St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-07-07
A GREAT ANNOYANCE AND AN
ELEMENT OF DANGER IN
CASE OF FIRE.
THE NETWORK ON SEVENTH
CALLS FORTH STRONG CRITI-
CISMS FROM BUSINESS
MEN.
MUST SOON Go UNDERGROUND
Fire Department in a Financial
Dilemma Regarding Its
Wires.

The presence of the poles and wires
on East Seventh street is a great an
noyance to the retail merchants on
that thoroughfare. From Wabasha
street to Broadway the wires form a
network that is not only unsightiy,
but that would seriously embarrass
the fire department in case of a fire
OF any magnitude. The merchants
want the poles and wires removed,
but this is easier said than done.
When Questioned concerning the sit
uation yesterday, City Engineer
Rundlett said:
The overhead wires on East Sew
enth street are the arc light wires
OF the st. Paul Gas Light company
and the wires of the fire department.
They ought to be underground, but
as far as can learn this reform can
not be enforced at present
''The fire department insists that it
has no money with which to pay the
expense of making connections with
the wires of the Northwestern Tele-
phone company, which are under
ground in this street. AS for the
gas light company they cannot be
compelled at present to put their arc
light wires underground on Seventh
street There is an ordinance pro-
viding that all wires must be under
ground within a certain time in the
business district, and compelling all
companies to put a certain number
of miles Of wire under ground every
year, but as long as the gas light
company complies with this ordi-
nance it cannot be forced to put its
wires underground on any particular
street. The National Subway COM
pany has conduit on East Seventh
street from Wabasha to Broadway.
and the st. Paul Gas Light COM
pany might rent space in this con-
duit if it saw fit. but it evidently
does not. In the end, however, those
wires will have to come down or
leave the street, and I hope the
company will adopt the latter alter
native"
Upon looking up the ordinance re-
ferred to by Mr.. Rundlstt it was found
ground by Jan. l. 1897
A few of the Seventh street mer-
chants who were seen yesterday were
unanimous in their opinions regarding
the poles and wires.
William Bannon said: 1.-The poles
and wires are eyesores, and thsy ought
to be removed. If the street was free
of them it would make it far more de-
| sirable as location for the retailers"
| F. R. Yerxa said: q agree with all
lsths other retailers I have talked with
! that these wires and poles render Sew
enth unsightly They should coma
down, for they are an injury to bust
| ness, and would be greatly in the way
in case of fire.
William R. Burkhard said that he re-
| garded the presence OF the wires as g
| serious impairment of the street as a
location for retail dealers, and consid-
cred them a great impeachment to the
fire department in case of a big fire
William F. Birmingham expressed
| the opinion that the overhead wires
ought TO be removed, if only to do
away with the poles. especially the
monster ones which support the arc
light wires, and occupy SO much room
on the sidewalks.
a member of the fire board informed
the G e reported that it would
co'-t about Sl,2G0 for the department TO
make connections with the under
ground telephone system, but that the
department had no money to expend
for this purpose as the funds were
already running behind.