The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-12-15
POLES WILL STAY UP.
Danferth Street Lighting Controversy
Ended at Last.
THE ELECTRIC LIGHT COMPANY
HAS IT'S OWN WAY.

A Breezy and Prolonged Hearing Before
the Board of AIdermen-Lawyers and
| Remonstrants Say Some sharp Things
| Order Drawn Up by Comp py's At
torney Passed Unanimously.
| The Danforth street electric lights were
the subject Of another prolonged debate
in the aldermanic chamber yesterday
afternoon. In accordance with vote of
the board passed at a meeting two weeks
ago, a hearing was given on the Consoli-
dated Electric Light company's re-
modelled petition for location of its
poles on that thoroughfare.
1t was an exceedingly lively session
fromsstart to finish. Clarence Hale, Esq,
was there in behalf of the company, and
matched against him and General Man
ager George E. Raymond were about a
dozen prominent residents of Danforth
street and their legal advisers, E. NJ.
Rand, ESQ, and E. H. Cobb, Esq. The
session lasted from four till six o'clock
Only three aldermen were present at the
beginning of the hearing, but two others
dropped in before proceedings were we'll
under way, SO that the full board was
present, with the exception of Alderman
| Pagan.
| The top of the clerks desk was hidden
| by plan which showed the desired loca-
lions of all the polls in the section Of the
city where the street lighting warfare has
| OF late been in progress. AS soon as
| Mayor Randall had called the board to
order and briefly summed up the occasion
| Of the meeting, the aldermen took re-
| cess to get a better view of the p Ian
which General Manager Raymond pro-
| ceeded to delineate, with an occasional
suggestion from the corporation S counsel
and frequent Interruptions from the re-
monstrants' attorneys.
The dialogue began to wax SO warm
that the mayor sharply raped the board
| to order again, and announced that the
discussion had better proceed i'll regular
| form. Then EAIr. Hale took the floor and
opened the petitioners side of the hearing.
| He said that in order to have Danforth
street lighted adequately there must be
|
company had aimed to get along with
as few as possible, and to meet so far as
possible the wishes of the citizens who re-
side in that vicinity. He wanted the hear
| ing to be full, free and frank considera
| ton of the matter.
| Mr. Hale called General Manager Ray
mond as the first witness and asked him
numerous questions about the company Is
wishes. That official explained that the
original pitition called for the location of
| fifty-two poles, bat the present plan con-
templates only thirtytwo ON Danforth
street, below Emery street. The extra
poles now standing are to be removed at
once. After the passage of the aldermen s
| first order, the company set a crew at
work to strip all the poles there and re-
move them, but citizens demonstrated
against that section being left in dark
ness. and temporary arrangement was
made by the company whereby the lights
might continue to be operated In his
opinion. this was the best plan that could
be devised; in fact it was the only way
that section of the city could be lighted.
Manager Raymond added that City Eec-
trician Cummings agreed will him.
| Alderman Ilsley wanted to know If
there was any other way to light Danforth
street than to erect the poles shown in the
plan. Mr.. Raymond answered in the
negative.
"How many poles were in use there
last summer?' asked Alderman leighton.
Mr.. Raymond-"I do not know exactly,
but my impression is that one of our
| linesmen told me there were forty"
Alderman McDonald-"C Couldn't the
wires be strung on trees?"
Attorney Rand next took the witness
in hand and piled numerous questions
in an endeavor to show that there could
not have been as many as forty poles in
that section of Danforth street prior to
the introduction of the recent changes
Mr.. Rand expressed the Ebelief that the
company could run the Danforth street
circuit just the same as before the altera-
lions were made, but Mr.. Raymond in
sisted that the plan exhibited showed the
only possible way out Of the prese Mt
dilemma.
Attorney Cobb made the next attack,
in behalf of the remonstrants. After ask
ing few leading questions he inquired if
the witness was not aware that the COM
pany has no rights on Danforth street.
Manager Raymond replied that he knew
nothing of the kind.
Mr.. Cobb called the city clerk into au-
thority, to settle that question. 1T is a
question of law" replied Clerk Dyer.
1.-THE company has not been granted a
permit"
Why did you stop at Emery street in
making your plan? Did your paper give
outp' continued Mr.. Cobb, to which
Manager Raymond replied:
I'VE have locations in other streets"
why can you not turn your cable on
Danforth street?''
Because it isn't advisable or easy to
turn cable
Aren't there three distinct turns of
the cable near Mrs Springs reSidence?'