The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-02-28
POLES MUST BE LESS SLIGHTLY.
The city to Protect the Streets Rnd
Squares From Disagreement.

Squares From Disagreement.
In connection with the establishment
of a new telephone company in Savannah
the question of the disfguring of the
streets and squares with poles of every
sort comes to the front The streets are
now disigured with poles of every de-
scription, trolley poles for the electric
railways being most numerous. There is
a multiplicity of telephone, telegraph and
electric light poles.
In New York city practically all the
poles have been removed and the hundreds
Of thousands of wires which penetrate
that city in every direction are almost
entirely under ground. In most other cit
les where the wires are not under ground
the companies are required to use as few
poles as possible and to make these in
conspicuous In the majority of the
northern cities the trolley car companies
are required to use iron poles. These
poles are slender iron shafts which take
up little room and being painted black are
hardly noticeable. They are great Inn
provement on the wooden poles which are
always rotting out and when in decayed
condition are both unsightly and danger
GUS. In this connection the suggestion
has been made that the telephone compa-
MES be required to use iron poles for
stringing their wires.
Supt r. H. Polk of the Savannah Tele-
ter He does not think the idea feasible.
Iron telephone poles are not in use any,
where, he said. 1t is necessary TO place
telephones wires at a considerable hight
in order to avoid induction from other
wires and to construct iron poles Of suffi-
Client hight and strength to answer this
purpose, Mr.. Polk says, would pe practl-
cally impossible.
Mayor Meldrim takes the same view as
MIR Polk He had never seen any iron
telephone poles, he said, and the fact that
such poles are not in use elsewhere is
evidence that the idea is not practicable.
Mayor Meldrim intend to do something,
however, in the way of removing the I'M
slightly poles which disfigure the squares
and the South Broad street green.
81 see poles of various kinds in num-
her Of the squares" he said 'If IL is
practicable to remove these poles 1t must
be done, and where IL is necessary for
them to remain they must be placed
where they will be as inconspicuous, and
detract from the beauty OF the squares
as little as possible. I also notice that
the vista of the South Broad street green
is broken by poles placed in the center of
the green at street intersections. This
does not look we'll There should be an
unbroken view down the long line of trees
on the green. If II be necessary to place
poles on the green, and 1t doubtless is in
some instances, they should be placed In
line with the trees, so as TO attract as
little attention as possible, and not OBJ
struct the view Many Of these poles are
used TO suspend lights across the streets.
To make the change il might be neces-
sary to use two poles in some places
where one is used now but If the poles
are placed in line with the trees 1t VIII
make little difference. ] shall bring this
matter 20 the attention OF the chairman
of the street and lane committee