Evening star., 1897-01-16
ELECTRIC LIGHTING
tcontiised dfrom. First Page,


The the Sity, The o5missioners invited bids.
The United Stafea company. refused to SUBJ
mita PROPOSAL TIE Potomac company not
Cniy bid, but i3defbid the price current for
up of extending US conduits Of the com
pany east of Rock creek. You are familiar
with the decision of thks courts in the mat
ters arc ow-the aetion Of the Commission
company the CONTRACT was granted, the
streets had to be opened The Commission
ers. IN awarding the Contract to the Poto-
n &C cQmpahp,- only gave il that part of the
city wnfch was without conduits. Under
the terms Of the law we had the right to
give that company the entire public light
mg,S nut We Always reseyye to ourselves the
Llgnt 70 reject any bid or part OF. bid. and
cause we did not desire TO open the streets
where copduifs already existed. The United
states company's conduffs are In bad shape;
and could not accommodate any more
wires. Iney are faulty il construction. as
was attested some time ago, when one of
Its manhole covers was thrown into the
air by an explosion 80 -
THE conduits laid ny the Potomac COM
and the District is given, two cells free
The permit Issued to that company was
more stringent IN marry Of its terms than
any Similar permit ever issued. This
lator of the law. 1t mas TODAY more over
head wires than 1t had in 1888, and we
have their afhdavit3 to prove It. Wires
are strung overhead every week, every
day every night, -e1ery' Sunday: But this
has nothing to do with the subject The
commissioners permitted the Potomac
company to open the streets because they
were confronted by the law. Judge Cole
went into the case thoroughly before he
handed down his opinion which confirmed
the action :. of the Commissioners. We
knew nothing of any arrangement between
the companies and Congress-; we had the
law TO guide US, and We acted.
commissioner Ross begged to be ex-
cused from discussing the situation.
Commissioner TruesdeH after consider
ing little while, said:.
All have to say is, the Commissioners
acted in accordance with the law. and for
the best interests of the public
Feclingin the House.
Inquiry among some members of the ap-
pre- priations committee of the House as
to the proper action upon the Cockrell
resolution prohibiting the Potomac Ele;-
tric Company from continuing its opera
tior S, elicits the statement that there will
be vigorous fight against the Cockrell
resolution when it comes over to the
House, 1t is said that there are number
OF men in the House who have taken a
deep interest in this question, and will
manifest 1t when the proper time arrives
by opposing the resolution.
The opposition will be based upon the
ground, 1t is said, that the Cockrell reso-
lutcn would defeat: the end to which the
House labored very assfduously at the last
session. This end was the opening I'D Of
the electric lighdngo franchise of the city
to competition. 1t is explained now that
the House insisted at the last session that
q certain degree OF competition should be
granted in the matter of electric lighting
IN order to obtain this the House had 70
fight the Senates'vigarously, as the latter
body, 1t Is said, shBwed a disposition to
mairtain the electric lighting franchise in
me hands that then controlled 1t. The
measure Of competif9n and the courts af-
terward extended It'll
1t is stated now that the House will not
entertain proposition looking to the cur
gress has obtaifed. SAT least; this is the
position. of some members of the House
VINO VIII endeay9r TO rally enough strength
when the matteE Ecotnes 70 a vote to main
be s aas ahas ssasa The ena'e mae would
the House ps,fsf ssismittse viii Viii take oein in
the matter some members Of the COM
w sestan Mho fnaSs ho Se
views just explained, an1 will assist in
fighting the resolution from start to finish.
Other members of the committee are nom
expressing an opinion upon the ground
that they do not wish to prejudge the
question, which is 10 come up in committee
later. The agitation of this subject at this
time. will have the effect, IT is thought, OF
Fastening the action in. the line of subway
Investigation. Such ar Investigation has
already beer commenced by Mr.. Odell and
Mr. Richardson of the District committee,
any headway was made, for several rea-
sons, one of them being the failure of an
electrical expert to attend. who had been
summoned to Washington to give his tes-
timony. Then Mr.. .Odell was called away
from the city and is still absent. SO that
the matter langushes for the present
Rushing Work on the Conduits.
When the Potomac Electric Power Com
pany became aware through a publication
committee on the District of Columbia had
voted 10 make a favorable report on the
Cockren resolution "a grand race to COM
plete the underground conduits of that
company began. The company had been
pushing its work very energetically, but
the force at it's command was instructed to
work night and day, and between four and
five hundred men were engaged through
out last night In cutting through the as
phalt pavenaents, digging trenches and
laying the conduits fer electric light wires.
Work will not be interrupted except dur
today for his men to- stop work at IL
o. oclock tonight, but, they will begin again
at one minute past II pn'IMonday morning.
To a Star reporter today Mr.. Crosby
stated that when he read of the action of
the Senate committee lin The Star, his
company had under ground about 325, 600
feet OF conduit, whereas the United States
Electric Lighting Conopany. had but 212.e50
feet of conduit, according to Its statement
made last year, and he said that quantity
had not been added to since. OF the length
Of Conduit now completed and belonging to
the Potomac company. 100000 feet have
been laid. in order that that company
might carry out Its present contract for
public lighting with the District, this con-
tract making necessary about 10O, 600 feet
of underground conduit. in ADDITION to
that already owned by The company.
The work Of laying tthe conduits was
being pus he'd this. afternoon along New
York avenue aifd on 9th street. There il
no reason visible tothe president of the
Potomac company why the work should not
be completed, within, four. weeks, and IL
there is no fnclement weather to interfere
with it he expects7to have, the last of the
terra Gotta pipesH corrective the electric
wires in place w4fhtnolthree weeks. The
pipes are being suepHeal as rapidly as they
can be handled, - tEt entX-Ape carloads now
being en- route tonfhfsnla1ty from Canton,
Ohio where they are being manufactured.
The Roa.te ifxayer.ed.
The route travesseds;hy the conduits of
the Potomac comls ls 4 Hes along NJ street
from Rock creek9to t7tan street south, to
Pennsylvania. avenue, thence to New York