Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1895-11-19
COMMON COUNCIL.

6, noes none.
The board then adjourned.
COMMON COUNCIL.
After the reading of the communica-
ton from the Mayor giving his reason
for calling the meeting,
Mr.. Burke, from the committee on
streets, to whom the application had
been referred, presented an ordinance
granting the permission under certain
conditions.
When the first section had been read
by the clerk,
Mr.. Mushbach offered an amend
ment providing that no wooden poles
or supports be used by the company,
but that such be of iron, to be placed
only at such places as the City Engi-
neer may direct, the same to be kept
painted and in good order.
Mr.. Cation seconded the amendment.
Mr.. Greene said he saw no reason for
making any discrimination in the case
of the Home Telephone Company.
Other corporations using the city's
streets had wooden poles, and it was
not right to make the Home company
incur the extra expense.
A rising vote was taken on Mr.. Mush-
bach's amendment and it was declared
lost.
Mr.. Mushbach then offered another
amendment providing that the COM
pany be required to place seven tele,
phones in the City Hall and other pub
lie buildings for the use of the city, the
service to be furnished free. This was
subsequently withdrawn, as it was
found that the ordinance provided for
these.
Mr.. Mushbach subsequently took the
floor. He said he had no desire to pre-.
cipitate nor enter into any prolonged
debate on the ordinance, nor was he
opposed to the company installing it
selfin this city, as he favored the insti-
tuition of all things which would be for
the public good, but one thing be was
opposed to, and that was for Council to
be called together for every petty cor
poration who had some favor to ask for
the city when it could wait until regu-
lar meetings. Such corporations should
be made to wait until such occasions
when they have applications to make.
Mr.. Mushbach then proceeded to give
his reasons for opposing the use OF any
more wooden poles within the city.
To-day, he said, 1873 poles had been
counted on King street, and that on ten
streets 6S4 had been found. The streets
of the city was fast resembling denud
ed forest, or q scene in the Dismal
Swamp. Should the Home company
obtain the franchise asked for several
hundred more bare poles would appear.
Council had to commence somewhere.
Years hence it could be said with as
much propriety as now that it would
not be right to subject applicants to
such an extra expense. The time, he
believed, had arrived when halt
should be called and the city saved
from any further growth toward a bean
patch by the augmentation of poles at
the behests of telephone and telegraph
companies. Such companies would
eventually be compelled to put down
underground wires anyhow. In other
places wooden poles were forbidden,
and it was time they were in Alexan-
dria. He wanted to 60 on record as
protesting against their use in this city.
He believed there were 10000 such
poles in this city now.
The President (Mr. Burke in the
chair endorsed what Mr.. Mushbach
had said about calling Council in extra
session; as rule he thought extra ses-
sions unnecessary. He, too, was in
favor of the use OF iron poles, and
thought there should be q move toward
any particular burden on the company.
but thought that the maintenance of
wooden poles would in a few years
amount to about as much as the differ
ence in cost between wooden and iron
poles. He asked if any one present
could tell the relative cost of such
poles, and was informed that they
would cost very much more than
wooden poles.
Mr.. Cation said he was in favor of
iron poles and had voted for Mr.. Mush-
bach's amendment. He was not, how
ever, in favor of any snap judgment on.
this particular company provided it
would in two years time substitute
iron for wooden poles.
Mr.. Thompson asked Mr.. Cation if
he would accept an amendment com
polling all companies. to use iron poles
in that time,
Mr.. Cation said he would favor such
q thing when such companies had to
renew their poles.
Mr.. Greene said he had signed the
petition for the called meeting, and
thought it unjust to make our own
people incur the expense of iron poles
when the Western Union Telegraph
Company, a foreign corporation, and
a rich one, too, were allowed to utilize
wooden ones. The Home company
was represented by our own people.
He moved that the limit be made five
years for using the wooden poles. or
when they shall have become decayed.
Mr.. Mushbach said he wanted the
company to come here. The fact that
it was native or foreign concern had
nothing to do with the matter. He
merely desired to have for Alexandris
what other cities obtained. He said
poles were now so thick on King street
that with sixteen-feet boards a fence
could almost be constructed from the
Strand to the Virginia House. He re-
peated that there should be COM
mencement in the way of compelling