The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-07-18

)TEL MAY BE CLOSED
Effect of the Decision of the Board of
Aldermen Refusing to Allow Mr..
Page to Run His Steam Plant
The Meetiog Last Night.


Page to Run His Steam Plant
The Meeting Last Night.
Mr. Mayor: l tender my resignation
as a member of the Board of Alder
men, and | wish to say that will not
invest another dollar in Raleigh"
! lass was the announcement of Alder
man j. A. Mills, President of the
Mills Manufacturing Company, and
of the Farina ItOlier Mills Company, at
the close of thc .,eeting of the Board
of Aldermen last night. 1t created
decided sensation among those pre-
sent, for within the past few years
Mr.. Mills has invested in the ueighbOr-
hood of 5000 in Raleigh lc,4 estate,
Moreover, Mr.. Mills is a quiet citizen,
and not given to sensational talk, ur 10
doing anything in haste.
The occasion for this statement was
the vote that had just been taken by
the Board on the application of the
Page Lumber Company to transmit
steam from their boiler at the west
end of the Academy of Music under
Martin street to an engine under the
Park Hotel to operate an electric plant
and system of water works for the
hotel. The Aldermen voting in favor
of the application were Messrs. John
A. Mills, Charles f. Johnson and John
&. Drewry. Those voting against it
were Messrs. Stronach, Boushall,
Baker, Ivey, White and Hoover.
This action was the termination of
a contest that has occupied the atten-
ton of the Board of Aldermen at three
meetings Three years ago, when Mr..
4 F. Page finished the Academy of
Music and the Park Hotel, he built
the boiler for the purpose of lighting
and heating the two buildings, having
the engine and dynamo in the boiler
house, and transmitting the electri-
city for lighting the Park Hotel by
wire across the street, and heating and
lighting the Academy of Music from
the same plant. No complaint was
made of this use by any parties own
ing adjacent property until after the
Page Lumber Co., nd concluded for
economic reasons to utilize this pow
er also for heating and lighting the
hotel, and running the elevator. and
after they had removed the dynamo
and engine to the basement of the
hotel, and, with the permission of the
city authorities, had laid steam pipe
under Martin street. The company
had purchased necessary additional
machinery to complete the outfit.
Upon complaint of Mr.. c. B. Ed
wards and others, owners of adjacent
property. the Page Lumber Co, were
notified to show cause before the
Board of Aldermen at a special meet
ing why the boiler should not he de-
cIared a nuisance, and its operation
prohibited. At the meeting letters
were read from most of the signers
to the complaint withdrawing their
objections. Mr.. Edwards, whose house
is near the boiler plant, made a strong
personal appeal to the Board. alleg
ing that his property would be dam
aged and that he was apprehensive
of danger from the explosion of the
boiler and read letters from various
parties in answer to question from
him as to what effect the location of
a steam plant by the side of residence
property would have upon the value
of such property. These replies stat
ed that in the opinion of the writers
the damage would be at least % per
insurance agent to the effect that the
rate of insurance on the property inn
mediately adjoining would be increas-
ed 100 per cent. The Page Lumber
Co. insisted that the boiler which is
placed in a depression ten feet below
the street and fianked by an embanll-
ment and stone wall ten feet high, was
in more suitable place than if remov-
Il d. IL l. !
would be on high ground and would
be as near to the property of others
in that location as it is in its pre-
sent position to Mr.. Edwards house;
that the operation of the boiler would
cause no noise or annoyance, and
handled as it would be, would not be
dangerous to life or property. An or
dinance was offered and adopted de-
claring the boiler of the Page Lumber
Co, nuisance, and ordering it's re-
moval within thirty days to some place
to be approved by the Board of Alder
men, affiXing to the failure to remove
a penalty of $40 a day. The Page Lum-
Der Co, insisted that it was not a pub
lie nuisance, that the Board had no
authority to so declare it, and that if
any property owners were damaged
VI endangered JIcN IdI LllelT remedy
in the courts. The Page Lumber Co,
notified the Mayor that the city of Raj
eigh would be held liable for damage
they might suffer by reason of the
ordinance.
At the regular July meeting of the
BOARD of Aldermen the ordinance re-
ferred to above was repealed. and an
other adopted forbidding the trans
mission of steam under any street in
Raleigh at greater pressure than IS
pounds per square inch, except by con
sent of the Board of Aldermen, and
after ten days notice to adjacent prop
erty owners. The Page Lumber Com
pany Immediately filed a petition to
be allowed to transmit steam at a
pressure of sixty pounds The petition
was referred to committee composed
of Chas r. johnson. J. 4. Mills and
James Baker. with instructions to re
port at an adjourned meeting of the
Board, which was held last night. The
committee met yesterday. employed