The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1891-02-12
CITY GOVERNMENT.
Special Meeting of the Board OF
Mayor and Aldermen.
The Electric Railway Matter Has a
Nearing.
Some Resolutions on the Australian
Ballot.

A special meeting of the Board of Mayor
and Aldermen was held at p. m. yesterday.
Acknowledgements McCann and Bagley.
The Board recommended that a guardian
be appointed by the Probate Court for Tnos.
Rafferty,. who is reported of unsound mind,
and signed the papers to that effect.
An order was passed that the Board for
revising the jury list be instructed to revise
the list and report at the next regular meet
ing.
An order was passed that warrants issue
In due form for the annual municipal cleo
tion to take place the first Monday in March.
The petition Of the Consolidated Electric
Light Company for leave to set a pole at No.
3S0-386 Congress street, laid on the able at
the regular February meeting, was taken
from the table and granted. subject to the
usual restrictions.
Brian E. McDonough was appointed an
undertaken.
WOODEN BUILDINGS.
Petition of Geo. FL. Cummings to raise
one side of roof at No. 80 Pearl street,
Granted.
Petition Of Portland Railway Company
for permission to erect brick building with
wood sides, ON Beckett street, TO be 120 feet
long, go feet wide. and to be used for a sta
BILE. Referred.
ELECTRIC RAILWAY.
petition from the Portland Railway
Company for permission to operate that por-
tlon Of its road within the limits Of he
city through Green and Portland streets to
the head of PEBBLE street by electricity, and
to set and maintain poles, wires and appli-
ances to operate the same. Petition was
read and accepted.
This order was read: That the Portland
Railroad Company Is granted permission TO
operate by electricity that portion Of its
road within the limits Of the city Of Port
land, which extend from Deering's bridge on
Green street, through Green street to Port
land street, through Portland to Preble
street, and through Preble street to Its juno
tlon with Congress street, and to set and
maintain the poles, wires and appliances to
operate the same, subject to the ordi uance,
now in force in relation to electrical appll
ances, and to such rules and orders as this
Board may hereafter make. the materials
and methods Of construction used to be sucn
as shall be approved by the City Electrician.
President Libby, Of the Railway Compa
ny, said at the last meeting the directors
were ordered to consider the expediency of
Using electricity In operating their Deering
road. 1t was tn iught the system had devel-
oPed snff1ciently to try 1t. Ii Is no use to
tiy and operate the Deesing line If we can
not CONS up from behring's bridge to cor
ner OF Congress and Prebe streets. The
currents OF electricity now used in Portland
are greater than any that will be required to
operate this road. He had heard that the
Telephone Company would demonstrate, and
ne wanted to hear their objections.
Mr.. Houston of Boston said the Telephone
Company had filed a remonstrance, showing
what this company believed. He read this
BOSTON, February 10. 1891.
To the Honorable the Mayor and Board Of alder
men OF the City Of Portland;
The New Englind Telephone and Telegraph
COmpa enters its respectful rem insurance
against any action of your honorable body grant,
Ing ishts and locations for the erection ana op
sion of street car In the city of Portland.
The operation Of the single trolley system In
DINER places where The same has been installed
has resulted In serious injury to the telephone
service and business. The impairment, frequent
SO gre at as TO amount to destruction Of the tel
discnarge into the ground of large quantities of
eectricity used ID the operation Of the railroad,
Wires pSsae o aS % sesng up currents oa
l.y wire n tn q thsoo eau .es produce, In tele-
phones affected thereby, loud and distur bing
noises which ovrrpow-r speech.
Ihr elngle trolley system, as now constructed,
from one pole of dynamo along the tracks of the
railway The return circuit is made by connect
Ing the rails, gen rally REINFORCED by a wire
buried under the track, 10 the other pole of the
dynamo. When the ystem is in operation the
large Quantities # elect icty generated Tor the
wire. thence through the conducting arm attached
10 he car, thence through the motor er the
car, thence through the Car wheel TO the rails and
back to the other pole of the dynamo.
The rails and the reinforcing wire used for the
return current being In connection with the earth
co siderable portion of the current Is diuused
through the earth and flows back to It's source by
such conductor as It finds In its path. Telephone
wires connected with the earth In the vicinity of
the track furnish ready paths ior this diffused
current which causes overpowering noises in the
telephone as above stated.
ha a htueK rnfo An. fha &ala A.
Induction, occu' where the trolley aud feed wires
are run In proximity 10 aid parallel with tele-
hs wires anu arc caused, not oy LEAKAGE OF
waw wires.
similar disturbing effects would be caused by
elrciric light wires unless each outgoing wire
was balanced by return wire.
II has been demonstrated that the single trolley
system, requiring as 1t does bare wire carving
powerful current, introduces into the HIGHWAYS
source OF danger to the lives and property of
grounded any acci iental contact as through
broken wire, with the trolley wire places any per-
son or thing on the ground 10 the full path Of the
In view of the fact that the experience of other
cities aud towns has clearly shown that there are
other systems OF operating street cars by cleo
trcny efficient as the single troll ey system and
free from its objectional features, your Temon-
STRAIT rsspectiuIy request that any Grant 10 ths
accompanied by such restrictions as to prevent
| injury 10 The telephone service aud business of
| your honorable body by its electrician, Mr. L. H.
Farnhaan, who will explain fully points upon
| which Information is desired.
| Respectfully,
n. L. TELEPHONE & TELEGRAPH Co.,
By JASPER n. KELLER,
Submitted by
CLARENCE HALE,
Solicitor for said Company.
| After reading the remonstrance Mr.. Hous-
| ton said that Mr.. Farnham, the electrician
Il 0f the cQmDaQV. Oraspnt and POul6
i answer any questions.
| Then President Libby of the Railway
| Company began to ak questions. Mr.. Farm
ham said he thought the remonstrance COW
cred the Telephone Company's objections.
He said. in reply to Mr.. Libby's questions.
that If the Electric Company ran the power
over one wire, without return wire, taen
| there would be great injury to the telephone
| busiEesS. The buZZng over the wire, from
from the induction, would virtually affect
some 80 instruments on the Prebe and Port
| land street circuit. so as to make them al
most valueless, while 1t would affect all the
wires In the city to greater or less extent
In Boston, he said, the injury to the tele-
phone service Is light because the wires are
run on high six and eight story buildings.
and because only small section Of the city
Is used by the trolley wire. But In Cam
bridge and Quincy great damage was done
the telephone company by the noise on the
wires. He thought even the short distance
| the cars would be operated by electricity In
| the city would affect all the telephone wires
to a greater or less exLent
Mr.. Mason, electrician Of the Consolidated
| Electric Light Company, denied most OF Mr..
| Farnbam's assertions as regards the power
| of the current used TO run the arc lights and
tnose that run tue incandescent system. He
claimed that the Telephone Company would
| be ali right If they should put up sound
wires in the place of rusted and used up
wires that had been In existence 10 and Il
wears. he said the danger to the public was
more from such wires breaking and dropping
| onto electric light wires.
The whole question seemed to resolve IT,
| self into whether the Electric Light Compa
nv or the Telephone Company should 90 tc
| the expense of putting up return wire oyel
| tine proposed circuit where the electric rail-
| way is expected to run.
The hearing was adjourned to next Satur
day evening at 7.30 O'Clock for more light or
the subject.
AUSTRALIAN BALLOT
Alderman McClutchy offered the follow
ing:
Whereas the purity Of the ballot IA the safe
guard OF lhe stae aud the nation aud TO surroun,
IL with every pnssibe safeguard is the part 8
| good government, and
whereas the AusIra ian ballot System a secre
Omcial ballot printed aud i,tributed at the publi