, 1891-08-14
A PREMATURE START
Street Cars Make Two Trips uver
the Viaduct
Before It Is Formally Accepted BY
the City.
Further Trips Stopped BY the
Mayors Orders.

The street car company, the mayor and
two policemen played a short Engage
ment yesterday afternoon, with the new
viaduct as the scene of the entertainment.
The street and alley committee Of the city
council may be accorded the credit OF
furnishing the cause for the commotion.
The viaduct to all appearances is com
pleted, and in fac. is complete with the
exception of the guard rails and fences
along the walls of the northern ap-
proaches. The vladuct, however, has not
yet been formally accepted by the city
council, and Is really the property OF the
contractor, Mr.. East. The city engineer
and the street and alley committee have
approved the work and accepted it. but
their action has not as vet been approved
by the council. As street car tracks are
land across the bridge and as the street car
company lave laid their tracks
from the south side approach
east to Evans street and have made con-
n~ections with the north side approaches
they have been anxious to run cars over
and Yesterday obtained permission from
the street and alley committee to start
the cars. Although the matter was liable
to have an important bearing upon the
interests of the city in its relation to the
street railway franchises on the viaduct, it
was not thought sufficiently important by
the committee to consult either the city
attorney or the mayor about the matter
and the latter official was not aware that
the cars were to be run before formal ar
r%angnients were made by the council.
When he learned that cars were running
he ordered Policemen Ahrens and Nolan
to see that further trips were stopped and
his orders were enforced. the car making
but two trips.
The mayor position is that neither he
nor ths street aud alley committee can
authorize the street car company to use
the viaduct until it is formally accepted
by the city council and an agreement
entered into with the street car company
regulating the use of the tracks and pro-
viding tor the fees or charges to be paid
the city for their use. ii it Is decided to
make such charges.
The street aud alley committee were
inclined to hold that this was the correct
view and gave permission to run the cars
only as a temporary arrangement.
When the cars were stopped there was
some idle talk of taking up the tracks and
moving the plant to some other town,
but ever those who talked in that way
will probably recognize the necessity of
proceeding in SO important a matter in a
more business-like way than Yesterdays
arrangement.
TIL TRIP ACROSS.
The first trip across the viaduct was
made about 5 o'clock. and il not in due
form and order, was so far as the trip IL
self was concerned, a big success. Two
big horses were attached to one Of the
open cars. A number Of real estate men,
a Tribune and LEADER reporter, the city
engineer. and a score of young boys. with
fully matured lungs, made up the load.
Several times tie car was pulled off the
track on the north approach, but the
horses pulled it on without any trouble.
The trip across, with bells ringing and
boys shouting, attracted much attention
among the shop men and people on the
south side. On the run out to Evans
the street was lined with people,
who came from their houses and looked
with interest on the innovation.
The view from the car while crossing
the viaduct is well worth riding across to
see. All the larger residences of the
North Side stand out in bold rellef and
one gets a good general view OF the whole
city. The magnitude of the shop plant
can be better appreciated when seen from
the viaduct than from any other point of
view. When formally opened and the
cars are running on regular schedule time,
a trip across will be an attractive ride.