolutely perfect, that, by rea-
son Of the imperfect state of the
telephone system the latter has been great
~ affected by induction from the lighting
lines. and the officers and managers OF tho
telephone company have complained there
Of. but the superior officers have refused to
put IN complete circuits because Of the ex-
pense: that injuries similar TO those COM
planned Of come from the lighting wires;
that all permanent injuries stated IN the
complaint arise, not from leakage but from
induction and the imperfect condition
Of the telephone system; that II
plaintiff would remove its wires 50 they
would not be closely parallel fora great dis
lance with the defendant S railway, which
could be done at small expense compared
with that of changes IN defendant sys-
tenn. trouble from this cause would be
obviated The answer further alleges that
the street railway is Of perfect construc-
tion (Sprague oyerheadl; that a strong
iron guard wire is Suspended twelve inches
above the trolley wire to prevent other
wires from falling upon it, etc.
The answer further enunciates this prin-
ciple. which is quite likely to be challeng-
ed; that the use and operation Of the street
railway is one Of the public uses Of the
streets and bridges Of said city, and ) am
excise Of the public easement and Of the
primary use for which such streets and
bridges we're dedicated. This is intro
ductory to the statement that the opera
ton Of the telephone system therein is a
secondary use and subordinate to public
easement and travel.
The answer also asserts that the tele-
phone company has no right to use the
earth for the Transmission Of return cur
rents Of electricity nor as a dumping
ground for It. electric currents, to the ex-
clusion If this defendant street railway
company equally 70 do 80.
The answer further states that the