The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-05-02
HEIGHTS TROLLEY Fight
Two Sets Of Poles Erected on
Summit Avenue Danger
Of the Wires.

Last night, at about half past nine, gang
of Italians, numbering about one hundred
and fifty, were put to work on Summit ave-
nue., between Congress street and the Pater-
son Plank Road, erecting poles for the Jer-
sey City, Hoboken and Rutherford Electric
Railway Company. The men worked in
squads Of half dozen a certain number of
yards apart, and erected a pole directly
alongside of the North Hudson County
Company's pole, which were erected
last week The work was accomplished
during the night and this morning they be-
gan stringing the wires. There is consider
able bitterness between the two companies,
and each has been striving to get ahead Of
the other. The Board of Street and Water
Commissioners some time ago granted the
Rutherford Company franchise to operate
an electric surface road throught the above
thoroughfare, and they accordingly laid
their tracks, but did not erect
chise to the North Hudson Company to
operate similar road over the same ground
As soon as the North Hudson people re-
ceived their franchise, they began erecting
poles and stringing wires, and in a day or
two afterwards had every pole and wire that
was necessary to operate road put up.
AN ENFORCEMENT.
The Rutherford Company considered it an
encroachment upon the part of the North
Hudson Company, and Saturday night they
put gang of men to work tearing down the
North Hudson's polls Before they had sue
ceeded, however; in taking any down, a gang
Of men from the North Hudson Company ar
edition of THE JERSEY Cry NEWS,
compelled the Rutherford men to
quit work. Last night the Rutherford
laborers were not moiested and were allowed
to erect the poles in peace, although num-
Der of the North Hudson officials were pres
ent and, it is said, had large force of Ital-
ians ready. short distance away, to attack
the others if necessary. 1t was said that the
men would not be called upon, unless the
Rutherford people attempted to deface the
North Hudson property.
Captain McNulty and q dozen policemen
were on the scene, ready to squelch any dis
turbance that might occur Mayor Wanser
and Mr. Thomas Jordan were also witnesses
of the work
How the companies are going to get over
the difficulty is puzzle to the people. The
law demands that the wires must be at least
seventeen feet from the ground, and the
North Hudson people have strung theirs to
within a sixteenth of an inch Of the required
distance. When Foreman Joeaye of the
Rutherford men was made aware of it.
and asked how they were going to get over
the difficulty, the intelligent Italian smiled
and said
'sYou waita see how we do dat Why, we
Iowa da street one inch, den our wire comes
down just belowa de other feller wire, see,
ha ha, wea smarta people"
When Mr.. Mersheimer, the Manager of
the North Hudson County Company was
told of the manner in which the Rutherford
people were going to get the best of his
company, he smiled also, and merely re-
marked that his employers weren't worry
ing.
GREAT DANGER
IF the wires of both companies should be
strung in any possible way so as they could
operate the roads, the two currents being in
SO close proximity to each other would, an
expert electrician remarked, ''cause consider
able trouble with the motors, and constantly
burn out the armature and safety fuses, as
the currents would operate against each
other.
IF the North Hudson Company should
turn the current on the wires which are
strung along Summit avenue. the Ruther-