The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-06-06
OBSTRUCTION RHBUKHD.
Justice O'Donnell Dismisses
the Charge Against the
Electric Car Linemen.
CONTEMPTIBLE QUIBBLING.
No Effort to Make Out Serious
Case-Anii Rapid Transit
Fictions Exposed,

william La dem aud Peter Montague.
two me in the employ Of the jersey City
Electric Light Company. who were ar
rested last Tuesday charged with violat-
ing an ordinance forbiddinR the removal
Of flagstones aud tearing up Of the streets
without permission OF the proper author
tiles, were discharged by Police Justice
ODonnell this morning. They had been
paroled since Wednesday, and the case
postponed until the city could be repre-
sented by counsel
When the men were arraigned Wednes-
day morning, Herbert Potts, counsellor
or the Electric Light Company exhibited
an ordinance passed over the Mayors
veto in 1887 giving the Electric Light
Com pany the right to plant poles on
Montgomery street. He defied auy. one
TO show where company with such an
ordinance behind il was required to seek
permission OF the authorities to substi-
tute new poles for old.
1t was acknowledged On all sides that
the arrest of the two men was for an ul-
terror purpose, and this purpose was TO
prevent the Jersey City ana Bergen Rail-
way Company. which Is &C present sup
piled with electricity by the Jersey City
Electric Company, from extending its
ferry.
MERE QuIBBLING
At the hearing this morning Corpora
tion Attorney Hudspeth represented the
city. Nothing was said concerning the
ordinance the men had been accused OF
violating. City Surveyor Charles Van
Keuren was put upon the stand and testi-
fled that he mad measured one OF the
poles that the Electric Light Company
had substituted for an old one. and found
e..
as prescribed by the ordinance, viola-
tion of which In this respect renders the
company liable to fine Of SO for each
offense.
Counsellor Potts asked what hole had
been measured Mr.. Van Keuren replied
the pole he had measured was at Jersey
avenue and Montgomery street.
Mr. Potts contended that the pole " hich
the men were removing when arrested
was In front of No. 423 Montgomery
street, and the exact spot was specified In
the complaint. Mr.. Hudspeth acklowl-
ing the height Of the pole specified, and
Justice O'Donneil discharged the prison.
ers.
HuMBUG EXPOSED.
President Thurston OF the Jersey City
and Bergen Railway Company. was busy
this morning when called TO see what
he had TO say concerning the statement
published in Mr.. Joe Dear's afternoon
publication yesterday that the overhead
wire system Of running cars through the
lower section of the city was dangerous to
property and pedestrians.
s'ft Is cIaimed.n said Mr.. Thurston,
shat there are other electrical devices
that dispense with the necessity of the
trolly wire system. l suppose the storage
battery system Is referred 10. In every
instance IL has proved failure, where
there IL grade 10 climb. We have in
vited those Interested in other systems to
show us their advantages, and we have
been experimenting with them for some
time. They all admit they cannot climb
a grade. As to danger from falling troily
wires, would like any one to show me
an instance Of death to human being
ever having occurred IN such u manner.
AS to rapid transit through the crowded
thorougnfare a motor car can travel as
slowly as horse car. when the horse Is
walking, and you can stop a car with
electricity much quicker than horse car
when the horses are going fast
Here is an Interesting and timely ar
ticle from the monthly bulletin OF the
Thomas Houston Electric Company"
and Mr.. Thurston showed me the follow
ing:-
THE GHOST LAID.
"The spook OF the electric. railway
business has been the fear of danger from
the overhead wires on the part of the
public and the variations rung on this
theme by some representatives OF the
press Whenever the street railway
companies and the electric companies
have appeared in their own defence and
endeavored TO show the difference In dan
ger between high tension lighting cur
rents and the relatively low. tension cur
rents employed in street railway work, 1t
Is not surprising that their statemen Is
have been regarded as er pdrte and have
not carried the weight they should.
1T Is matter of much satisfaction,
however, that at last the public have
convincing testimony from an en-
tlrely impartial source that their
fears are groundless, and that the
newspapers which have been so fervid In
sounding the note of alarm, are effective
1y siieDced by the action OF one of their
associates, whose candor and trustwor-
thiness they cannot gainsay. The reputa-
tion of the Boston advertiser for candid
investigation and temperate statement is
too wen known TO need any comment. It
is q conservative journal of a conserva-
tive city. In July this paper, with the
idea of gaining from disinterested sources
the results Of the operations of street
railroads by overhead wires, addressed
letters to the mayors OF various cities in
which this service has been introduced.
In reply they received sixty-nine answers
from as many cities, representing twenty
nine States and territories The questions
submitted TO the mayors In these letters
were the following
81 What system Of electric cars is In
use in your cityf
- Whether any persons have been SER
fously injured or killed.
%. Whether any apprehension Is felt
among your people as TO safety on account
OF this electric systemf
-. Whether as a result or its introduc-
tion the street car service has been inn
proved?
-. Whether popular feeling is In favor
OF the overhead wires or hostile to it?
In regard to the third, fourth and fifth
questions the consensus Of public opinion
as shown by the replies Is exceedingly
favorable, but the most striking testi-
mony IL on the point of danger raised in
the second question.
The Advertiser In summing up its con-
clustons after the answers to its questions
had been received. uses this remarkable
language, and coming from the source it
does u effectively laws the ghost:--
The great objection to the overhead
wire has been the serious injury TO indi-
viduals. On this line OF inquiry we have
received full information. aud find that of
the sixty-nine cities from which responses
have been received reports of accidents
are confined 10 fifteen. OF these only
eight have resulted ir serious or fatal in
juries 10 human beings, the others being
the hitting OF horses BY falling wires,
which all companies admit Is likely to
occur. OF the human beings killed, In all