Evening star., 1895-10-09
ERE GUARD WIRES
Charge Against Tenleytown Linsmsn Dis
missed.
Stringing Wires Stopped by the
Police, but Men Say They Were
Replacing Old Ones.

AS printed in yesterdays Star, the cas-,
| of Henry T. Pindy. superintendent Of thu
Georgetown and Tenleytown electric road
charged with stringing, on 32d street, Ger
tain electric light wires, was set for tria
In the Police Court Friday but late yester
day afternoon representatives Of the com
pany called on Prosecuting Attorney Pugl
and asked for an immediate trial of tht
| case. The reason for this was that tn,
wires were exposed. and the company wa:
| not certain what responsibility might bt
shouldered on them in case of an accident
The result was that Mr.. Pugh had the
witnesses summoned to court and the cast
was tried this morning.
Sergeant Haney and several policemen
were called as witnesses, and they told oi
| the work of stringing the wires about
o'clock Sunday morning. According to the
| evidence of the officers. the wires they
| saw the workmen stringinG were not troll
ley wires, but were put UP parallel to the
trolleyS
One of the workmen told an officer they
| were to be used as electric light wires. anc
this was the charge in the information.
Judge KimbalI asked Mr.. Pugh II, as the
defense claims, these were only guard
wires whether he would claim convic'
ton, and he said he could not claim con,
| victiop If the company had merely replaced
the guard wires.
Only the Statement.
What proof have you that they were
to be used for electric lighting?'' the court
asked.
None" said Mr.. Pugh, Except the state
ment of one of the workmen, and that,
think, calls for an explanation from the
defense"
Lawyer Mackall, who represented the de-
f6 ndant, said he was willing that the matter
Should be explained, and called to the stand
T hXy u,h don't n
the road. Mr.. Crosby is one of the most ex-
pert electricians in the country, and he ex-
planned what work was done by the men
Sunday morning. The work, he said, was
done at that hour when the trolley wires
were not charged. because it Is not safe for
the men to work SO near the guard wires.
The wires the men were putting up, he
said, were guard wires, and were intended
as protection to the other wires. These
guard wires, he explained, are strung few
inches above the trolleys, so that other
wires which may happen to fall will not
come in contact with the live wires and
cause damage.
Charge Dismissed.
Witness explained how the wires are pu.
up and what danger might result from
negligence on part of the company. He
said that since March last the company
lad been doing all it could to put the road
in first-class shape, and were renewing the
spans and preventing danger as much as
pos sible.
Mr.. Pugh asked him if the Tenleytown
and Rockville road were not erecting an
electric lighting plant, and he answered in
the negative. adding: They are building
nothing other than mortgages"
That road. he said. was to have been sold
today. but an injunction was issued in the
case, and a postponement was found nee
esSary.
The guard wires being strung on the oc-
casioE charged, 1t was shown, were mere
ly to replace old wires. and Judge kimball
dismissed the case.