The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-06-10
THE GREAT FALLS FIGHT.
Supt. Dickinson and Attorney Ram
som Cooper Steal March
on the Mayor
Tho Street Railway Company SO
Far Has the Best Of the
Situation.


Situation.
Waiting For Next Monday to Got Writ
Of Injunction From the Supreme
Court.
SO far the Great Falls Street Railway
company has outgsneraled Mayor Coils
thorpe, the city attorney OF Great Falls
and Henry VoReI, who has the contract to
pave Central avenue In that town. vogel
precipitatsd the fight apparently in order
to find ous whore he stood. The city gavs
Voael the contract last fall and tho street
was to be paved by June l. 1888 The city
fathers OF Great Falls stipulated that tho
pavement should be of vitrihed brick, and
equal in all respects to what is known ~ the
PurinRton No. brick. To stimulate homo
industry. it was incorporated In the con-
tract that paving bricks should be made
| In Montana. Some time in May VoQel put
In an APPEARANCE At Great Falls for the
purpose Of beginning work. In some way
the work was delay cd. According to the
contract. Vogel would. have to pay liqui-
dated damages for every day the work was
not completed after the specified time.
Things we're getting serious, especially
a. the process Of making vitrifisd
brick did not turn out to be
aucoess. About this time majority Of the
abuttinR property owners on Central avenue
and the street railway company began to
realize that the pavement woald be Q costly
affair. The failure to make the brick
specified seemed to offer = loophols.
The city attorney advised the mayor shat
it would be q good plan 10 90 slow wish any
attempt to render the contract void. The
uncertainty a. to mode Of procedure was
suddenly brushed aside by Contraotor
VoRsl II the thing had to 60 TO court, the
sooner the better. So Vogel went 10 the
town and tore up section of the track to
make way for the pavement. This sus-
pended traffio ON the main artery and
brought things to q FOCUS. An injunction
was q antsd ON the application of the street.
railway for two days. This was on Monday
an injunction from the supreme court. Su-
psrintendent Dickinson. Of the street rail-
way. and Ransom Cooper, his attorney, ar
rived In Helena on Thursday. but found
that the supreme court was not in session
and they could not get their writ until next
Monday. when the court convenss. Cooper
was equal to the emergency. He got an in
junction from Judge Buck. Of the Lewis
and Clarke county district court. Con-
tractor Vogel and the mayor Of Great Falls
pe .intsndent Dickinson telegraphed TO
Great Falls for his men to relay tho track
torn up by Vogel. They started TO do this.
but were stopped by the contractor, who
put big steam roller in the way. cable
was attached to this BY the street railway
| AZ tn and V0oal su
terfsred. The row was stoppsd late on
Thursday night by the receipt OF q telegram
from Judge Buck saying shat he had issued
an injunction and resumed ysster-
day until the injunosion was re-
toned at once, but VoRel ana the city au-
thorities Of Great Falls did not dare TO dis
obey IL. This will stop the work until
Monday, whom Attorney Cooper will ask the
supreme court for an injunction. and then
the validity OF tho paving contract will be
brought MP.
Rupt. Dickinson and Attorney Cooper got
the Injunction late Thursday afternoon
from Judge Buck at the court house. The
mayor and city attorney OF Great Falls do
not seem to have been aware of what WAS
eRrophed to the Falls after they obtained
the injunction but no attention was paid
to their messages. The people AZ the Falls
did not understand how Judge Buck of this
county could grant an injunction in ths
case but whom it arrived the mayor, city
attorney and Contractor Voasl deemed u
wise not TO dispute the judges jurisdiction.
They were not enlightened by Dickinson
aad Cooper who had accomplished what
they were after.
The INDEPENDENT gave tho following de-
tails of the trouble:
Contractor Vogeps sixteen-ton steam
roller blocked the street railway oil day and
prevented men relayinR the last length OF
rails, though vsriDr: 11;. attempts were made
exciting day seen in Great Falls In q long
time, and tonight every man who believes
in maintaining the oity's reputation - .
law abiding community hopes never to see
II repeated. A crowd Of from three TO 500
hung around Fifth street and Central ave-
nus all day Watching the futile attempts
made TO move the big roller. They hootsd
and yelled whenever the railway offieials
made move and she police had no easy
task in keeping the inQuisitive back. Tho
gincsrs stood in the cab. Every time the
cable tied TO the roller and thence through
; tackle block to several electric motor cars
: began to tighten steam was turned ON. II
I was a contest between electric power and
steam. The odds were In favo. Of steam.
and by the way the crowd yelled IL was
plain that the sentiment WAS strongly with
the contractor.
| when the train arrived from Helena,
Supt. Dickinson and Attorney Cooper came
with the injunction granted BY Judge Buck.
; but Vogsl could not be found. 10 WAS read
TO the two engineers but they refused TO
pay any attention TO IL, claiming thsi.
names did not appear thereon. Attempts
; to remove the mass Of iron were resumed
with vi1or. various new methods being
adopted without avail. Officers made sew
sral arrests whenever any of the onlookers
became too obnoxious. but 40 night oams
on il was plain that unless ono side or the
} other withdrew there would certainly be
) bloodshsd. 1t was reported that sven the
! men from the smslters were coming to take
hand, The sheriff and chief of police were
preparing TO swear In assistants and make
wholesale arrests whom Vogsl put In an ap-
peArAncs about dark and ordered shs snai-
nseis 10 back the roller out Of the way.
The company closed the gap In the track
and the cars are running tonight - usual.
Tho contractor will do nothing more until
the matter has been fought ous In the Hell
! ena district court.
Mig Gus In Freight RAssA
Nkw York. June 9.-Ths Herald says,
"Thsre was big reduction in freight Eatss
yesterday eat Of Now York 10 oil Missis-
sippi river points. This may we'll bs re-
garded ~ the frat serious menace 10 rates
In ths territory of Tho Trunk Line ass0eia-
~ - A. a a lI.