The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-09-17
USTBURY THE WIRES
Property Owners Object to Re-
moyal of Poles.
WORKS BOARD ACTS PROMPTLY
II Recommends That Wires on Front
and second streets BE Put Under
ground-Aidermen Act.

Ire question OF what shah be done with
the electric wire poles on Front ana Sc
end streets s. one that vas t1oagnt %
have been settled when. at the time the
contracts FOR paving these streets were
Ter. the board Of public works notified the
companies that they would have 70 move
their poles from the roadway 20 within
the Sidewalk curhfnE Eut yesterday the
question was as FAR from being determined
as & ever was. and the outlook is no"
mora favorable than ever Tor putung The
wires under ground. the board OF pubic
works having sent communication 70 he
city council recommending that the poles
b done away With altogether.
The first trouble was encountered when
the electric companies started ont 70 obey
the order for the moving az the poles.
They found that the property owners 70 a
man objected TO having the poles set with
IN the sidewalk line. and threatened -
fight the matter through the courts before
they would give their consent. The COM
panies were placed between the devil and
the deep sea They could not leave their
poles In the street. and they were not al
lowed 70 move them. The matter was
brought 10 n head Yesterday when a petit
ton was filed with the board Of public
works asking that she poles be left where
they now are. The petition states that;
Property Owners Petition.
Owners Of property abutting on Front
and Second streets, and tenants occupying
the same. learning from the daily papers
OF an order from the board OF public
works directing the companies owning
poles TO move them from their present 10
cation into the sidewalks. in the districts
about 70 be paved. do respectfully repre-
sent that the placing Of the poles as d.
rected would cut into the area vaults built
by as and used by Us, 10 our great loss
and injury; that soon after the fire OF
june s. 1889. the property owners on these
two streets 20 the benefit OF the city at
large. as well as TO these two particular
streets. without protest, allowed the city
TO appropriate without recOmpense their
property for the purpose OF widening said
streets. that the roadway portion OF the
streets used by the street railways and
traffic teams with but very few carriages
and an increasing number Of bicycles, is
seldom congested. as the amount OF traffic
thereon is but a fractional part Of that on
the sidewalks. Even in The quiet times we
are now experiencing the sidewalks are
often so crowded that a slight obstruction
causes a blockade That the obstruction
on the sidewalks viii cause delay to a
much larger number Of people than The
same obstruction in the roadway
I'VE therefore believe that the least an
nOyancc would be caused to the public in
general by locating the poles ont Of the
sidewalk line in the roadway as near 10
illr tui y dS - Didtt&EAntc, dAApA tiits SUM
Client space for cutters. Therefore. on ac-
count Of the manner in which the city ac-
quired the property To widen the streets.
We are led 10 believe that we are entitled
to as generous consideration on the part
Of the city as we accorded to II.
We therefore petition your honorable
board 10 locate the poles in the roadway
as above indicated"
This petition was signed by the MacDou-
gall & Southwick Company; August Mehl-
horn. Fred Gasch. j. n. Lowman. the Yes
Ter estate by Jacob Furth. Jacob F'urth.
Charles l.. Bailey. the Bailey Building
Company, the Eastern Investment Com
pany. all by ". A Peters; John Collins.
Edwin Hughes. Washington Territory In
vestment Company, the Puget Sound I'm
provement Company. Seattle Real Estate
Trust (Rialtol. all by Herman Chaplin; T.
n Hinckley. Amos Brown. w r Epler.
Ella r Downs. Henry Boyle. Thomas
Burke. John Leary. J. N Colman. Halter
& Cox. 7. TT. Cam, the Washington Build
ing and the south part Of the Starr Boyd
building. by Eliza J. Starr. trustee. ". r.
BOYD & Co. G. T. Stone. NJ & X Colt
stein and the Gordon Hardware Company.
An Ordinance to Be Prepared.
When the recommendation Of the hoard
OF public works was brought up in tho
hoard or aldermen last night ~ was re-
fcrrcd to the ordinance committee for an
ordinance covering the recommendation.
What viii be done with the poles Of the
trolley company is as vet undecided Tho
members of the hoard OF public works say
that the Compsuys only recourse is 20
get m" consent Of the property owners 90
attach their wires to The buildings along
the street and NJ =. Ba kds. receiver II
the CCrsoli9ated Company. stin that ne
was perfectly willing 10 -ss:eu the wires
TIA that way II the property owners were
willing e. have him do so.
object 70 tho Expense.
The telephone company. IL is said stauas
ready 10 put us wires underground If nee
essary. although u would naturally pre-
Ter 30 have the poles lcft where they are.
because IF VIII cost tho company good
many thousand dollars to make The
change T.. q. ktlbourne. Of the Union n
Eliminating Company. said he had nothing
90 say about tho matter. Like Ue tote-
phone company. no would like n have the
poles Left as they are as the cost Of r.i-
t.n@ Tee wins under ground would amount
10 hetWeeu So 1an ana S 99n
As it now stands the paving ~ Front
nr3 Second streets IS lFrir o. .r .-r--
materially DELAYED. II tns wires lave 20
De- rit under Erog08 it Viii mem nr l1l-
wense amount of work. and II v4u al
lHve - he cone are brick i3t-- ,8u
E.. ou.