The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-06-03
Wires BADLY CROSSED.
Some are Real Ones and
Others are the Kind
That People Pull.
RAPID TRANSIT DELAYED.
Conflicting Ordinances-The ]. C.
&B. Car Company Fighting
Towards the Ferry.

William Ladew and Peter Montague.
employed by the Jersey City Electric
Light Company in replacing its wooden
poles with iron poles and erecting other
iron poles along Montgomery street,
were placed under arrest yesterday for
violating city ordinance.
The men were arraigned in the First
Police Court this morning Herbert
Potts, Counsellor for the Jersey City
Electric Light Company. was on hand
and asked for their discharge. He pro-
duced a copy of an ordinance passed octo-
Der II, 1887, granting the Jersey City Eiec-
trio Light Company power to establish,
maintain aud use posts or poles and wires
with necessary fixtures and appliances
for all electric lighting and uses," along
certain streets. Montgomery street head
ing the list.
UNDER THIS ORDINANCE.
The ordinance under which the men
were arrested was passed in 1874. Section
one reads as follows:--
No person shall incumber obstruct any
street OF part OF street which has been opened,
regulated and graded, or any public place in
Jersey City, with any article or thing whafso-
ever. without having first obtained permission
therefore in the manner provided for in this
ordinance under a penalty of not exceeding ten
dollars for each offense and further penalty
of one dollar for each days delay in removing
such incnmbrance or obstruction after having
been duly notified to remove the same.
Section 10 reads as follows
No person shall throw, put or placs. or cause
topsrmit 10 be thrown. put or placsd into. upon
or within any public strset lane. alley or place.
any substance, matter or thing whatsoever
whereby the free and unoostructe I'd use by the
public for lawful purposes OF any and every
portion Of such street, lane, alley or place may
lie In anywise impeded or mt erfered with, ex-
cept as herein otherwise provided. or disturb or
dig up or caused to bs disturbed or dug up. the
surface Of any public street, lane, alley or place
in such manner that public travel therein, or in
any part thereof, may be obstructed or i'm
peded, except by permission OF the Board of
Alderman first h nd and obtained under pen
atty Of not exceeding $40 for each offence.
Mr. Potts insisted that the ordinance
which gave the Jersey City Electric Light
Company power to erect and maintain its
poles was passed thirteen years after the
ordinance which the men are accused of
violating was passed. IL was not neces-
sary, he said. to secure that further per-
mission of the authorities to replace old
poles with new ones or to plant new ones
in the streets designated in the ordin-
ance.
THE JUSTICE WILL TAKE ADVICE.
Police Justice O'DouneiI said he would
prefer to listen to the Corporation Alto r
ney's view OF the matter before disehar g.
with Mr.. Potts decided to POSTPONE the
examination until Saturday morning.
The prisoners were paroled.
Policeman Duffy, who made the arrest 4.
said he did it on the complaint OF the
Superintendent of Police.
The Superintendent of Police says his
atten tion was called by the Mayor and
Street and Water Board to the fact that a
city ordinance was being violated by the
Electric Light Company. He examined
the ordinance of 1874 relating to the
tearing up of flag stones and payements.
etc. requiring tnat permission should
first be obtained from the Board of
Aldermen. A recent law throws it into
the hands of the Street aud Water Board
TO deal out such permission.
At the conclusion of a conference be-
tween the Mayor, the superintendent of
Police, the Street and Water Board aud
others, yesterday afternoon 1t leaked out
that measures had been taken to prevent
the jersey City and Bergen Railway Com
pany from continuing its motor line from
Varick street to the ferry without proper
permission of the authorities. It is
claimed that not only were some of the
electric company's poles changed, but
that new ones were erected without per-
mission Of the property owners in front
of whose property the poles were planted.
WHERE THE SHOE PINCHEs.
The Jersey City Electric Company fur
nishes electric power for the Jersey City
and Bergen Railway Company. 1t would
appear that the Jersey City Electric Light
Company has the power under its ordin-
ance TO substitute new poles for old ones
and erect new ones down Montgomery
street, provided they have the consent of
the property owners, while the railway
company alone appears to have the prop
erty owners consent to erect such poles.
And this is where the authorities insert
the wedge.
Thus it would seem the Railway Com
pany desires possession of the poles. sc
that at any time it chooses It may cut of
the motor-supplying power from the
Electric Light Company, and use its own
power.
e President Charles Thurston. wher
asked for light upon the subject this
morning, merely said: ''Your conclusions
are founded on mere conjectures When
the authorities interfere with our com.
pany's plans we Will merely apply for an
Injunction restraining them"