The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-11-25

"A special meeting Of the mayor and
aldermen was held yesterday afternoon
at O'Clock to consider the petition
OF the Consolidated Electric Light com
pany for a location for poles on Danforth
street between Emery and Brackett
streets. Mayor Randall and the entire
board were present, and the meeting
developed in very in teresting way.
Il. M. Rand Esq, Fred III. Cobb, Esq,
Elias Thomas, William Thomas and T.
). WEIGH were present on behalf of the
remonstrants.
! General Manager Raymond appeared
Tor the Consolidated Electric Light COM
pany and argued IN favor of the petition.
lie said that the poles on that street were
necessary for doing the lighting in that
vicinity, and that if the poles could not
be located city lights as we'll as individ-
uals could not be served.
Fred IL. Cobb, Esq, speaking for the
remonstrants, said that they objected to
| any poles and wires on Danforth street.
he challenged them to name one house
or business place on Danforth street that
was lighted by electricity The only
house that Mr.. Raymond cited was that
| of Mr.. Charles R. Milliken, on Braekett
| street. 1t was not necessary to have these
poles on wires for lighting the streets.
| AS the city clerk would say the board of
aldermen had never granted them any
| rights for poles on Danforth street.
| The city clerk corroborated this.
MIR. Raymond, however, said that they
| had set the poles under the sanction of
the leg islative act.
| MIR. Rand said the remonstrants claimed
that the Consolidated Electric Light COM
pany had no right to maintain the poles
now on Danforth street from Gorham's
corner TO Vsughn's bridge. Whatever
rights might have existed for the old
poles on the southerly side of the street,
| it did not exist for these
| These poles and the large cables on
them, three in all were unsightly and
annoying. The wind whistled through
them in very troublesome manner.
The reasons given by the company for
going up Danforth street were inadequate
entirely. They might just as well serve
their patrons by way of the line on Spring
street.
There was no vista of trees in the city
surprising that to be seen by one stand
ing on the corner of State and Danforth
streets. The establishment of this line
had already caused slashing of trees,
and they would pc still further disfigured.
| Mr.. WEIGH said it seemed that the light
company had erected their poles without
any authority, and the citizens all having
protested, there was no excuse for the line
on the ground of public convenience.
Park Commissioner Smith said that the
trees had been cut to avoid injury by the
wires. Surprising that the wires must
go along they had trimmed the trees as
best they could. This trimming had been
done by man in the park department
under the speakers direction; but the ex-
pense had been borne by the electric light
company.
| At this point there was move to have
| the hearing closed; but Alderman Rounds
wanted little more information. He
wanted the exact nature of the petition,
which, upon being read, showed that the
Electric Light company wanted location
for it's poles on the southerly side of Dan
forth street from Emery to Bracket.
Then Mr.. Rounds wanted Mr.. Raymond
to explain why some other method could
not be adopted. Mr.. Raymond said that
for many years they had had forty poles
on Danforth street. Now they only
wanted twelve additional ones, OF SO in
all.
Mr.. Rand here made the point that the
company had never had any authority for
its forty poles.
Mr.. Raymond commended that their
street lights and other service demanded
these new poles.
| The hearing was then closed whereup-
on Alderman leighton introduced the
| following order:
| Whereas-The Consolidated Electric
Light Co. of Maine has by ITSELF it's SER
wants OF agents, since the first day of
September now last past, erected poles
and strung wires and cables, thereon and
are now maintaining the same on and
along the southerly side of Danforth
street in the city of Portland from its
point of intersection with York street to
Emery street, without authority and
without right and against the protest of
the citizens and property owners residing
on said Danforth street. Therefore, it is
Ordered-That the Consolidated Electric
Light company of Maine be and the same
is hereby ordered to remove forthwith all
and singular the poles, wires, cables and
electrical appliances heretofore, to wit,
since the first day of September now last
past, erected by said company, it's servants
or agents, on the southerly side of said
Danforth street, from its point of inter-
section with York street to Emery street.
as aforesaid and that this order be served
on the said company by the Clerk of the
city of Portland giving in hand to it's
general manager or any officer of said
company copy of this order duly at
tested by him (the said clerk) within
three days next following, to wit, on or
before the 9th day OF November. 1897.
Alderman Ilsley thought this was
hardly in place at this time. Alderman
Pagan moved that it lie upon the table
until the petition was acted on. This was
done. Then Mr.. Pagan said he should
| like to see the records and r1sns of CON